Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker, Op. 71

The Nutcracker is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," adapted with a lighter, more child-friendly libretto by Marius Petipa. The ballet follows a young girl named Clara who receives a nutcracker doll that comes to life and leads her on a magical journey through the Land of Sweets.

The Nutcracker premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, in December 1892. The premiere was a double bill that also included Tchaikovsky's one-act opera Iolanta, and the initial critical reception to the ballet was mixed.

The "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy," the "Russian Dance" (Trepak), and the "Waltz of the Flowers" are among the most recognizable pieces from The Nutcracker. Tchaikovsky compiled a Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, which popularized these selections as a standalone concert work even before the full ballet achieved widespread fame.

The Nutcracker became a Christmas tradition in the United States largely through George Balanchine's 1954 production for the New York City Ballet. That staging popularized the ballet as an annual holiday event, and regional companies across the country adopted the tradition in the decades that followed.