Final Writing Style 3

Is Tchaikovsky’s score the only thing keeping The Nutcracker alive?

“Tchaikovsky also wrote scores for The Nutcracker (1892) and Swan Lake (1875). Unfortunately both of these ballets suffered from indifferent productions and they would have disappeared completely but for the music.” (Harrold, Robert, 1980, Ballet. Dorset: Blandford press.)

Tchaikovsky composed the score for Nutcracker from 1891–92 and the production was first danced on 18th December 1892 at The Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg Russia staged by Marius Petipa. It has subsequently been adapted by many choreographers and companies throughout the world, although it remains one of the most popular ballets often securing a longer run than any other production in a company’s calendar; Birmingham Royal Ballet have twenty-two performances of The Nutcracker at The Birmingham Hippodrome and only eleven of Sleeping Beauty there next longest run. It has also proved to be one of the most popular with audiences:
“The sales of tickets for The Nutcracker represent manna for dance companies, accounting for approximately half of their annual box office earnings.” (Renaud, L, 1991. Nutcracker Suite: a timeless musical fairytale http://www.scena.org/lsm/sm5-4/NutcrackerSuite-en.htm [16/11/2009])

But whilst the costumes, lighting, staging, characters and choreography have all been changed from one production to another the music has remained the same.

“I would also like to think that the main reason that Nutcracker has retained its perennial appeal is because of Tchaikovsky’s incredible score. Act One contains some of the most engaging and, at times, profound story telling music and Act Two has one glorious melody after another. After 110 years it retains its mystery, magic and the power to transport us to another world.” (Bourne, M http://www.matthewbournesnutcracker.com/ [16/11/2009])

Tchaikovsky’s music seems to resonate beyond the stage. Televisions advertising has immortalised Tchaikovsky’s score for ‘The Nutcracker’ and many of the general public who have never set foot in a theatre will be familiar with the sounds of this ballet heralding the start of the Christmas season. Dance of the Sugar Plum fairy has been used in advertising campaigns for: Always (2009) Warburton’s (2008) Pringles (2007) Andrex (2007). Whilst Danse de Merlitons will be fondly remembered as the overture for the Cadburys Fruit and Nut advert which first aired in 1998.

Whilst it can be said that the music does provide the core of the ballet, and is arguably the most publically recognisable aspect of the ballet; there must be other things drawing the audience in, otherwise The Nutcracker would be performed solely by orchestras in Symphony Halls as opposed to ballet companies in packed theatres throughout the world. The examples above demonstrate that the music needs an image and narrative associated with it to retain its powerful impact on the public, which is why it has been so successful in theatres around the world. I have consulted others reviews in order to support my theory that it is a combination of factors that maintain the ballet’s popularity.

“Clara’s flight on the back of a giant snow goose (always greeted with gasps of wonderment)”
(Dougill, D, 2007. ‘The Nutcracker’ The Sunday Times, December 9, 2007)

“Peter Wright’s interpretation of this favorite Russian classic is a Christmas stocking stuffed with a box of magic tricks, gorgeous dressing-up clothes, toy soldiers, furry animals, dolls in national costumes and – right at the very end of the toe - a scrumptious sugar plum. But one doesn’t have to be a child, or have a couple to take along, to be captivated by the ballet’s festive spirit.”
(Turner, S, 2008. ‘Birmingham Royal Ballet - The Nutcracker, at Birmingham Hippodrome’ Birmingham Post – Life and Leisure, Nov 30 2008)

To conclude, whilst some may believe that the music is the only thing keeping the Nutcracker alive, I believe that it is the seamless blend of all the elements, along with a large dose of Christmas spirit that have maintained this ballets popularity all the way into the millennium.