User:Eptalon/Nutcracker Suite

The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a is a selection of 8 musical numbers Tchaikovsky made from The Nutcracker ballet for a concert performance before the St. Petersburg branch of the Musical Society on March 19, 1892. Every number was acclaimed and repeated, and the suite became an instant hit. The complete ballet was first performed on December 17, 1892. Tchaikovsky was less successful with the ballet. At first, it was not successful at all. Only when George Balanchine staged a production in New York City did it become successful. The suite however was very popular in concert. It was featured in Disney's Fantasia. The Nutcracker Suite should not be mistaken for the complete ballet.

Tchaikovsky chose the following numbers for The Nutcracker Suite:


 * I. Miniature Overture
 * II. Danses caractéristiques
 * a. Marche
 * b. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy [ending altered from ballet-version]
 * c. Russian Dance (Trepak)
 * d. Arabian Dance
 * e. Chinese Dance
 * f. Reed-Flutes
 * III. Waltz of the Flowers