Christmas & The Nutcracker

The ballet The Nutcracker with music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky has been part of the Christmas celebration for more than a hundred years. In fact, although there have been attempts to find suitable replacements through the performance of other fairy tale ballets like Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella during Christmastime, no other seems to have the same degree of enchantment people have come to expect out of Christmas than The Nutcracker.

The ballet is based on the German story of The Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffman. It is about a girl named Marie or Clara, depending on what version you are reading, who gets the gift of a nutcracker doll dressed as a soldier from her godfather Drosselmeier one Christmas Eve. That evening, she wakes up to find the house besieged by the Mouse King and his troops and horrors! These are attacking the Nutcracker.

Clara saves her doll from the mice and as a reward the nutcracker which now looks like a handsome prince takes her off to see the Kingdom of the Sweets. There, Clara meets other dolls and is presented with candies from all over the world. She has a thoroughly enjoyable time but soon wakes up amidst all the toys under the tree, wondering if it was all a dream or if she really went off on an adventure with her Nutcracker.

It was in 1891 when the Russian composer Tchaikovsky was asked to write the music for The Nutcracker as adapted by the great French writer Alexander Dumas. Legend has it that he was not that pleased with the story, which was not like other ballets, and he found it quite unsuitable. He was proven right when The Nutcracker was unfavorably received on its premiere in December 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. However, this changed gradually with the passing of time as parents turned it into a Yuletide treat for children who could not help but be impressed at the sight of toys coming to life on the stage in a fairy tale setting.

The practice was picked up by the British during the 1930s and eventually by Americans after World War II. It was there that the ballet reached new heights through the choreography by George Balanchine for the New York City Ballet. There are now hundreds or maybe even thousands of Nutcracker versions being staged all over the world. In fact, two local ballet companies staged their own Nutcrackers only a few weeks ago. These might be on stage, on ice, in the movies. There is a film that stars McCaulay Culkin as the Nutcracker Prince and on television. These assorted versions have brought about changes in the tale but the music has remained the same. The ballet Tchaikovsky did not think much of has become his most popular and enduring work.

It is easy to see why The Nutcracker continues to charm children and adults alike. The story is set during Christmas, a time which allows for dazzling sets and props. Think of the giant mouse king or a tree that grows right before your eyes or snowflakes falling from a sky of brilliant blue. It tells of gift-giving, a ritual everybody looks forward to. And who has not dreamed of receiving a perfect gift like the Nutcracker that through its magic powers will make everything right? Then there is the music, which is what suspends disbelief in the audience. From the march that opens the ballet to the Waltz of the Snowflakes, the dances from different countries, the Dance of the Flowers, to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the music is so evocative of enchantment.

I believe that everybody, not just the kids, should experience the splendor of The Nutcracker at least once in a lifetime. I want to say every Christmastime but since that is not that easy in this country of ours, once is probably the only chance some of us will get. I had a copy of the unbelievably beautiful American Ballet Theater presentation starring Mikhail Barysnikov and Gelsey Kirkland but it was on beta and I have not seen it since my machine stopped playing. Unfortunately, I have not seen any copy here on DVD and I do not think the pirates waste their time on old ballets. I might try Amazon one of these days if I cannot assuage the longing to watch it again after listening to the music performed by Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

I admit that like putting up the Christmas tree, watching the Nutcracker ballet is a pagan Yuletide tradition. But Christmas is when the world is at its happiest. The Nutcracker, albeit in a small way, contributes to that.

Have a merry Christmas.