The Nutcracker

Lore & Background

After the success of The Sleeping Beauty in 1890, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Imperial Theatres, commissioned Tchaikovsky to compose a double-bill program featuring both an opera (Iolanta) and a ballet. The material chosen was an adaptation of Hoffmann's story by Dumas. Petipa gave Tchaikovsky extremely detailed instructions for each number, down to tempo and bars.

Completion was interrupted when Tchaikovsky visited the United States for 25 days to conduct concerts for the opening of Carnegie Hall; he composed parts of The Nutcracker in Rouen, France. The first performance was held as a double premiere with Iolanta on 18 December [O.S. The performance was conducted by Riccardo Drigo, with Antonietta Dell'Era as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Unlike many later productions, children's roles were performed by real children from the Imperial Ballet School.

Reader's Guide

Major American ballet companies generate around 40% of their annual ticket revenues from performances of the ballet. Its score, noted for its use of the celesta, has become one of Tchaikovsky's most famous compositions and has been used in several film adaptations. The first complete U.S. Since then, many choreographers have created their own versions, some departing radically from the original libretto.