The Nutcracker: Complete Ballet in Full Score

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky's enchanting Christmas fairy tale is his most popular work and, along with Swan Lake, the world's most frequently performed ballet. The work is a masterpiece of orchestration (including the historic first use of the celesta, in Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy) and is essential study for students of orchestral combinations and effects. Musicians will rejoice that previously difficult-to-find favorites like Waltz of the Snowflakes and Spanish Dance (Chocolate) are now available, along with the rest of this beloved score, in an affordable, single-volume edition.

Genres: Music, Christmas, Reference, Scores

528 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1985

About the author

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Петр Ильич Чайковский) was a Russian composer of the Romantic era. While not part of the nationalistic music group known as "The Five", Tchaikovsky wrote music which was distinctly Russian: plangent, introspective, with modally-inflected melody and harmony.

Tchaikovsky considered himself a professional composer. He felt his professionalism in combining skill and high standards in his musical works separated him from his colleagues in "The Five." He shared several of their ideals, including an emphasis on national character in music. His aim, however, was linking those ideals with a professional standard high enough to satisfy European criteria. His professionalism also fueled his desire to reach a broad public, not just nationally but internationally, which he would eventually do.

Reviews

[Cocoa by candlelight · Rating 5 out of 5]

The original Hoffman story was grim, sometimes scary, always whimsical. This ballet adapts the Dumas version of The Nutcracker, which is fluffier and more saccharine (verging on the extreme).
If you skip the Dumas version and choose to interpret the ballet through the lens of both Hoffman's and Tchaikovsky's personal lives, then you get a story about grief and finding joy in your deepest sorrows.
It would be a shame to dismiss the score as shallow, when it's actually a beautiful love letter to life. Tchaikovsky used The Nutcracker as a way to say goodbye to his beloved sister Sasha, whose passing away devastated him. In the midst of grief and desperation, he decided to use his pain and make something beautiful with it. Not only a way for the spirit of Sasha to live on, but also for her life to be celebrated and bring joy to people.

There's a pervasive melancholy underneath the happy notes, as well as unbridled child-like joy. Writing songs that make people happy does not translate into shallow music. Being able to transmit joy and serenity and happiness is the most profound gift any of us can hope for.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great reference, low price. Very helpful for a project I'm currently working on.

[Javier Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara's dream is the coolest. She imagines it all in music and dance. Mum's the word!

[Clayton R. Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is very unfortunate that this is Tchaikovsky's best known work. Lacking, in plot it is boring on a whole. There is, however, wonderful, magical music that must deserve at least some recognition.