Tickets for the Nutcracker Ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre. Nutcracker - New Year's miracle Who wrote the nutcracker author

December 24, home of the medical adviser Stahlbaum. Everyone is preparing for Christmas, and the children - Fritz and Marie - are guessing what this time the inventor and craftsman godfather, senior court adviser Drosselmeyer, who often repaired clocks in the Stahlbaum house, will give them as a gift. Marie dreamed of a garden and a lake with swans, and Fritz said that he liked the gifts of his parents with which to play (the godfather's toys were usually kept away from the children so that they would not break), and the godfather could not make a whole garden.

In the evening, the children were let in to a beautiful Christmas tree, near and on which there were gifts: new dolls, dresses, hussars, etc. The godfather made a wonderful castle, but the dolls dancing in it performed the same movements, and it was impossible to get inside the castle, therefore the miracle of technology quickly got tired of the children - only the mother became interested in the complex mechanism. When all the gifts were taken apart, Marie saw the Nutcracker. The ugly outwardly doll seemed very cute to the girl. Fritz quickly broke a couple of Nutcracker's teeth, trying to crack hard nuts, and Marie began to patronize the toy. At night, the children put the toys in a glass cabinet. Marie lingered at the closet, placing her ward with all the conveniences, and became a participant in the battle between the seven-headed mouse king and the army of dolls led by the Nutcracker. The dolls surrendered under the onslaught of mice, and when the mouse king had already crept up to the Nutcracker, Marie threw her shoe at him...

The girl woke up in bed with her elbow cut by the broken glass of the closet. No one believed her story about the night incident. The godfather brought the repaired Nutcracker and told a fairy tale about a hard nut: the beautiful princess Pirlipat was born to the king and queen, but Queen Myshilda, avenging her relatives killed by the mousetraps of the court watchmaker Drosselmeyer (they ate the fat intended for royal sausages), turned the beauty into a freak. Only the cracking of nuts could soothe her now. Drosselmeyer, on pain of death, with the help of a court astrologer, calculated the princess's horoscope - the Krakatuk nut, split by a young man with a special method, will help restore her beauty. The king sent Drosselmeyer and the astrologer in search of salvation; both the nut and the young man (the watchmaker's nephew) were found with Drosselmeyer's brother in his hometown. Many princes broke their teeth on Krakatuk, and when the king promised to marry his daughter to a savior, a nephew stepped forward. He cracked the nut and the princess, having eaten it, became a beauty, but the young man could not perform the whole ritual, because Myshilda threw herself at his feet ... The mouse died, but the guy turned into a Nutcracker. The king expelled Drosselmeier, his nephew and astrologer. However, the latter predicted that the Nutcracker would be a prince and the ugliness would disappear if he defeated the mouse king and a beautiful girl fell in love with him.

A week later, Marie recovered and began to reproach Drosselmeyer for not helping the Nutcracker. He replied that only she could help, because she rules the kingdom of light. The Mouse King got into the habit of extorting Marie for her sweets in return for the safety of the Nutcracker. Parents were alarmed by the fact that the mice wound up. When he demanded her books and dress, she took the Nutcracker in her arms and sobbed - she is ready to give everything, but when there is nothing left, the mouse king will want to kill her herself. The Nutcracker came to life and promised to take care of everything if he got a saber - Fritz helped with this, having recently dismissed the colonel (and punished the hussars for cowardice during the battle). At night, the Nutcracker came to Marie with a bloodied saber, a candle and 7 golden crowns. Having given the trophies to the girl, he led her to his kingdom - the Land of Fairy Tales, where they got through their father's fox coat. Helping the Nutcracker sisters with the housework, offering to crush caramel in a golden mortar, Marie suddenly woke up in her bed.

Of course, none of the adults believed her story. About the crowns, Drosselmeier said that this was his gift to Marie for her second birthday and refused to recognize the Nutcracker as his nephew (the toy stood in its place in the closet). Dad threatened to throw out all the dolls, and Marie did not dare to stutter about her story. But one day, Drosselmeier's nephew appeared on the threshold of their house, who privately confessed to Marie that he had ceased to be the Nutcracker, and made an offer to share the crown and throne of the Marzipan Castle with him. They say she is still the queen there.

On the twenty-fourth of December, Fritz and Marie, the children of Stahlbaum's medical adviser, are sitting in the bedroom waiting for the Christmas presents that are being set up along with the Christmas tree in the passage room. The girl is looking forward to a wonderful present from her godfather, the senior court adviser Drosselmeyer, who every year makes another unusual toy, but understands that gifts from mom and dad are better, since they are not taken away immediately after the holiday. The elder sister Louise assures the kids that the Christ child will make sure that they are given the most desired toys.

Present

Under a large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree, Marie finds many fancy dolls, toy crockery, and a silk dress. Fritz gets a new bay horse and a squadron of hussars for Christmas. Godfather Drosselmeyer gives children a wonderful castle with moving gentlemen, ladies and a small senior court adviser. Children watch the toy for a while, but then they get bored with it.

favorite

Marie notices under the tree a modestly standing dandy-looking little man, bought by his father for cracking nuts. She takes him under her care, putting the smallest nuts in his mouth. Fritz, on the contrary, forces the Nutcracker to crack only hard and large nuts, which leads to the loss of three teeth and the sagging of the toy's lower jaw. Marie hides the patient from Fritz in her handkerchief. The father forbids the boy to touch the Nutcracker. The girl ties up the Nutcracker's injured jaw with a white ribbon from her dress and cradles the wounded man all evening.

Miracles

In the doll room on the bottom shelf of the glass cabinet in the living room, Marie is having a tea party with a new doll named Clerchen. When her parents and Fritz go to bed, she asks the new toy to make room in the bed for the sick Nutcracker. At twelve, a quiet whisper begins in the living room. The wall clock wheezes. Marie sees their godfather Drosselmeyer instead of an owl. There are mice in the room. The Mouse King crawls out from under the floor - a huge mouse with seven heads, each of which is decorated with a small luminous crown. The army of mice goes to the girl pressed against the glass case. Marie breaks the door with her left elbow. Mice scatter in burrows. The closet starts to glow. It starts the fuss. The Nutcracker calls on his faithful supporters to fight the mice. Clerchen catches him in his arms and asks him to refrain from fighting until he is fully recovered. The Nutcracker refuses the sash offered by the doll, pointing to the ribbon given to him by Marie.

Battle

The Nutcracker orders the drummer to beat the general offensive. Fritz's troops are marching. Pantalone is appointed general. Mice suffer losses from sugar pills and round gingerbread and fire silver pills at the enemy. As they begin to gain a victory, the Nutcracker commands a retreat on the right flank. The left flank, consisting of pupae with a surprise, also begins to suffer losses over time. The reserve of gnomes quickly gives up - the mice gnaw through their legs. Clerchen and Trudchen faint. When two enemy arrows cling to the Nutcracker's cloak, and the Mouse King aims seven of his heads at him, Marie removes the shoe from her left foot and throws it at the latter. The mice run away. The girl loses consciousness.

Disease

Marie wakes up in bed. The room is flooded with bright sun. Next to her, the girl discovers the surgeon Wendelstern. Mom scolds Marie for her willfulness and tells how she found her bleeding at midnight among the scattered toys, with the Nutcracker in her left hand and without one shoe. Medical adviser and surgeon Wendelstern consider the girl's story about the battle between mice and toy soldiers to be a fever caused by a wound.

Marie spends several days in bed. Mom reads fairy tales to her in the evenings. One day, the godfather Drosselmeyer visits the girl. Marie accuses him of turning off the clock and calling the Mouse King into the living room, being an owl. The senior councilor of the court sings the watchmaker's song to the goddaughter and gives the cured Nutcracker back. He asks Marie not to worry about the mice and offers to tell a story.

The Tale of the Hard Nut

The little princess Pirlipat was a very beautiful girl - the favorite of her parents and the whole royal court. By order of the queen, the baby's cradle was guarded by six nannies with cats, who were ordered to stroke all night long so that they purred. Once a holiday was held in the palace with tournaments, feasts and balls, which gathered all the surrounding kings and princes. The queen personally took up the production of sausages - the favorite delicacy of the king. Myshilda, who lives in the palace, asked her for lard. The queen agreed to treat her “sister” in rank, but the mouse brought with her numerous relatives, who almost ate all the fat. The chief chamberlain drove the uninvited guests away. At the sausage feast, the king, who did not find enough fat in the sausage, fell into anguish. The queen threw herself at his feet and told him about Mousechild. The king decided to take revenge: he took away her possessions from the queen of mice and ordered the court wizard and watchmaker Drosselmeyer to find a way to finally expel the impudent creature from the palace. The latter came up with skillful cars, which caught Myshilda's seven sons and numerous relatives. The mouse queen left the palace in grief, but before that she threatened to kill the princess.

Continuation of the tale of hard nuts

One night, when all the nannies and cats fell asleep, Myshilda turned the beautiful princess into an ugly one. Drosselmeyer was ordered to return Pirlipat to its former appearance within a month. Together with his friend, the court astrologer, he found out that this could be done with the help of a Krakatuk nut kernel, which should be presented to the princess in a special way - by a young man who never shaved and did not wear boots.

The end of the tale of hard nuts

For fifteen years, Drosselmeyer and the stargazer traveled the world in search of the Kratkatuk nut. Longing for their native Nuremberg, they returned home. Drosselmeyer's cousin, toy maker Christoph Zacharius, found the right item in his workshop. His son, Pretty Nutcracker, disenchanted Princess Pirlipat, but on the seventh step he tripped over Myshilda and turned into an ugly toy. Pirlipat refused to marry the Nutcracker. Drosselmeyer and the astrologer were expelled from Nuremberg.

Uncle and nephew

Marie takes the tale told by her godfather seriously.

Victory

The Mouse King blackmails Marie. In the beginning, the girl gives him her dragee and marzipan, then pretty sugar dolls. Fritz offers to take a cat from the baker for the night, the father - to put a mousetrap. The Mouse King demands picture books and a new Christmas dress from Marie. The girl complains to the Nutcracker that soon she will have nothing to give to the blackmailer, except herself. The toy comes to life, asks to get her a saber and not to worry about anything. The next night, the Nutcracker kills the Mouse King and presents Marie with seven golden crowns.

puppet kingdom

The Nutcracker promises to show Marie many curiosities. He leads the girl to an old wardrobe. Her father's fox fur coat leads her to Candy Meadow. Through the Almond-Raisin Gate, through the Christmas Forest with sugar shepherdesses and shepherdesses, along the Orange Creek, which flows into the Lemonade River, which flows into the Almond Milk Lake, past the Gingerbread Village, located near the Honey River, through the Canfetenhausen Marie and the Nutcracker come to the Pink Lake.

Capital

Through the Candied Grove, the heroes get to Konfetenburg. At the Marzipan Castle, Marie is received by four beautiful princesses. The girl helps the Nutcracker sisters grind caramels in a golden mortar and falls asleep.

Conclusion

Parents laugh at their daughter's sleep. As proof that she is right, Marie shows the seven crowns of the Mouse King. Parents scold their daughter and ask her to tell where she got them? Godfather Drosselmeyer rescues the girl, saying that this is his gift for her second birthday. One day, Marie confesses to her godfather that she would never have rejected the Nutcracker because of his ugliness. There is a crack. The girl falls off the chair. Drosselmeyer's nephew appears in the Stahlbaum house. He proposes to Marie and takes her to the Doll Kingdom a year later.

In my understanding, the New Year is my native Omsk, where there is a lot of fluffy, snow-white snow, a real Siberian jelly in every kitchen, a skating rink, after which you run to the nearest coffee shop, warm yourself with something tasty and very hot, watching from the window sparkling with multi-colored lights children running with sleds towards the city Christmas tree and, of course, the traditional trip to the musical theater to the fabulous ballet of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky "The Nutcracker". People in Omsk love to celebrate the New Year and love to go to the theatre. I happened to be in different cities of our country, but since they applaud in Omsk, they do not applaud anywhere else. If Feodosia is a city of museums, then Omsk is a real city of theaters.

Omsk musical theater

I have always been interested in how composers write music for ballet. In particular, I have always wondered why Tchaikovsky decided to write the ballet The Nutcracker, which takes place in one of the German principalities in the era of Hoffmann, namely in the fabulous town of Konfiturenburg. Once Pyotr Ilyich received an order from the directorate of the Imperial Theaters for a one-act opera and a two-act ballet to be staged in one evening. Tchaikovsky chose for the opera the work of the Danish writer H. Herz "The Daughter of King René" ("Iolanthe"), and the famous fairy tale by Hoffmann "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" for the ballet. This tale was taken in a French retelling, which was made by A. Dumas - the father and was called "The Story of the Nutcracker".

First, Tchaikovsky outlined the plot of The Nutcracker in writing, and only then began to work with the great choreographer Marius Petipa, who made a detailed plan - an order and a choreographer's exposition. By that time, Petipa served Russia for more than forty years and staged more than one performance. The illustrious master gave Tchaikovsky detailed recommendations and advice on what music should be for this magical and winter fairy tale. In 1891, Tchaikovsky traveled to the United States for the grand opening of Carnegie Hall, but he continued to compose music even while sailing on a steamboat. Realizing that he is not in time for the deadline, he sends a letter from Paris with a request to postpone the premieres of The Nutcracker and Iolanthe to the next season. The work went more actively when Pyotr Ilyich returned from his trip. The ballet was completed during January and February 1892. One of the symphony orchestras of the Russian Musical Society performed suites from the music for the ballet The Nutcracker under the baton of the composer himself. Six numbers sounded, of which five were repeated at the request of the public - it was a resounding success.

The production of the ballet will be completed by the second choreographer of the Mariinsky Theater, L. Ivanov, according to the exact scenarios and instructions of the seriously ill Petipa. Lev Ivanovich Ivanov owned performances of Polovtsian dances in Borodin's Prince Igor and dances in Rimsky-Korsakov's opera-ballet Mlada. Rehearsals for The Nutcracker began at the end of September 1892, and the premiere took place on 18 December. Surprisingly, the criticism was different, both positive and sharply negative. Nevertheless, no criticism prevented the ballet from staying in the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater for more than thirty years. In 1923 the ballet was restored by choreographer F. Lopukhov. In 1929 he creates a new choreographic version of the play. What changed? Initially, the heroine of the ballet was called Clara, in the Soviet years they began to call her Masha. (Marie at Dumas). Later, productions of The Nutcracker on different stages of the country were carried out by different choreographers.

Why do we love The Nutcracker so much on New Year's Eve? It all starts with Christmas Eve in the Zilbergauz house, when guests gather for a holiday. Clara, Fritz and their little guests enter the hall. In the center of attention of absolutely everyone is a fluffy and elegant Christmas tree. The clock strikes midnight, and with their last blow, Clara's godfather, the mysterious Drosselmeyer, appears, who brings huge mechanical dolls as a gift to the children - the Candidate, the Soldier, the Harlequin and Columbine. Zilbergauz, fearing that the children will ruin the gifts, orders them to be taken to his office. The children are terribly upset and Drosselmeyer, in order to console them, takes out a strange toy from his pocket - a funny little Nutcracker and shows how he gnaws nuts. Fritz forces the Nutcracker to crack the hardest nuts, and the Nutcracker's jaw breaks. Then the annoyed Fritz throws the toy on the floor, but Clapa picks him up, lulls him to sleep, puts him on the bed of his favorite doll and wraps him in a warm blanket. Zilbergauz orders the furniture to be taken out of the living room, the ball begins.

At the end of the celebration, the children are sent to bed, and the guests and hosts disperse. Soft moonlight penetrates the window of the empty hall, and fluffy snow flakes slowly fall outside the window. Clara can't sleep. She worries about the Nutcracker. Suddenly, rustle, running and scratching are heard. The girl gets frightened and wants to run away, but the big wall clock starts to strike the time. Clara sees that instead of an owl, Drosselmeister is sitting on the clock, waving the caftan flaps like wings. Small lights flicker on all sides as mice fill the room. Clara runs to the Nutcracker's bed. But suddenly, the tree begins to grow and becomes huge, the dolls come to life and run around in fright. The gingerbread soldiers line up and the battle with the mice begins. The Nutcracker, getting up from his bed, orders to sound the alarm. Boxes with tin soldiers are opened, the Nutcracker's army is built in a battle square. The mouse army attacks, but the soldiers bravely resist the onslaught, and the mice retreat. Then the insidious Mouse King enters the duel. He wants to kill the Nutcracker, but Clara takes off her slipper and throws it at the King. The Nutcracker wounds him, and he, along with the rest of the army, flees from the battlefield. The Nutcracker approaches Clara with a drawn sword in his hand. He turns into a beautiful young man and asks the girl to follow him. Both are hiding in the branches of the Christmas tree. This is where the real New Year's magic begins, because the hall turns into a real winter forest. Snow falls in large flakes and a real blizzard rises. Snowflakes, driven by the wind, dance. In the fabulous city of Confiturünburg, the arrival of Clara and the Prince of the Nutcracker is already expected in the Palace of Sweets Fairy Dragee and Prince Whooping Cough. In a boat made of gilded shells, Clara and the Nutcracker sail to the palace, where everything is prepared for the upcoming celebration. A beautiful holiday begins, in which the queen of sweets herself Fairy Dragee, Mother Zhigon and other fairy-tale characters take part.

The Nutcracker is the composer's last ballet. Here, Tchaikovsky turns to a theme that has already "sounded" in "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" - this is the theme of overcoming evil spells with the powerful force of love. In The Nutcracker, the music is enriched with all sorts of expressive means. In this ballet, there is an amazing fusion of fine and expressive, theatricality and psychologism. The music very subtly embodies everything that happens on the stage: the growth of the Christmas tree, the shouts of the sentry, drumming, toy fanfare, the squeak of a mouse and the miraculous transformation of the Nutcracker. When shiny and light snowflakes dance, the music magically conveys the feeling of cold, the play of moonlight and the feelings of the heroine, who suddenly found herself in a mysterious and fabulous world. Various dances are heard in the second act: the dance of chocolate, coffee, tea (brightly characteristic, Chinese full of comic effects), as well as a lively Russian trepak in the folk spirit, an elegant and stylized dance of shepherdesses, and the comical dance of Matushka Zhigon. Of course, the peak of the divertissement is the famous Waltz of the Flowers with its variety of melodies, symphonic development, pomp and solemnity. Surprisingly graceful and subtle is the dance of the Dragee Fairy. The lyrical culmination of the whole ballet, from which goosebumps, is the adagio, which was originally staged for the Dragee Fairy and the Prince, now for Clara and the Nutcracker.

Russian ballet and Russian composers are, of course, the golden visiting card of our country. It will forever remain a mystery to us how Tchaikovsky heard all this majestic music, what exactly inspired him to write it, and what feelings he experienced when he created his immortal masterpieces. Pyotr Ilyich was a brilliant composer and left us a huge and wonderful musical legacy. Unfortunately, Feodosiya does not yet have a theater where it would be possible to stage ballets and host artists from other theaters in our country. But we hope that this situation will change in the near future. It is very important for all of us, and especially our children, to listen to the music of great Russian and foreign composers. As for ballet, it is a separate, magical world, where the grace of dance is subtly intertwined with the beauty of the soul, its pain and joy. It's just incredibly beautiful. This is art, this is our culture, without which we cannot have a decent future. Today, all Feodosians have the opportunity to touch the work of the great composer by attending a concert dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the birth of Pyotr Ilyich.

Prologue

On Christmas Eve, Stahlbaum, the medical adviser, gathers guests at his house. The owner himself and his wife with children - Marie and Franz, warmly welcome those who came to the holiday.

STEP ONE

In a cozy house, everything is ready for the holiday. Children are looking forward to Christmas gifts. The Christmas tree lit up with colorful lights, the dances of adults and children began. Parents give gifts to children. Suddenly, a masked stranger appears on the threshold of the living room. He takes it off, and everyone recognizes the good Drrosselmeyer, Marie's godfather. Drrosselmeyer shows tricks, and then takes out the Nutcracker and begins the story of the history of this doll.

The fairy tale is over, everyone applauds Drrosselmeyer. Marie asks to give her the Nutcracker. At that moment, Franz takes the doll away and breaks it. Drrosselmeyer drives the unbearable boy away, fixes the Nutcracker and gives it to Marie.

The festive evening ends, the last dance is performed - the grossvater. The guests disperse. The tree goes out. Marie sneaks into the empty living room to take another look at the Nutcracker left under the tree. Drosselmeyer appears as if by magic, along with the chiming of the clock.

Around everything begins to change: the tree grows, and with it the room turns into a huge hall. The Nutcracker and toys also grow and come to life. Suddenly, mice appear in the room, led by the Mouse King. They are opposed by the brave Nutcracker with a small army of Christmas decorations. The fight begins: The Nutcracker bravely fights the army of mice, but the forces are not equal. A little more ... and the Mouse King will prevail. Drrosselmeyer gives Marie a burning candle, which she, in desperation, throws at the Mouse King. At this time, the Nutcracker managed to free himself. He pierces the Mouse King with his saber, and the remnants of the "gray" army scatter in a panic in their holes. The enemy is defeated. The spell is broken: Marie sees the beautiful Prince in front of her.

Hand in hand, Marie and the Prince join the magical dance of snowflakes and rush through the starry sky to the kingdom of the Prince.

ACT TWO

Marie and the Prince admire the starry sky. Drrosselmeyer relentlessly follows them. The magic ball on which they fly descends in front of the walls of the fabulous city. Drrosselmeyer goes to the castle gates and opens them with a magic key, then disappears unnoticed. Marie and the Prince enter the throne room. They are met by the King, the Queen and a solemn retinue. The inhabitants of the magical city present gifts and arrange an unusual holiday, at the end of which Marie and the Prince dance.

Epilogue

Suddenly, the figure of Drrosselmeyer appears .... Everything froze: the walls of the castle disappear, the living room of the Stahlbaum house appears. In the corner of the room is a sleeping Marie with a Nutcracker doll. Waking up, the girl sees Drrosselmeyer. She runs up to him to thank him for the wonderful Christmas story.

On December 18, 2017, a solemn celebration dedicated to the 125th anniversary of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker will take place at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg.

Over the years of its existence, this ballet, with its magnificent scenery, the highest acting skills of the performers and unique musical accompaniment, has become not only the hallmark of Russian ballet all over the world, but also an invariable symbol of the holiday for Russians on the eve of the New Year.

1. The libretto of the ballet was based on an abridged children's fairy tale

Scene from the ballet The Nutcracker. Ballerina Ekaterina Maksimova as Masha. Photo: Alexander Konkov / TASS

Tchaikovsky's ballets occupy a special place on the world stage, and The Nutcracker is perhaps the most famous of them. The production owes its appearance to the famous choreographer Marius Petipa, a Frenchman who moved to Russia in his youth and laid the foundations of its ballet classics. Petipa created the libretto based on the fairy tale "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" by the German writer Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, published in the collection "Children's Tales" (1816).

The libretto was based on the French adaptation of the German fairy tale, abridged by Alexandre Dumas père, made in 1844. It is quite possible that the fairy tale itself would not have become so popular if Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky had not written music for it.

By the way, Petipa and Tchaikovsky had already worked together before. Their previous joint project, the ballet The Sleeping Beauty, based on the fairy tale of the same name by Charles Perrault and presented to the public in 1890, was a resounding success.

Therefore, when the director of the Imperial Theaters, Ivan Vsevolozhsky, ordered the composer to compose a ballet and an opera that would run in one evening (the composer eventually wrote Iolanthe and The Nutcracker), Tchaikovsky again turned to Petipa to create the ballet.

However, as ballet historians say, the story of the Nutcracker did not really touch Petipa's soul. Having written the libretto, he said he was seriously ill and "shoved" the production onto his "deputy" - the second-ranking choreographer of the Imperial Theaters, Lev Ivanov. He essentially created the ballet, which premiered at the Mariinsky Theater on December 18, 1892.

2. Children were already dancing in the very first Nutcracker

Scene from The Nutcracker: Ekaterina Berezina as Marie and Valery Trofimchuk as Drosselmeyer at the State Classical Ballet Theatre. Photo: Anatoly Morkovkin, Gennady Khamelyanin/TASS

Incredible popularity of the ballet was brought not only by the incomparable music of Tchaikovsky, but also by the "star" cast of soloists. The main role of the Nutcracker was brilliantly performed by the outstanding dancer and representative of the famous theatrical dynasty Sergei Legat, and the dragee fairy was played by the Italian ballerina Antonietta Del-Era, who became famous thanks to her bright debut in Petita's ballet The Sleeping Beauty (the role of Princess Aurora).

The role of Prince Whooping cough was played by the famous artist Pavel Gerdt, whose dance style was distinguished by nobility, plasticity and mimic expressiveness. And adviser Drosselmeyer was played by comedy and vaudeville actor Timofey Stukolkin.

The main children's roles - Clara and Fritz - were played by students of the ballet department of the Imperial School Stanislav Belinskaya and Vasily Stukolkin.

3. There was confusion with the name of the main character

By the way, the name of the girl in the printed version and ballet performances sounds different: in Hoffmann, the main character is called Marie (Marichen), in Petipa's ballet - Clara. And in some Soviet productions of Tchaikovsky's ballet, she generally became ... Russian Masha. And that's why.

In the original, Clara is the name of the girl's favorite doll. However, in many performances of various theaters, the puppet was either excluded from the action, or remained nameless. This happened in the very first "The Nutcracker": although the doll was present in the production, Petipa gave her name to the main character, who, with his light hand, became not Marie, but Clara.

And in Soviet productions, starting from the late 1920s, the ballet was “Russified”. German names for ideological reasons ( after World War I 1914-1918 the Germans were considered enemies, and many things related to them were banned - Note. ed.) were eventually replaced by Russian ones. The girl Marie received the original Russian name Maria, and her brother from Fritz (in some versions of The Nutcracker) turned into Misha.

4. The main Russian Nutcracker for 18 years was Nikolai Tsiskaridze

Nikolai Tsiskaridze Photo: Sergey Fadeichev / TASS

Over the 125-year history, many versions of the outstanding ballet have been released. Alexander Gorsky, Fyodor Lopukhov, Vasily Vainonen, Yuri Grigorovich and Mikhail Shemyakin staged The Nutcracker on the stages of the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters. And the main parts were performed by the legends of the Russian theater scene: Pyotr Gusev and Olga Mungalova (staged in 1929), Konstantin Sergeev and Galina Ulanova(1934), Alexey Ermolaev and Marina Semenova (1939), Vladimir Vasiliev and Ekaterina Maksimova (1966).

And in Russia, the Nutcracker became the most beloved Russian audience Nikolai Tsiskaridze . He made his debut in this role in 1995 in a production by Yuri Grigorovich at the Bolshoi. By the way, the then rising ballet star did not immediately “grow up” to the Prince. The artist's career in this performance began with a small role as a French doll. And only three years later, Nikolai became the main character.

Tsiskaridze was the main Russian Nutcracker for 18 years. He danced his part 101 times, even on December 31 - his birthday. Celebrating this holiday on stage as the Nutcracker, creating an unforgettable New Year's mood for the audience, has become a good tradition for him. “I make a gift to my beloved. Dancing in The Nutcracker is a joy for me, ”said Tsiskaridze, who last played his favorite role in 2013.

5. The Nutcracker also appeared on the silver screen

Elle Fanning in Andrey Konchalovsky's film "The Nutcracker and the Rat King" 2010 Photo: Kinopoisk

Hoffmann's work was not only repeatedly staged on the theater stage, but also filmed. The most famous domestic film version of the New Year's fairy tale is the 1973 cartoon The Nutcracker, directed by Boris Stepantsev and quite different from the original. In Hollywood in 1993 they filmed a fairy tale ballet with Macaulay Culkin, and in 2010 - a fantasy film by Andrei Konchalovsky "The Nutcracker and the Rat King". In it, the main roles were played by Hollywood stars Elle Fanning and John Turturro. Julia Vysotskaya ( Louise / Snow Fairy). However, the $90 million film flopped at the worldwide box office, grossing just over $16 million.

Now film versions of the ballet are often successfully shown in cinemas, on a wide screen. Particularly popular with the audience was the recording of The Nutcracker in 2014, in which the main roles were played by the stars of the Bolshoi Theater Denis Rodkin and Anna Nikulina.