Duke Ellingtons «the Nutcracker Suite» at Theater Rigiblick

Klaus Henner Russius reads E. T. A. Hoffmanns «Das Märchen vom Nussknacker»

With his ballet “The Nutcracker”, Tchaikovsky did not compose pure Christmas music, but a particularly fitting soundtrack to a danced story full of Christmas magic. An army of mice can be put to flight with an exterminator. Or with an army of tin soldiers, a nutcracker and a vigorously thrown slipper. So we are right in the middle of the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote the fairy tale about a little girl who first argues with her brother on Christmas Eve, then chases away mice and finally falls asleep under the Christmas tree. Tchaikovsky loved the story and decided to compose a ballet score. It becomes his greatest success in his lifetime....

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Klaus Henner Russius reads E. T. A. Hoffmanns «Das Märchen vom Nussknacker»

With his ballet “The Nutcracker”, Tchaikovsky did not compose pure Christmas music, but a particularly fitting soundtrack to a danced story full of Christmas magic. An army of mice can be put to flight with an exterminator. Or with an army of tin soldiers, a nutcracker and a vigorously thrown slipper. So we are right in the middle of the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”. E.T.A. Hoffmann wrote the fairy tale about a little girl who first argues with her brother on Christmas Eve, then chases away mice and finally falls asleep under the Christmas tree. Tchaikovsky loved the story and decided to compose a ballet score. It becomes his greatest success in his lifetime.

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn arranged their own virtuoso adaptation of Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” for the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1960. With nine skillfully arranged movements and clever titles such as “Toot Toot Tootie Toot” or “Sugar Rum Cherry”, this LP is the quintessence of Ellington’s blend of wit and sophistication.

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