Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Symphony No. 4 Mariinsky Orchestra & Valery Gergiev

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893): The Nutcracker, Op. 71:
• 1Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Overture03:27
• 2Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 1: The Christmas Tree03:43
• 3Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 2: March02:26
• 4Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 3: Children's Galop and Dance of the Parents02:18
• 5Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 4: Arrival of Drosselmeyer05:05
• 6Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 5: Grandfather Dance06:16
• 7Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 6: Clara and the Nutcracker06:59
• 8Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau I Scene 7: The Battle03:11
• 9Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau II Scene 8: A Pine Forest in Winter03:25
• 10Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act I Tableau II Scene 9: Waltz of the Snowflakes06:07
• 11Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 10: The Magic Castle in the Land of Sweets03:48
• 12Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 11: Clara and Nutcracker Prince04:18
• 13Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 12a: Divertissement - Chocolate "Spanish Dance"01:05
• 14Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 12b: Coffee "Arabian Dance"02:37
• 15Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 12c: Tea "Chinese Dance"01:19
• 16Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 12d: Trepak "Russian Dance"01:06
• 17Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 12e: Dance of the Reed Pipes02:20
• 18Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 12f: Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles "Clowns"02:28
• 19Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 13: Waltz of the Flowers07:36
• 20Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 14a: Pas de deux. Intrada05:39
• 21Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 14b: Pas de deux. Variation I "Tarantella"00:35
• 22Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 14c: Pas de deux. Variation II "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy"02:03
• 23Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 14d: Pas de deux. Coda01:24
• 24Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 15a: Final Waltz03:21
• 25Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Op. 71: Act II Tableau III Scene 15b: Apotheosis01:28
• Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36:
• 26Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36: I. Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima19:16
• 27Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36: II. Andantino in modo di canzona11:27
• 28Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36: III. Scherzo. Pizzicato ostinato - Allegro05:31
• 29Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36: IV. Finale. Allegro con fuoco08:31
• Total Runtime02:08:49

Info for Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Symphony No. 4

On the 18th December, 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre, 'The Nutcracker' was first introduced to the world. Now, almost 125 years since that opening night and from the very same hall, the Mariinsky’s current Artistic Director, Valery Gergiev, reveals only his second recording of Tchaikovsky’s ballet masterpiece. A perfectly judged realisation of one of classical music’s most cherished works.

Gergiev is an expert in Tchaikovsky’s music and his interpretations of 'The Nutcracker are among the most celebrated: "Gergiev takes us back to that first light of inspiration, and his orchestra plays as if guided by the composer’s own hand." The New York Times

Based upon E.T.A. Hoffmann’s tale of a young girl’s magical Christmas Eve, 'The Nutcracker' has become an essential part of festive celebrations the world over. Adored for pieces like 'The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' and 'The Waltz of the Flowers', it contains some of Tchaikovsky’s most popular work and is perhaps the most famous ballet music ever written.

Closing the album is Tchaikovsky’s powerfully emotional Fourth Symphony. As the composer wrote, it is "patterned after Beethoven’s Fifth" and is well known for its theme of ‘fate’, announced by the ominous recurring fanfare that holds the unique symphonic form together. This coupling displays two very different sides of Tchaikovsky’s music, illustrating him as a complex man who battled to balance inner turmoils as well as utmost joy. Perhaps summed up by the final line of Tchaikovsky’s famous programme note:

"Reproach yourself and do not say that all the world is sad. Simple but strong joys do exist. Rejoice in other’s rejoicing. To live is still bearable." Christmas 2016

"Gergiev paints Tchaikovsky’s dream-world in the boldest colours…the Mariinsky Orchestra plays the score with theatrical verve and virtuosity, and the crystal-clear recording really brings out all the subtle inner details of Tchaikovsky’s orchestration" (BBC Music Magazine)

"Unsurprisingly, the big moments are powerful: those arching phrases as the Nutcracker leads Clara off into the Land of Snow are glorious, as is the sumptuous pas de deux for the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Prince…a stocking-filler to suit the most ardent Tchaikovskians this Christmas" (Gramophone Magazine)

Mariinsky Orchestra
Valery Gergiev, conductor

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Booklet for Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Symphony No. 4