Alberta Ballet The Nutcracker Tickets

The holiday season is finally here which means the time has come for the world to enjoy Marius Petipa’s masterpiece, The Nutcracker. He introduced the two act ballet over a century ago and it is still popular today. Now, The Nutcracker is going to be performed by the famous Canadian ballet company, the Alberta Ballet. If you want to enjoy the show live then grab a pair of Alberta Ballet The Nutcracker tickets now.

A masterpiece

The Nutcracker is a result of the combined efforts of three talented individuals, Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov and Pytor Ilyich Tchailkovsky. The ballet is based on the popular E.T.A Hoffmann story, ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.’ The Nutcracker is choreographed by Petipa who has created many famous ballets including, ‘The Pharaoh’s Daughter,’ ‘La Talisman,’ ‘The Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Don Quixote’ among others, and Lev Ivanov. The score is provided by one of the best composers of his time, Tchailkovsky.

Premiere

The Nutcracker was staged for the first time at St. Petersburg’s Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in 1892. The show’s performance was conducted by the Italian composer and pianist, Ricardo Drigo. The debut production of the show starred, Antonietta Dell’Era (Sugar Plum Fairy), Stanislava Belinskaya (Clara), Pavel Gerdt (Prince Coqueluche), Timofey Stukolkin (Drosselmeyer) and Sergei Legat (The Nutcracker Prince).

The debut performance did not receive much success and it failed to impress the critics. However, Tchailkovsky’s score was given a better reception.

Other productions

In 1919, The Nutcracker was resurrected by the Russian ballet choreographer, Alexander Alexeyevich Gorsky. In his production, he eliminated the Cavalier and Sugar Plum Fairy and the dances performed by them were handed over to the Nutcracker Prince and Clara. In 1934, Soviet choreographer, Vasili Vainonen followed Gorsky and performed his version of the ballet which influenced later productions.

In the same year, the first complete performance of The Nutcracker was performed outside Russia, in England by Nicholas Sergeyev. After a gap of six years, the ballet made its debut in the United States and an abridged version was staged in New York by the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

In 1944, The Nutcracker was performed in its entirety for the first time in the U.S by the founder of San Francisco Ballet, William Christensen. It featured Gisella Caccialanza as the Sugar Plum Fairy. The show received massive success which led to the San Francisco Ballet performing The Nutcracker throughout the holiday season. It also debuted new productions in, 1944, 1954, 1967 and 2004. In 1954, George Balanchine presented his version of The Nutcracker at the City Center of Music and Drama.

Many other productions of the ballet were staged by different choreographers after the versions of Gorsky, Vainonen and Balanchine. Some of the most famous productions include those by, Peter Wright for the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Yuri Grigorovich for the Bolshoi Ballet and Rudolf Nureyev for the Royal Ballet.

References in the entertainment industry

Due to its popularity, The Nutcracker is not just seen as a show but has become more of a tradition which is performed by many ballet companies around Christmas time. Several films have used references of the two act ballet including, ‘Fantasia,’ ‘The Spirit of Christmas,’ ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Movie’ and ‘Barbie in the Nutcracker’ among others. The elements of The Nutcracker have also been featured in multiple television shows like, ‘Mickey’s Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse,’ ‘The Simpsons,’ ‘Princess Tutu’ and ‘Time Bokan 24.’

Experience it live

If you ever wanted to watch The Nutcracker live then buckle up as Alberta Ballet will be performing it soon. The show is going to be choreographed by Edmund Stripe whereas the music is going to be given by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. This is your chance to enjoy the ballet live so, book your Alberta Ballet The Nutcracker tickets as soon as possible.