The Nutcracker, Op. 71

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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky completed his last ballet, the two-act 90-minutes classical piece in April 1892, and it was premiered on 18 December at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, choreographed by Marius Petipa, who also composed the libretto. The plot was adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 short children’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, adapted by Alexandre Dumas. It’s first performance was not well received until 1944 when it was performed in the United States by the San Francisco Ballet under the artistic director William Christensen. The 20-minute Nutcracker Suite was premiered 9 months earlier.
Here are four albums:

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71. Valery Gergiev with Kirov Orchestra. Release Date: 16 Nov 1998. Label: Philips.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker. Vladimir Jurowski with State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov.” Release Date: 15 Nov 2019. Label: Pentatone.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker. Richard Bonynge with National Philharmonic Orchestra and Finchley Children’s Music Group.Release Date: 16 May 2005. Label: Decca.

​Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker. Gustavo Dudamel with Los Angeles Philharmonic. Release Date: 30 Nov 2018. Label: Deutsche Grammophon.

Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites. Mstislav Rostropovich with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Release Date: 1 Jul 1996. Label: Deutsche Grammophon.

​Tchaikovsky: Nutcracker Suite & Piano Concerto No. 1. Martha Argerich, Nicolas Economou and Claudio Abbado with Berliner Philharmoniker. Release Date: 12 Aug 1996. Label: Deutsche Grammophon. 

Reference: (2024). Schwarm, B. The Nutcracker, Ballet by Tchaikovsky. Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Nutcracker