Today
I’d like to wrap up our look at seasonal music on Clef Notes by looking at a
piece that has become a standard in the holiday repertory – Peter Tchaikovsky’s
The Nutcracker. Many families who
aren’t even familiar with classical music have turned this ballet into a
holiday tradition.
Composed
between 1891 and 1892, Tchaikovsky’s ballet premiered less than a year before
his death. Based on a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the story tells of a young girl
who receives a nutcracker as a Christmas present. The nutcracker comes to life,
turning into a prince who takes her to a land filled with sweets. Though The Nutcracker was not overwhelmingly
received at its premiere, audiences came to love the orchestral suite that
Tchaikovsky assembled. It ended up becoming his most popular and
well-recognized score!
Be
sure to tune into 90.9 WGUC this holiday season to enjoy seasonal music, and
special programs for Hanukkah and Christmas. A full schedule of programming is
available at wguc.org.
