Music and Ficative Dream

                                         Music and Ficative Dream- The Nutcracker Ballet

    For this Blog Post, I chose to analyse The Nutcracker. For those who are not aware, The Nutcracker is a ballet which has a Christmas theme and is very loved amongst people all over globe. Originally, this ballets storyline was derived from "The Nutcracker and the Mouseking", which is a short story written by Ernest Theorodre Amadeus (E.T.A), in 1816. This short story was put to music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The first live performance of The Nutcracker ballet took place in St. Petersburg, Russia in December of 1982 and the rest is history! 


    Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy- Pyotr Tchaikovsky- Royal Ballet and Opera- Performed in 2017

   I chose the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy because I find it to be the most iconic. The Sugar Plum Fairy is perhaps the most notable amongst this ballet's characters. With that, I enjoy the score of this piece and the ballet movements which are tied to it, and I believe that they are perfectly complimentary to each other. It accurately paints the Sugar Plum Fairy as an angelic spirit. As the Sierra Nevada Explains, "The Sugar Plum Fairy is about the hope and faith that there is something in life far greater, more beautiful, and more powerfully good than any earthly human being. We can each aspire to be like her in some way and she will bring us to a higher spiritual place", this is an opinion I agree with completely. This performance takes place in a very exciting moment within the ballet. The main Character, Clara, arrives to "the Land of Sweets", which the Sugar Plum Fairy reigns and this dance acts as a welcome or greeting to Clara. The music of is very light, airy and whimsical. All of which showcase the overall tone of the scene perfectly! This feeling was made possible through elements of the flute, oboe and clarinets. Given that this scene takes place in the beginning of the second act, this performance and music play a massive role in "setting the scene" for the remainder of the ballet. As well as describing and portraying Clara's emotion of ‘enchantedness’ and fascination.

                        The Battle-Pyotr Tchaikovsky- Royal Ballet and Opera- Performed in 2021


    I chose to incorporate The Battle because,musically, it is starkly different from that of The Dance of Sugar Plum Fairy. It is much darker and eery. The scene takes place towards the end of Act 1. Which begins with Clara being chased by a group of mice, one of which being the Mouseking. In response, one of her nutcracker dolls is transformed into a prince whose army fights directly against the Mouseking and the other mice, for Clara's safety. The music heightens the battle, making things much larger and mysterious. The tone of the score is powerful, dark and full. This score is performed by a full orchestra, but with special highlights of the clarinets and oboes. The intention of this being, to add a more suspenseful attribute or to "amp up" the battle. Behind this battle is a message of perseverance and facing your fears, this messages delivery is made possible through the musicality. 

The Nutcracker spreads a sense of festivity, positivity and overall joy. Specifically, around the holiday season. At large, this ballet is very positive and upbeat with a light hearted nature. With that, a message of unity is presented, with many cultures, countries and ethnicities being referenced throughout. As explained by Foundation for Economic Education, "The melodies are filled with magic, fantasy, mystery, love, strange sounds you never otherwise hear". This ballet showcases the beauty in imagination and finding positivity in life within the simple pleasures. I adore this play and look forward to seeing it every year during holiday festivities. I think that Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s musics ability to adapt to every scene and leading us to the underlying message is incredibly important and is a very beautiful element. The Nutcracker wouldn't be as iconic as it is, without these musical attributes. 


Citations-

Bena, R. (2021, October 30). The magic of the sugar plum fairy continues - sierra nevada ballet company. Sierra Nevada Ballet Company - Where every step tells a story! https://sierranevadaballet.org/the-magic-of-the-sugar-plum-fairy-continues/ 

Tucker, J. A. (2013b, December 18). Why we love “the nutcracker.” Foundation for Economic Education. https://fee.org/articles/why-we-love-the-nutcracker/ 


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