Ballet nutcracker analysis. The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The Mouse King Appears

In my mind New Year- this is my native Omsk, where there is a lot of fluffy, snow-white snow, real Siberian jellied meat in every kitchen, an ice skating rink, after which you run to the nearest coffee shop, warm up with something tasty and very hot, watching from the window sparkling with multi-colored lights for the children running with sledding towards the city Christmas tree and, of course, a traditional hike to Musical Theatre to the fairytale ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky “The Nutcracker”. People in Omsk love to celebrate the New Year and love to go to the theater. I have been to different cities of our country, but the way they applaud in Omsk, they don’t applaud anywhere else. If Feodosia is a city of museums, then Omsk is a real city of theaters.

Omsk Musical Theater

I have always been interested in how composers write music for ballet. In particular, I have always been interested in why Tchaikovsky decided to write the ballet “The Nutcracker”, the action of which takes place in one of the German principalities in the era of Hoffmann, namely in the fairy-tale town of Confiturenburg. One day, Pyotr Ilyich received an order from the management of the Imperial Theaters for a one-act opera and a two-act ballet to be staged in one evening. Tchaikovsky chose for the opera the work of the Danish writer H. Hertz “King René’s Daughter” (“Iolanta”), and famous fairy tale Hoffmann "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" for ballet. This fairy tale was taken in a French retelling, which was made by A. Dumas, his father, and was called “The Story of the Nutcracker.”

First, Tchaikovsky outlined the plot of “The Nutcracker” in writing and only then began working with the great choreographer Marius Petipa, who made detailed plan- order and choreographer's exhibition. By that time, Petipa had served Russia for more than forty years and staged more than one performance. The renowned master gave Tchaikovsky detailed recommendations and advice on what the music should be for this magical and winter's tale. In 1891, Tchaikovsky went to the USA to Grand opening Carnegie Hall, but he continued to compose music even while he was on the boat. Realizing that he does not meet the deadline, he sends a letter from Paris with a request to postpone the premieres of “The Nutcracker” and “Iolanta” to the next season. The work became more active when Pyotr Ilyich returned from his trip. The ballet was completed during January and February 1892. One of symphony orchestras Russian Musical Society performed suites from the music for the ballet “The Nutcracker” under the baton of the composer himself. Six numbers were performed, of which five were repeated at the request of the public - it was a resounding success.

The second choreographer will complete the production of the ballet Mariinsky Theater L. Ivanov according to the exact scenarios and instructions of the seriously ill Petipa. Lev Ivanovich Ivanov choreographed the Polovtsian dances in Borodin’s “Prince Igor” and the dances in Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera-ballet “Mlada”. Rehearsals for The Nutcracker began at the end of September 1892, and the premiere took place on December 18. Surprisingly, the criticism was varied, both positive and sharply negative. Nevertheless, no criticism prevented the ballet from remaining in the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater for more than thirty years. In 1923, the ballet was restored by choreographer F. Lopukhov. In 1929 he created a new choreographic version of the performance. What changed? Initially, the heroine of the ballet was called Clara, in Soviet years they began to call her Masha. (Marie at Dumas). Later, productions of “The Nutcracker” on different stages of the country were carried out by different choreographers.

Why do we love The Nutcracker so much on New Year's Eve? It all starts with Christmas Eve in the Silberghaus house, when guests gather for the holiday. Clara, Fritz and their little guests enter the hall. The center of attention of absolutely everyone is the fluffy and elegant Christmas tree. The clock strikes midnight, and with its last strike, Clara’s godfather, the mysterious Drosselmeyer, appears, who brings huge mechanical dolls as a gift to the children - the Cantante, the Soldier, the Harlequin and Columbine. Zilberghaus, fearing that the children will spoil the gifts, orders them to be taken to his office. The children are terribly upset and Drosselmeyer, to console them, takes out a strange toy from his pocket - a funny little Nutcracker and shows him gnawing nuts. Fritz forces the Nutcracker to crack the hardest nuts, and the Nutcracker's jaw breaks. Then the irritated Fritz throws the toy on the floor, but Klara picks him up, rocks him to sleep, puts him on the bed of his favorite doll and wraps him in a warm blanket. Zilberghaus orders the furniture to be taken out of the living room, and the ball begins.

At the end of the celebration, the children are sent to bed, and the guests and hosts disperse. Soft moonlight penetrates the window of the empty hall, and fluffy snow flakes slowly fall outside the window. Clara can't sleep. She is worried about the Nutcracker. Suddenly, rustling, running and scratching are heard. The girl gets scared and wants to run away, but the big ones Wall Clock the time begins to tick. Clara sees that instead of an owl, the Drosselmeister is sitting on the clock, flapping the skirts of his caftan like wings. Small lights flicker on all sides as mice fill the room. Clara runs to the Nutcracker's crib. But suddenly, the tree begins to grow and becomes huge, the dolls come to life and run around in fear. The gingerbread soldiers line up and the battle with the mice begins. The Nutcracker, rising from bed, orders the alarm to be sounded. Boxes with tin soldiers are opened, the Nutcracker's army is formed into a battle square. The mouse army attacks, but the soldiers bravely resist the onslaught, and the mice retreat. Then the treacherous Mouse King enters the duel. He wants to kill the Nutcracker, but Clara takes off her shoe and throws it at the King. The Nutcracker wounds him, and he, along with the rest of the army, flees the battlefield. The Nutcracker with a naked sword in his hand approaches Clara. He turns into a handsome young man and asks the girl to follow him. Both are hiding in the branches of the Christmas tree. This is where the real New Year's magic begins, because the hall turns into a real winter forest. Snow falls in large flakes and a real blizzard arises. Snowflakes, driven by the wind, dance. In the fairy-tale city of Confiturenburg, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Whooping Cough are already awaiting the arrival of Clara and Prince Nutcracker in the Palace of Sweets. In a boat made of a gilded shell they sail to the palace, where everything is prepared for upcoming celebration, Clara and the Nutcracker. Begins beautiful holiday, in which the mistress of sweets herself, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Mother Zhigon and other fairy-tale characters take part.

"The Nutcracker" is the composer's last ballet. Here, Tchaikovsky turns to a theme that has already “sounded” in “Swan Lake” and “Sleeping Beauty” - this is the theme of overcoming evil spells with the powerful power of love. In The Nutcracker, the music is enriched with all kinds of expressive means. In this ballet there is an amazing fusion of visual and expressive, theatrical and psychological. The music very subtly embodies everything that happens on stage: the growth of the Christmas tree, the shouts of the sentry, the beating of drums, toy fanfares, the squeaking of mice and the wonderful transformation of the Nutcracker. When shiny and light snowflakes dance, music magically conveys a feeling of cold, game moonlight and the feelings of the heroine, who suddenly found herself in a mysterious and fairy tale world. In the second act there are various dances: the dance of chocolate, coffee, tea (brightly characteristic, rich comic effects Chinese), as well as live, in folk spirit, Russian trepak, graceful and stylized dance of shepherdesses, comic dance of Mother Zhigon. Of course, the pinnacle of the divertissement is the famous Waltz of the Flowers with its variety of melodies, symphonic development, pomp and solemnity. The dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy is amazingly graceful and subtle. The lyrical culmination of the entire ballet, which gives goosebumps, is the adagio, which was originally staged for the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince, now for Clara and the Nutcracker.

Russian ballet and Russian composers are, of course, golden business card our country. It will forever remain a mystery to us how Tchaikovsky heard all this majestic music, what exactly inspired him to write it, and what feelings he experienced when he created his immortal masterpieces. Pyotr Ilyich was a brilliant composer and left us a huge and wonderful musical heritage. Unfortunately, in Feodosia there is not yet a theater where it would be possible to stage ballets and host artists from other theaters in our country. But we hope that this situation will change in the near future. It is very important for all of us, and especially our children, to listen to the music of the great Russians and foreign composers. As for ballet, it is separate, Magic world, where the grace of dance is subtly intertwined with the beauty of the soul, its pain and joy. It's just extraordinarily beautiful. This is art, this is our culture, without which we cannot have a decent future. Today, all Feodosians have the opportunity to touch the work of the great composer by coming to a concert dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the birth of Pyotr Ilyich.

P.I. Tchaikovsky ballet "The Nutcracker"

The most magical and New Year's work P.I. Tchaikovsky , known throughout the world – the ballet “The Nutcracker”. Often, classical operas or ballets have one or more famous numbers that become iconic for the work and beloved by the public. This cannot be said about The Nutcracker, because the entire ballet consists of such “hits”! Perhaps this is the most recognizable work in the whole world. Just look at the mesmerizing Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the most tender Waltz of the Flowers , a series of dances: Chocolate, Coffee, Tea and many others. And who among the children, after all, hasn’t dreamed of being in the place of Marie and the Nutcracker in this fabulous place made of chocolate, caramel, marshmallows and other goodies?!

Read a summary of Tchaikovsky's ballet "" and many interesting facts about this work on our page.

Summary of "The Nutcracker"

The main events in the ballet unfold on the eve of the big and happy holiday- Christmas.

Guests and Marie’s godfather gathered at Stahlbaum’s house, who came with a bunch of gifts for the children. Among them, a doll designed for cracking nuts – the Nutcracker – stands out. The girl Marie immediately liked the rather clumsy toy with a wide smile. All the children had already gone to bed, but she still could not part with the Nutcracker.

The girl was so busy playing that she didn’t notice how everything around her began to change. The tree became enormous in size and a strange rustling sound was heard. An army of mice appeared in the room, and the Nutcracker himself suddenly came to life, turning into a beautiful young man. He immediately gathered himself an army of soldiers and went against the enemy, but their forces were unequal. Marie, seeing this, decided to help the Nutcracker and threw her shoe at the Mouse King. The enemies were frightened by the sudden attack and fled.

When Marie woke up, her godfather, Drosselmeyer, appeared in front of her, appearing in the guise of a wizard. He talked about an amazing fairy-tale world, which is quite difficult to get into while overcoming a snowstorm. But Marie and the Nutcracker go to this country. They find themselves in the wonderful city of Confiturenburg, where there are a lot of sweets and guests around to greet them. The Sugar Plum Fairy throws a lavish ball in their honor and Marie becomes a real princess after the Nutcracker tells how she saved him. When the celebration ends, the wizard helps Marie return home from her wonderful journey.

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Interesting facts about the Nutcracker

• There is information that at the first performance of the ballet at the Mariinsky Theater (December 1892), the audience was unusually surprised by the strength of the orchestra’s sound. Particularly attracted their attention musical instrument celesta.
• Since the production of The Nutcracker, there has been a tradition of giving minor roles students of choreographic schools.
• The “Coffee” dance is based on a Georgian folk lullaby.
• According to the content of the German legend, nutcrackers bring good luck and protect the home. Therefore, these wooden mechanical dolls were popular as Christmas gifts for children.

• The Christmas tree, which is usually installed on stage in the first act, weighs about a ton.
• During the gentle dance of snowflakes, confetti falls onto the stage, the total mass of which is about 20 kg.
• During the entire performance, about 150 different costumes are demonstrated on stage.
• For full operation of all equipment, applying makeup and changing costumes, there must be about 60 people backstage during the performance.
• Up to 700 lighting fixtures are usually used to illuminate a ballet.
• One pack of the Sugar Plum Fairy requires 7 layers of tulle.

• There is some confusion about the girl's names (Mari, Masha or Clara). In fact, as stated in the original source, Clara is just a doll of a girl named Marichen. In French, her name sounds like Marie, and this is the version that went to the director of the Imperial Theaters, Vsevolzhsky. IN Soviet productions, starting in 1930, the ballet was Russified and the girl Marie received the name Maria, and her brother became Misha. Also, the Christmas holiday was replaced by New Year.
• Before starting to write the ballet, he first wrote the entire plot from Vsevolzhsky’s words and only then began composing the music.
• The magical city of Konfiturenberg from the second act was also invented by Vsevolzhsky.
• The largest silkcracker was made in Germany and was more than 10 meters high.
• Frank Russell Galey performed the role of the Nutcracker at a record age, at that time he was 74 years and 101 days.

Popular Nutcracker numbers

Waltz of the Flowers (listen)

March from Act I (listen)

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (listen)

Waltz of Snow Flakes (listen)

Pas de deux of Marie and the Nutcracker - adagio (listen)

Music

Pyotr Ilyich embodies a theme already known to him in ballet - overcoming hostile forces through the power of love. The music is saturated with new expressive images. It is interesting to observe how expressiveness is combined here with figurativeness, vivid theatricality and the deepest psychologism.

The musical fabric of the ballet is very bright and full of strong, memorable numbers. Thus, before the scene of the growth of the Christmas tree from the first act, music of extraordinary expressiveness is heard. It begins ghostly, conveying the fuss of mice. Gradually it acquires a wider scope, transforming into an unfolding melody.

I tried to ensure that the music very subtly conveyed the entire content of the fairy tale taking place on stage: drumming, fanfares or the squeaking of mice. The audience especially loves the Divertimento of Act II, which includes a series of dances at a ball in a fairyland. It's bright spanish dance– Chocolate, exciting oriental – Coffee, characteristic Chinese – Tea, as well as unusually bright and lively – Trepak. Next comes the graceful dance of the shepherdesses, Mother Zhigon and the pearl of the Divertimento - Waltz of the Flowers with its mesmerizing melody. The dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy attracts with its sophistication, and the real lyrical and dramatic culmination can be safely called the adagio.

The history of the creation of "The Nutcracker"

In 1890, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was offered to compose an opera consisting of one act and a ballet. According to the plan, these works were to be performed in one evening. He began working on the ballet together with Marius Petipa . It is noteworthy that when writing the score, Tchaikovsky constantly consulted with him, even about music. The work proceeded quite quickly, however, in the spring of 1891, Pyotr Ilyich was forced to pause. The reason was good - he went to the USA, where the long-awaited opening of the famous Carnegie Hall took place. There is information that Tchaikovsky managed to compose even while traveling on a ship, because he was afraid of not meeting the deadline.

Despite all his efforts, the composer was forced to send Vsevolzhsky a letter from Paris and ask to postpone the premiere a little. As soon as Tchaikovsky returned, the work went much more productive. So, by February 1892, he completely completed his performance. The premiere of the suite from The Nutcracker took place at the Russian musical society under the direction of the author. The audience enthusiastically greeted the composer's new work. At this time, Petipa became seriously ill and the role of choreographer was now performed by L. Ivanov, who was just finishing his career as a dancer and had previously tried himself as a choreographer. Since Petipa could no longer work on the libretto, the composer’s brother Modest Tchaikovsky continued to create it. Work on the production at the theater began in the fall of 1892, and the premiere was scheduled for December of the same year.

Literary basis of the ballet “The Nutcracker”

The original source of the famous performance was the German fairy tale E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, published in 1861. In the story, Marichen Stahlbaum receives from her godfather a small doll for cracking nuts as a Christmas present. That same night, the Nutcracker miraculously comes to life and enters into a fierce and unequal fight with a troop of treacherous mice. In the morning, godfather Drosselmeyer told the girl one interesting story about his nephew, bewitched by the evil king of mice. And at night Marichen, along with her doll Clara and the Nutcracker, were again attacked by enemies. Having managed to defeat the treacherous army, they all headed to fairy kingdom, where the girl was elected princess.

This tale was translated by the writer Emile Labedollier into French in 1838. It was this translation that went to famous writer Alexandru Dumas. It is curious that he decided to create his own version of the work. This slightly modified version of the tale with some deviations was caught by I.A. Vsevolzhsky, who decided to create a ballet.

Performances of The Nutcracker

For the first time, the production of “The Nutcracker” together with the opera “ Iolanta "took place in December 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater. Vsevolzhsky himself was involved in the design of the costumes, and R. Drigo was at the conductor’s stand. The success was widespread, although there is information that the public liked the opera more at first. Despite the fact that the unified performance did not work out as the director of the theaters had planned, individually these were wonderful performances and they were no longer used in the same program. L. Ivanov’s work was recognized as excellent; critics especially noted the dance of aerial snowflakes he created. After its premiere, the ballet remained in the theater's repertoire for another 30 years. In 1923, choreographer F. Lopukhov again turned to Tchaikovsky’s performance, and in 1929 an updated version of “The Nutcracker” was released. After this, the ballet was staged several times on different stages around the world. Among the most striking productions is the version by choreographer George Balanchine, performed in 1954 in New York. Moreover, this production has been annually attracting more and more enthusiastic spectators for more than 50 years. Along with theatrical performances, the ballet has also been filmed several times.

Many animators also paid attention to the music of The Nutcracker. In 1940, Walt Disney Studios released the cartoon " Fantasy ", which presents some fragments from the ballet. IN Soviet time Boris Stepantsev created his famous cartoon based on Hoffmann's fairy tale , also with music by Tchaikovsky. You can learn more about these versions in the special section “Music from Cartoons”.

Unusual productions include the version by Matthew Bourne, a British choreographer. It has nothing in common with the classical version of the ballet, however, it reflects the music well. In particular, he gave a different interpretation of the Pas de deux from the second act. Events are transferred to a shelter for street children, where Dr. Dross is looking after them. Dream main character turns out to be completely different from the original version. Everything in it is unstable and any objects suddenly turn into various things, sometimes even sinister. And the heroes themselves are separated because of their rival Marie, and the Nutcracker himself completely loses his memory.

The performance is deservedly a real pearl of world ballet. Since its first premiere, it has been successfully staged on all famous world stages. Music from "" can be heard in movies, in various cartoons and even in computer games. Modern choreographers are happy to use this ballet, introducing innovations into it, changing the plot, location, introducing modern dance. Only one thing remains untouched - this is amazingly beautiful music that captivates listeners literally from the first magical sounds. Tchaikovsky .

Video: watch the ballet “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky

Nutcracker

Ballet in two acts

Libretto by M. Petipa. Choreographer L. Ivanov.

Characters

Silbergaus His wife. Clara and Fritz, their children. Drosselmeyer. Grandmother. Grandfather. Nanny. Nutcracker. The Nutcracker Prince. Clara the princess. Sugar Plum Fairy. Prince Whooping Cough. Majordomo. Doll. Black person. Clown. Mouse King. Fairies.

Act one

Small German town. There is a holiday in the Silberghaus house. Many guests are invited to the Christmas tree. Luxuriously decorated, it delights the children of Silbergaus - Clara, Fritz and their little guests. The children frolic, admiring the gifts they received.

Guests appear. The clock strikes midnight. But old man Drosselmeyer, little Clara’s godfather, is not visible among the guests. And here he is! His appearance brings new excitement. The old codger always comes up with something funny. And today he presents children with four large mechanical dolls in the costumes of a sutler, a soldier, Harlequin and Columbine. Winded up dolls dance.

The children are delighted, but Silbergaus, fearing that the intricate toys will be spoiled, orders them to be taken away for the time being. This upsets Clara and Fritz.

Wanting to console the children, Drosselmeyer takes out a new funny doll - the Nutcracker - from his suitcase. She knows how to crack nuts. The old man shows the children how to operate the doll.

Mischievous Fritz grabs the Nutcracker and puts the largest nut in his mouth. The Nutcracker's teeth break. Fritz throws the toy. But Clara picks up the mutilated Nutcracker from the floor, ties a scarf around his head and puts him to sleep on the bed of his favorite doll. Guests perform an ancient dance.

The ball is over. Everyone leaves. It's time for the children to go to bed.

Little Clara can't sleep. She gets out of bed and approaches the Nutcracker, who remains in the dark hall. But what is it? Many brilliant lights appear from the cracks in the floor. These are the eyes of mice. How scary! There are more and more of them. The room is filled with mice. Clara runs to the Nutcracker for protection.

The rays of the moon fill the hall with their magical light. The tree begins to grow and reaches gigantic sizes. Dolls and toys come to life, bunnies sound the alarm. The sentry at the booth salutes with his gun and shoots, the dolls run around in fear, looking for protection. A squad of gingerbread soldiers appears. The mouse army is advancing. The mice win and triumphantly devour the trophies - pieces of gingerbread.

The Nutcracker orders the bunnies to sound the alarm again. The lids are falling off the boxes they are in. tin soldiers: here are grenadiers, hussars, and artillerymen with cannons.

The Mouse King orders the army to resume the attack and, seeing failure, enters into single combat with the Nutcracker. Clara takes the shoe off her foot and throws it at Mouse King. The Nutcracker seriously wounds his enemy, who, along with the mouse army, flees. And suddenly the Nutcracker turns from a freak into a handsome young man. He kneels in front of Clara and invites her to follow him. They approach the tree and hide in its branches.

Act two

The hall turns into a winter one spruce forest. The snow is falling more and more, a blizzard is rising. The wind blows the dancing snowflakes. A snowdrift is formed from living figures of sparkling snowflakes. Gradually the snowstorm subsides, the winter landscape is illuminated by moonlight.

Konfiturenburg - palace of sweets. The Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Whooping Cough live in a sugar palace decorated with dolphins, from whose mouths fountains of currant syrup, orchad, lemonade and other sweet drinks flow.

Fairies of melodies, flowers, paintings, fruits, dolls, fairies of the night, fairies of dancers and dreams, fairies of caramel candies appear; Barley sugar, chocolate, cakes, mints, jelly beans, pistachios and biscuits appear. Everyone bows before the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the silver soldiers salute her.

The majordomo arranges little Moors and pages, whose heads are made of pearls, their bodies are made of rubies and emeralds, and their legs are made of pure gold. They hold burning torches in their hands.

In a boat shaped like a gilded shell, Clara and the Nutcracker slowly float down the river. So they came ashore. The silver soldiers salute them, and the little Moors in costumes made of hummingbird feathers grab Clara by the arms and help her enter the palace.

From the rays of the scorching sun, the palace on the pink river begins to gradually melt and finally disappears. The fountains stop flowing. The Sugar Plum Fairy with Prince Whooping Cough and the princesses, the Nutcracker's sisters, greet the arrivals; the retinue respectfully bows to them, and the majordomo greets the Nutcracker on his safe return. The Nutcracker takes Clara by the hand and tells those around him that he owes his salvation to her alone.

The holiday begins: they dance Chocolate (Spanish dance), Coffee (Arabian dance), Tea (Chinese dance), clowns (buffon dance), lollipops (dance of a straw with cream), Polichinelle dances with Mother Zhigon.

At the end, the Sugar Plum Fairy appears with her retinue and Prince Whooping Cough and takes part in the dancing. Clara and Prince Nutcracker beam with joy.

The apotheosis of the ballet depicts a large hive with flying bees, vigilantly guarding their wealth.

First shown on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in December 1892, the ballet by P.I. Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" has become traditional New Year's fairy tale, which is performed all over the world and is loved by both children and adults.

Meanwhile, this is a rather complex ballet: both in terms of stage embodiment, and in terms of music, which tends towards a choreographic symphony.

P.I. Chaikovsky

The ballet “The Nutcracker” and the opera “Iolanta”, staged simultaneously, are considered a kind of spiritual testament of P.I. Tchaikovsky. They sound a call for dedication, fidelity, devotion and love at all costs. It is also worth noting that the fate of the ballet was quite contradictory: huge success with the public - and terrible criticism from critics. Perhaps that is why the rather simple plot of the fairy tale, set to rather complex music, until today remains a work that is “discovered” again and again.

The history of the ballet

The idea of ​​the ballet belonged to I.A. Vsevolozhsky.

I.A. Vsevolozhsky

Ivan Alexandrovich Vsevolozhsky(1835-1909) - Russian theater figure, screenwriter, artist, Privy Councilor, Chief Chamberlain. Since 1881, he was the director of the imperial theaters, and in this area he carried out a number of important organizational reforms. And although he is reproached for the fact that in his activities he was guided by the tastes of courtly aristocratic circles, pomp and external showiness, he did a lot for the national national musical culture: he ordered P.I. Tchaikovsky music for the ballets “The Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker”, he himself created the libretto and sketches of scenery and costumes for the performances, and, having become director of the Hermitage, he attracted a number of young specialists to work in the Hermitage, whom Alexander Benois united around the magazines “ Artistic treasures Russia" and "Old Years". On the initiative of I.A. Vsevolozhsky’s opera by P.I. was staged on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. Tchaikovsky " Eugene Onegin", in which, at Vsevolozhsky’s request, new fragments were added for the sixth scene of the opera. It was he who came up with the idea for the plot of the opera “ Queen of Spades”, in every possible way encouraging the composer to write it.

I.A. The ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” is dedicated to Vsevolozhsky by Tchaikovsky.

"Nutcracker"- ballet in two acts. The libretto was created by M. Petipa based on the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” (1816), but the basis of the libretto was not Hoffmann’s fairy tale itself, but its adaptation by A. Dumas the Father.

THIS. Hoffman

Libretto(Italian libretto“little book”, dimin. from libro"book") - literary basis big musical composition(opera, ballet, operetta, oratorio, cantata, musical).

The plot of the ballet

Prologue (introduction).On Christmas Eve, guests begin to gather at Dr. Stahlbaum's house:adults and children, including the doctor’s children – Marie and Fritz.

ActionI. All children are looking forward to gifts. The last to arrive is Drosselmeyer, wearing a mask, he can bring toys to life, but when he takes off the mask, Marie and Fritz recognize their beloved godfather.

Marie wants to play with the donated dolls, but they have already been removed. Marie is upset. To calm the girl down, her godfather gives her a Nutcracker - a doll that can crack nuts (nutcrackers in the shape of a soldier). I really liked Marie's doll, although it was a little strange. But the naughty and mischievous Fritz accidentally breaks the doll. Marie is upset. She puts her favorite doll to bed. Fritz and his friends put on mouse masks and begin to tease Marie.

The holiday ends, the guests dance the traditional dance “Gross Vater” and go home. The night is coming. Marie hugs the Nutcracker - and then Drosselmeyer appears in the role good wizard. Wave your hand - and everything in the room changes: the walls move apart, the tree begins to grow, Christmas decorations come to life and become soldiers.

Suddenly, under the leadership of the Mouse King, mice appear. The brave Nutcracker leads the soldiers into battle, but the army of mice outnumbers the army of soldiers.

Marie, in despair, takes off her shoe and throws it at the Mouse King. He escapes with his army. The soldiers have won! They carry Marie on their shoulders to the Nutcracker. Suddenly the Nutcracker's face begins to change: he ceases to be an ugly doll and turns into a handsome Prince.

And again an unexpected transformation: Marie and the dolls find themselves under starry sky And beautiful Christmas tree, snowflakes are swirling around.

ActionII. But suddenly this beauty is again disturbed by mice attacking them. The prince wins. Everyone dances and has fun, celebrating the victory over the mouse army.

Dolls different countries and peoples thank Marie for saving their lives. Everyone around is dancing.

Drosselmeyer magically changes everything again: preparations begin for the royal wedding of Marie and the Prince.

But... Marie wakes up. The Nutcracker is still in her hands. She is sitting in her room. Alas, it was just a fabulous dream...

First production of the ballet "The Nutcracker"

The ballet premiered December 18, 1892. at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on the same evening as the opera Iolanta. The roles of Clara and Fritz were performed by students of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater School: Clara - Stanislava Belinskaya, Fritz - Vasily Stukolkin. The Nutcracker - Sergei Legat, the Sugar Plum Fairy - Antonietta Del-Era, Prince Whooping Cough - Pavel Gerdt, Drosselmeyer - Timofey Stukolkin, niece Marianna - Lydia Rubtsova.

The choreographer of the performance is L. Ivanov, the conductor is R. Drigo, the designers are M. Bocharov and K. Ivanov, the costumes are I. Vsevolozhsky and E. Ponomarev.

Life of ballet

Among the works late period creative path P.I. Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" occupies a special place: it is innovative not only due to its musical execution, but also in the interpretation of the characters. And although traditionally the plot of the ballet was perceived as a children's fairy tale, there is a deep philosophical subtext in it: the illusory nature of the line between reality and sleep, living beings and inanimate objects and toys, the relationship between the world of adults and children, eternal struggle nobility and petty evil, wisdom hidden behind the mask of eccentricity, the all-conquering power of love.

Tchaikovsky's music, like the plot of the fairy tale, is inexhaustible. This complexity was understood only in the 20th century.

After the first production of the ballet (L. Ivanova), many major Russian choreographers turned to him: A. Gorsky, F. Lopukhov, V. Vainonen, Yu. Grigorovich, I. Belsky, I. Chernyshev. Each of them took into account the experience of their predecessors and offered their own original version, correlating their aesthetic priorities and modern needs with their own understanding of Tchaikovsky’s music. To this day, the ballet “The Nutcracker” remains attractive to modern theater and the viewer.

Mariinskii Opera House

For several generations now, for many children and adults, the dream of going to the ballet “The Nutcracker” has remained constant. If you listen closely to this word - “Nutcracker” - something very close and dear appears before each of us. This kind and beloved friend came to visit us more than once. But everyone has their own Nutcracker.

Some people remember the wonderful one, but in 2004 another, Russian-German, was released, also based on the fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann and using music from the ballet “The Nutcracker” by P.I. Tchaikovsky.

Lovers feature films could see the New Year's film in 3D format “The Nutcracker and the Rat King”, shot by Andrei Konchalovsky.

Someone remembers and loves this hero simply from the fairy tale of the same name by Ernst Hoffmann. Well, in the end, there are those who were lucky enough to see the ballet “The Nutcracker” live on stage, with which they fell in love with all their hearts after the first viewing. At first they visited it as children with their parents, and now with pleasure, on their own, they come to see “The Nutcracker” over and over again with their children.

This is a fairy tale with magnificent music by the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The Nutcracker has become a symbol New Year's holiday not only because the story itself takes place at Christmas, but also because there is a lot of magic, wonderful transformations and mysterious adventures in it. That is why, according to tradition, many theaters add the ballet “The Nutcracker” to their repertoire on New Year’s days.

This tale by Ernest Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann was published in 1816. Its main characters are a girl named Marichen (in different editions the girl is called Clara or Marie) Stahlbaum and a strange toy - nutcrackers in the shape of a soldier, the same legendary Nutcracker that was given to Marichen by her godfather, the storyteller Drosselmeyer. Only he knew that the Nutcracker was not an ugly toy, but a handsome prince who had been bewitched by the evil queen Myshilda.

On Christmas night, fabulous transformations begin, thanks to which the Nutcracker comes to life and enters into battle with mice. In this battle, Marichen’s animated toys also help him. And so happy ending– The Nutcracker kills the Mouse King, thereby dispelling the evil spell. And Marikhen, who fell in love with the ugly toy, sees in front of her a disenchanted prince. He invites her to his country, where he declares Marichen his princess.

The ballet “The Nutcracker” was first shown in St. Petersburg in December 1892, on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater. Staging this fairy tale, told at Christmas, has become traditional on New Year's Eve. This performance is liked by everyone without exception, and both children and adults enjoy it.

The performance "The Nutcracker", shown for the first time in December 1892, immediately won the hearts of the audience. After all, in this production they were busy famous artists. In addition, it was then that the tradition arose of distributing small roles in ballet among students of choreographic schools. This tradition has been preserved to this day, and not only in the Mariinsky Theater. That is why among those who attend the performance there are always friends and parents of young debutants.

We can fully explain the success of this fairy tale. It's not easy fairy tale story. She teaches us selflessness and honor, the ability to stand up for ourselves, to fight injustice and evil, even if it is stronger than you and there will be people on its side magical powers. Without being afraid to lose this battle, boldly rushing into battle - this is the only way we can win. The heroic Nutcracker teaches this to children. This immortal story, told to us by Ernst Amadeus Hoffmann and carefully transferred into the musical dimension by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, reminds adults that not everything in the world can be bought. There are also real, genuine feelings!

The history of the ballet

The libretto for the ballet was created by Marius Petipa based on the fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by Ernst Hoffmann (1816; the libretto was based on the adaptation of the fairy tale made in 1844 by Alexandre Dumas the father), but the Theater Encyclopedia erroneously names Dumas the son as the author of the adaptation.

The ballet premiered on December 6 (18), 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on the same evening as the opera Iolanta. The roles of Clara and Fritz were performed by children studying at the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater School, which both graduated only a few years later in 1899. The part of Clara was performed by Stanislava Belinskaya, Fritz by Vasily Stukolkin. Other performers: Nutcracker - S. Legat, Sugar Plum Fairy - A. Del-Era, Prince Whooping Cough - P. Gerdt, Drosselmeyer - T. Stukolkin, Niece Marianna - L. Rubtsova; choreographer L. Ivanov, conductor R. Drigo, designers M. Bocharov and K. Ivanov, costumes - I. Vsevolozhsky and E. Ponomarev.

Characters:

• Stahlbaum
• His wife
• Clara and Fritz are their children
• Drosselmeyer - Clara's godfather
• Grandmother
• Grandfather
• Nutcracker Prince
• Clara the Princess
• Sugar Plum Fairy
• Prince Whooping Cough
• Majordomo
• Doll

Some Interesting Facts related to this ballet:

• a total of 57 people work behind the scenes to set up the scenery and change costumes throughout the performance;
• During each performance of the play, 150 different costumes are shown on stage;
• between 600 and 700 lighting fixtures are used to illuminate the performance;
• The Sugar Plum Fairy performer's tutu contains 7 layers of tulle;
• the Christmas tree on stage is 16.4 meters high and weighs 1 ton;
• Dewdrop's costume is decorated with 65 dew crystals;
• the orchestra consists of 62 musicians;
• the “coffee dance” music is based on a Georgian lullaby;
• during the snowflake dance performance, about 20 kg of confetti pours onto the stage;
• the orchestra consists of 62 musicians.