Houston Ballet the Nutcracker Tickets

The Nutcracker is a ballet consisting of two acts. The ballet was originally choreographed by Lev Ivanov and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892. The libretto for the ballet was originally adapted from "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" story by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The show premiered in St. Petersburg at "Mariinsky Theatre" on 18^th of December 1892 along with an opera "Iolanta" also by Tchaikovsky. Ballet's twenty minute suite extracted by Tchaikovsky was a success although the whole of the ballet couldn't make it big.  As of the 20^th century, the opera has won enormous recognition and fame.
 


Ivan Vsevolozhsky, the director of "Imperial Theatres" hired Tchaikovsky to compose a ballet and opera after the success of "The Sleeping Beauty" in 1890. Tchaikovsky collaborated with Marius Petipa for The Nutcracker. Petipa chose "The Tale of The Nutcracker" and divided one of its stories into a two act ballet. The premiere show did not bring expected success to the show and received mixed criticism, with negative comments such as the libretto didn't do justice to Hoffmann's story.
 


The story of The Nutcracker is based on the dream of a girl. Marie falls asleep and dreams about the Nutcracker Prince and about the battle against the Mouse King with seven heads. The two act ballet consists of three scenes, "The Silberhaus Home", "A Pine Forest" and "The Land of Sweets". In the first scene the audience comes to see a family and friends gathering on the Christmas Eve. There is a beautifully decorated Christmas tree in a corner and the preparations are on way. The festivities finally end up in a fight scene among The Mouse King and The Nutcracker. Scene two takes us into a pine forest where mice run away and Nutcracker transforms into a handsome prince, there is the famous "Waltz of the Snowflakes" dance. Scene three is the conclusive one and takes place in the Land of Sweets where Marie and the Nutcracker prince are seen in a nutshell boat that is run by dolphins.
 


The musical instruments used to create music for the ballet include brass, percussion, strings, woodwinds accompanied by chorus. There is a great compilation of different dances including Russian dance, Spanish dance, Arabian dance, and Chinese dance. The music is one of the best compositions by Tchaikovsky and includes memorable tracks masterfully played. The music is inspired from the "Romantic Period" and many of the melodies are still adapted for television. The Russian dance included in the ballet is one of the most famous one. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and "Waltz of Flowers and March" are one of the most famous dances from the show. There is a touch of the 18^th century music in tracks such as "Tempo di Grossvater" and "Entrée des parents".
 


The Nutcracker is performed even today and is one of the most famous family ballets especially during the holiday seasons. The ballet has everything, beautiful music and dance enriched with touch of folk, dancing snowflakes, sugar plum fairy, living dolls and the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, not to forget a beautiful story of a prince and a princess and the evil villain the "Mouse King". The sets are  enchantingly beautiful as they take us from a family gather on a Christmas Eve to a beautiful Pine Forest full of snow and then to the Land of Sweets. The costumes designed for the show are purely of the 20's German era and the sets are made after Tchaikovsky's original drawings. If you wish to catch this magical ballet with your family, don't forget to book your Houston Ballet The Nutcracker tickets today!