tchaikovskyfan

Easy! THE NUTCRACKER!

Did a little revision.

So I'm sitting around one day, bored, and decide to listen to a new piece of music by my favorite composer, Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky. The piece: his sixth symphony, or simply The Pathétique. So, I'm listening to this wonderfully haunting piece that does not go along with the "traditional" symphony structure, that being starting out with a problem and ending with a celebratory, triumphant finale. Instead, it ends almost mourning. And then inspiration struck. As I thought, I came up with a startiling conclusion: that each of the four movements to the symphony read perfectly like an autobiography written by Tchaikovsky himself. It was his life in a symphony. Going from meager beginnings to one of the most recognized composers in the western world and then, tragedy. Dead at the age of 53, whether by Cholera or suicide (forced by a "court of honors" or done on his on will). No matter how he died, the music he left us is inspirational, moving, emotional, and at times, echoes our own life stories. This is the basis of what inspired the ballet. Using some of Tchaikovsky's most famous and well-known pieces including The Pathétique, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, 1812 Overture, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture as well as his first piano concerto, this ballet tells the story of Tchaikovsky's life. Let me know what you think.

1. Act I

a. Overture

i. First two minutes of Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

b. Prologue: Tchaikovsky’s childhood

i. Symphony #6 Pathétique 1^st Movement

c. Scene I: The decision to become a Composer

i. Piano Concerto #1 in B-flat minor

d. Scene II: Tchaikovsky’s first Ballet

i. Swan Lake Act II Scene I

e. Scene III: A Romantic (Composer) for the Ages

i. Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

f. Scene IV: The Tsar’s Great Commission

i. 1812 Overture

g. Scene V: Rising to the top

i. Symphony #6 Pathétique 2^nd Movement

2. Act II

a. Entr’acte

i. Symphony #6 Pathétique 3^rd Movement

b. Scene I: "A charming fairy tale come true."

i. Sleeping Beauty Medley

c. Scene II: The Magic of Christmas

i. Overture/March

ii. Drosselmeyer's Spell/The Battle against the Mouse King

iii. Journey to the Land of Snow

iv. Waltz of the Snowflakes

3. Act III

a. Entr’acte

i. Journey to the Land of Sweets

b. Scene I

i. Arrival of Nutcracker and Clara

ii. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

iii. Coda

iv. Divertissement Medley

v. Waltz of the Flowers

vi. Final Waltz

vii. Grand Pas de deux

c. Scene II: The Pathétique Symphony

i. Symphony #6 Pathétique 4^th Movement

d. Scene III: Death of Tchaikovsky

i. Themes from Symphony #6 Pathétique 1^st Movement

e. Scene IV: Funeral/Apotheosis

i. Beginning/Ending of Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

Cher Announces Final Shows of Three Year Residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace

Tickets for final performances, January 11 - February 5, 2011 on-sale Saturday at 10am

LAS VEGAS, Sept. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In what will go down in Las Vegas history as the glitziest show to ever rock Las Vegas, Cher announced today that she will end her three year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Saturday, February 5, 2011. Cher will have performed approximately 200 shows during the course of her three years at The Colosseum which began on May 6, 2008.

The extraordinary production, aptly titled Cher, is a high-energy, concert-style show that features the artist's record-breaking hits, including "If I Could Turn Back Time" and "Believe". With her infamous rock-and-roll attitude and theatrical affinity, the show treats guests to an intimate look back through Cher's iconic career, with vintage footage of rarely-seen "Sonny and Cher" clips and a marvelous stage that alters its scenery for every song and mood.

Designed exclusively for the 4,300-seat Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Cher boasts the talents of choreographer and director Doriana Sanchez, who brings Cher's vision to life using 16 dancers and aerialists, state-of-the-art video and special effects, and ambitious set designs. Not surprisingly, audience members can expect to be blown away by Cher's signature breathtaking costumes, which were designed by the world-renowned fashion icon Bob Mackie.

"Cher is an entertainment legend," said John Meglen, co-CEO and president of AEG Live/Concerts West. "We are delighted that she has called The Colosseum at Caesars Palace home for three years. We wish her luck in future endeavors and thank her and the cast and crew for their dedication."

"With each performance as fresh and energetic as opening night, Cher continues to reign among the best of the city's long roster of legendary talents," said Gary Selesner, president of Caesars Palace. "Our guests won't want to miss these grand finale performances."

Tickets for Jan 11, 2011 through Feb 5, 2011 go on sale Sat. Sept 25 at 10 a.m. and include:

Jan: 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 30

Feb: 1, 2, 4, 5

Tickets for the remaining 2010 performances now on sale include:

Sept: 21, 22, 25, 26 28, 29

Oct: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 16, 17, 19, 20, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 31

The 90-minute show is presented at 7:30 p.m. four nights a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday (dark Monday, Thursday and Friday). Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-866-510-CHER (2437) or online at www.ticketmaster.com, keyword "Cher". Tickets may also be purchased in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace Box Office open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For groups of 20 or more, call 702-731-7208.

Ticket prices are $95, $140, $175 and $250. Visit cher.aeglive.com for more information on Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

About AEG Live

AEG Live, the live-entertainment division of Los Angeles-based AEG, is dedicated to all aspects of live contemporary music performance. AEG Live is comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special event divisions, fifteen regional offices, and thirty state-of-the-art venues. The company is currently producing tours and productions including Cher at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace, Supernatural Santana: A Trip Through the Hits at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Barry Manilow at Paris Las Vegas and Celine Dion who will return to The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March 2011. The concert tour roster includes artists such as Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, Leonard Cohen, Miley Cyrus, The Black Eyed Peas, Kelly Clarkson, Wisin & Yandel, Britney Spears, Kenny Chesney, P!nk, Paul McCartney, KISS, Mo'Nique and American Idols Live. AEG Live is the largest producer of music festivals in North America from the critically acclaimed Coachella Music & Arts Festival to Stagecoach and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. For more information, go to www.aeglive.com

About Caesars Palace

Caesars Palace is the world's best known resort-casino, celebrating the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome, in an 85-acre destination location that sets the standard for entertainment, dining and luxury. Reigning at the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, Caesars Palace ranks among the world's top luxury resorts known for their originality and beauty and features 3,300 hotel guest rooms and suites, 23 diverse restaurants and cafes, five-acre Garden of the Gods pools and gardens, 50,000 square foot Qua Baths & Spa and 300,000 square feet of premium meeting and convention space. The 4,300-seat Colosseum sits just steps from celebrity chef restaurants and the acclaimed Forum Shops at Caesars and spotlights world class entertainers such as Celine Dion, Bette Midler, Jerry Seinfeld and Cher.

SOURCE Caesars Palace

Oh, just FYI, for the big numbers (1812 Overture, Piano Concerto #1, Romeo & Juliet) it would be the recognizable themes. It wouldn't be the entire concerto or symphony, etc. except for obviously #6.

Not so much a story as a "tribute" ballet. It would most likely be the first of it's kind (that I know of anyway.) I'd hope that my obsession with Tchaikovsky is quite obvious. I was listening to his 6th Symphony, The Pathétique, when suddenly . I built the following 3 act ballet around the 6th Symphony and several other of Tchaikovsky's famous works:

Act I

a. Overture

Symphony #6- Pathétique 1^st Movement

b. Scene I- Tchaikovsky decides to become a composer

Piano Concerto #1 in B-flat minor

c. Scene II- Tchaikovsky's first ballet

Swan Lake Act II Scene 1 (Swan Lake Theme)

d. Scene III- A Romance (Composer) for the ages

Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture

e. Scene IV- The Czar's great commission

1812 Overture

f. Scene V- Success as a Composer

Symphony #6- Pathétique 2^nd Movement

Act II

a. Entr'acte

Symphony #6- Pathétique 3^rd Movement

b. Scene I: "A charming fairy tale come true." Maleficent- Disney's Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty Medley (I know I want the Waltz (Aka Once Upon A Dream) in there, still figuring out a few others)

c. Scene II: The magic of Christmas

Overture/March

Drosselmeyer's Spell/The Battle against the Mouse King

Journey to the Land of Snow

Waltz of the Snowflakes

Act III

a. Entr'acte:

The Land of Sweets

b. Scene I:

Arrival of Nutcracker and Clara

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

Coda

Divertissement Medley

Waltz of the Flowers

Final Waltz

Grand Adiago

c. Scene II: The death of Tchaikovsky

Themes from Symphony #6- Pathétique 1^st Movement

Symphony #6- Pathétique 4^th Movement

What do you think?

Nutcracker: The Motion Picture

Bought it and downloading now. Can't wait. Watched the trailer and it looks magnificent. Looks even more stunning than the Balanchine version was.

PS. Don't mind the info. Amazon got confused when they listed the movie.

Back when I was a kid (1995-ish) BalletMet brought in a choreographer named David Nixon. At that time, I was kinda getting bored by the usual...oh there's the Christmas party, there's the battle, there's the snow forest, there's the land of sweets...the end. It was great and all that, but for some reason, it didn't "do it" for me. David Nixon took Nutcracker to that level. He changed the story only a bit. He added a character named Je t'aime (Clara's cat) and Clara is danced by an adult the entire show. The beginning was the same, party with the Stahlbaum family, Fritz breaks the Nutcracker Drosselmeyer gives to Clara, a little change in the Harlequin/Columbine dolls in that they are actually the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, party ends, bedtime, Clara sneaks downstairs, battle with the mouse king, Ratsputtle, who lives to fight another day, travel through the land of snow where Je t'aime and Clara and Nutcracker as well as the sugar plum fairy and Drosselmeyer are kidnapped by Ratsputtle's army and taken back to his lair where Act II begins.

Act I had already "done it" for me, but Act II, my god, it was out of this world. At the end of Act I, a scrim came down instead of the main curtain. The scrim was decorated with a huge Nutcracker on it holding a bowl of nuts. About 1 minute into the opening entr'acte of Act II, the lights go out and you can see through this huge nut on the scrim, and as your watch, you see the mouse army carrying the various characters to the "Mouse Hole", Ratsputtle's lair. Whenever I listen to the score of The Nutcracker, I always end up with a big smile across my face when the opening of Act II is played because this was such a magical moment. After we arrive in the mouse hole we find out that not only was the Nutcracker under a spell, which is now broken, but that the Kingdom of Sweets is also under a spell, having been taken over by Ratsputtle and the magic nut. Only way to defeat both Ratsputtle and break the magic nut: have the SPF do the Arabian dance and put Ratsputtle to sleep. Nutcracker uses his sword to crack the nut. Waltz of the flowers, rest of the divertissements, the GPDD with SPF and Cavalier, ending with Clara home with Je t'aime and Nutcracker in her arms. Curtain falls.

I think I got most of the details right. It has been at least 9-10 years (this version stopped in 2001) since I saw it in Columbus.

And to give you a little context to go by, here is the Ohio Theatre. (With a couple of pics from the Nutcracker)

Ohio Theatre Curtain

Ohio Theatre

The Nutcracker: Battle against the Mouse King

The Nutcracker: Land of Snow

I think that it's appropriate in different situations. For example, whenever i see the Nutcracker in Columbus, OH, it never fails that after the last note of the GPPD has ended, the audience is on their feet. Unfortunately, last year when I went I didn't end up standing. It had been a while since I had been up to the Ohio Theatre to see Nutcracker and I do remember seeing some pretty spectacular PDD, but this one, eh,lackluster to say the least. And not to mention the CSO (Columbus Symphony) sounded out of tune in a few places. It may have been that the seats we had were higher than where we usually sat. And I don't care if it was the last show of the Nutcracker season. I expect PERFECTION on that GPPD in Act II. But I digress. Usually, with applause, it has become a sort of tradition to clap along with the Trepak, encouraged of course by Clara, Nutcracker and Drosseylmeyer. And any dance that has kids in it in Act II, they do anything cute or funny or amazing (one year our Mother Ginger got replaced by kid clowns, and they did some awesome acrobatics. Again, personal taste is the key here. If the audience is wowed by something, I say, why not applaud. The ONLY reason I get upset is when the audience FAILS to applaud. Unless we've all be drawn into the story, I've assumed everyone is asleep and I clap! Regarding curtain calls, if I remember correctly the curtain drops, the stage clears, and, in the case of Nutcracker, we're back in the land of sweets and the cast comes out one by one and we applaud and then the curtain goes down and we continue clapping because we know that immediately after it drops the first time, it's going back up. Full cast bow again, usually accompanied by the Conductor who also gives props to the orchestra.

All in all, I do think that there is a time to clap and a time NOT to clap, but as a lot of you have said, the dancers feed off the audience energy. Whether it's by the enthusiastic clapping or seeing the audience on the edge of their seats wanting more, wondering what's going to happen next, I think that if the performance blows you completely out of the water and just completely brings a new perspective of ballet to your life, I think that as long as you're ok with it, it's fine.

Back when I was a kid (1995-ish) BalletMet brought in a choreographer named David Nixon. At that time, I was kinda getting bored by the usual...oh there's the Christmas party, there's the battle, there's the snow forest, there's the land of sweets...the end. It was great and all that, but for some reason, it didn't "do it" for me. David Nixon took Nutcracker to that level. He changed the story only a bit. He added a character named Je t'aime (Clara's cat) and Clara is danced by an adult the entire show. The beginning was the same, party with the Stahlbaum family, Fritz breaks the Nutcracker Drosselmeyer gives to Clara, a little change in the Harlequin/Columbine dolls in that they are actually the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier, party ends, bedtime, Clara sneaks downstairs, battle with the mouse king, Ratsputtle, who lives to fight another day, travel through the land of snow where Je t'aime and Clara and Nutcracker as well as the sugar plum fairy and Drosselmeyer are kidnapped by Ratsputtle's army and taken back to his lair where Act II begins.

Act I had already "done it" for me, but Act II, my god, it was out of this world. At the end of Act I, a scrim came down instead of the main curtain. The scrim was decorated with a huge Nutcracker on it holding a bowl of nuts. About 1 minute into the opening entr'acte of Act II, the lights go out and you can see through this huge nut on the scrim, and as your watch, you see the mouse army carrying the various characters to the "Mouse Hole", Ratsputtle's lair. Whenever I listen to the score of The Nutcracker, I always end up with a big smile across my face when the opening of Act II is played because this was such a magical moment. After we arrive in the mouse hole we find out that not only was the Nutcracker under a spell, which is now broken, but that the Kingdom of Sweets is also under a spell, having been taken over by Ratsputtle and the magic nut. Only way to defeat both Ratsputtle and break the magic nut: have the SPF do the Arabian dance and put Ratsputtle to sleep. Nutcracker uses his sword to crack the nut. Waltz of the flowers, rest of the divertissements, the GPDD with SPF and Cavalier, ending with Clara home with Je t'aime and Nutcracker in her arms. Curtain falls.

I think I got most of the details right. It has been at least 9-10 years (this version stopped in 2001) since I saw it in Columbus.

Well...I tried to use those BT's would be more familiar with, so they could visualize the individual sections easier...

Don't worry. The ones I have in my head are only for a couple of numbers (the beginning of act 2, Arabian dance and Waltz of the Flowers and I remember them like it was yesterday (and this version was performed in Columbus choreographed by David Nixon back in 1995)

Have you ever try to come up with the "ideal choreography" of a classic, taking bits from different versions...? Well, I do that a lot, and here's my pick for the Nutcracker.

Act I

The Party: Baryshnikov for the toys' solos and Alonso's for Clara's dancing.

The Transformation Scene: Alonso's after Fedorova. No transformation here, but instead a PDD for Clara and The Nutcracker.

The Mice Scene: Baryshnikov for the choreographed battle, Alonso's for the choreographed mice on pointe.

The Snow Scene: Vainonen's for the snowflakes choreography, Alonso's for the Snow Queen PDD

Act II

Intro- Alonso's, for the parade of Matryoshka dolls

Nutcracker's mime: Baryshnikov.

Divertissements:

Spanish Dance-Baryshnikov's couple-(ballerina on pointe)

Marzipan Merlitons Dance- Baryshnikov's couple. Love the little story of the boy disguised as a wolf sscaring away the shepperdess.

Arabian Dance-Balanchine

Candy Canes/Russian Dance-Balanchine-(thanks to Daniel Baker )

Mother Cigogne/Polichinelles- Baryshnikov, although here they're sans Cigogne, but still love the four dancers choreography.

Waltz of the Flowers: Baryshnikov, because he gives Clara and the Nutcracker the chance to dance along with the corps-(a liberty in the libretto, I know, but one that can resolve one of the main problems of this ballet).

Sugar Plum Fairy PDD: All Ivanov descendants.

Adagio- Sir Peter Wright's, for his complete use of the music, the restoration of the cape sequence at the end and the baroque/porcelain figurines appearance of the couple, wigs included.

Male Variation: Alonso's after Fedorova, for the final entrechats.

Female Variation: Sir Peter Wright's, because he includes the coda-(which is missing from other versions)

Coda: Alonso's after Fedorova.

Ballet Finale: Still undecided, but I think I would take the original one, which is nowhere to be found.

EDIT: Quick side note: You completely forgot the Tea (Chinese) dance.

Let's explore each of the 3 separately:

Vainonen for the Mariinsky. (Lezhina/Baranov)

The only thing that bugs me here is that there are 4 extra cavaliers, turning this pas de deux into a pas de six. However, in parts, they actually do add to the PDD, just unusual for a two-person dance. I also recall seeing versions of other Nutcracker productions where there were characters sitting on the sidelines, but never dancing during the PDD.

Grigorovitch for the Bolshoi. (Maximova/Vasiliev)

This one is just a complete mess. The dancers are beautiful, very good at what they do, obviously, it's just that the choreography is lacking in parts. What they do accomplish in this dance is very beautiful, just that all the dancers on the stage just add clutter. You have the men with the candelabras, and the flowers are also dancing. Just a very confusing version.

Ivanov, staged by Wright for the Royal. (Collier/Dowell)

The classic. The Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier OR Clara/Marie and Nutcracker. End of story. All of the PDD's I've ever seen have been done in the Ivanov style. And in this particular clip, the cape used at the end to help the Sugar Plum Fairy go across the floor is reminiscent of Balanchine's PDD ending.

Hi everyone.

I've actually never danced in a ballet production (I danced ballet when I was little but that was it) but as a fan of classical music, I have become entwined in a love affair with Tchaikovsky as well as many other wonderful and talented ballet composers. It stems back to my younger years (about 3 or 4 if I remember correctly) when my mom would take me (and later my sister) to the ballet every Christmas in Columbus, OH to see The Nutcracker. While some parents may have worried that I may have been too young to enjoy the Nutcracker, it was always a very exciting and moving experience. Tchaikovsky was a musical genius. While he actually despised the score of the Nutcracker, it has become a score that is celebrated all over the world and has, in my opinion, stood the test of time. The way Tchaikovsky can take you from the light, string filled Overture to a fun march around the house to having you believe that you along with the dancers on stage are shrinking (or the tree is growing) and then witness a battle between the Nutcracker himself and the Mouse King to be topped off by a Waltz of the Snowflakes and a journey to the Kingdom of Sweets where the Sugar Plum Fairy has her subjects perform for you and then performs with her Cavalier a Grand Pas de deux to be finished off with a final waltz and Apotheosis brings back so many wonderful memories. I look forward to talking about many wonderful ballets, especially my favorite. Can you guess which one that is? I also look forward to talking about Tchaikovsky and the other composers who put music to our favorite stories.

tchaikovskyfan