CHRISTMAS IS A NUTCRACKER

Slovak State Philharmonic Košice
Martin LEGINUS, conductor

Programme:

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, concert performance

Tchaikovsky approached the composition of The Nutcracker only with reluctance. At the time, he was writing an opera, Iolanta, which was due to premiere in 1892, but the management of the Mariinsky Theatre, fearing that not enough tickets would be sold, forced the composer to write a ballet to be performed alongside the opera. The work adapts the original fairy-tale literary story by E. T. A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, a charming story about a little girl who befriends an animated wooden nutcracker on Christmas Eve. The story is based on an ancient German legend, according to which the nutcracker brings good luck and protection to the whole family. When listening to Tchaikovsky's work, the listener is most enthralled by the amazing sounds the composer was able to conjure from the orchestra. Musically, here he brings to life toys and sweets that sound as clear as glittering pieces of glass and ice; you can literally feel snowflakes flying and fairies or goblins dancing in the music. The original score of The Nutcracker was thought lost for fifty years, only discovered by chance in 1946. The original title of the ballet was The Christmas Tree. Tchaikovsky's colorful music has a wonderfully vivid visual quality. From the elegant Flower Waltz to the dramatic Russian Dance, the score is literally a feast of gorgeous melodies. This music has become the darling of the concert stage at Christmas time, but it is also adored throughout the year in new arrangements and unusual interpretations. Tchaikovsky's incredible talent for melody can be fully appreciated in The Nutcracker. His compositional dexterity and incredible ability to create colourful images within the orchestra make this music a timeless work that instantly transports the listener to the magical reaches of the imagination.