A sprinkle of Tchaikovsky’s sparkling “Nutcracker Sweets”

Ethan Avner Almeida playing 'Waltz of the Flowers', 'Arabian Dance', 'Trepak' from The Nutcracker Sweets (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky | arr. Dan Fox)

🎄 Welcome, to ‘Christmas around the Piano’…a nostalgic musical journey!🎄

Day 4 - December 4, 2025:

“Nutcracker Sweets” refers to the Nutcracker Suite, a selection of eight pieces from Tchaikovsky’s full-length ballet The Nutcracker (1892). These pieces were arranged into a concert suite that became wildly popular — often even more famous than the ballet itself.

The suite includes iconic movements like:

• Miniature Overture

• March

• Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy

• Russian Dance (Trepak)

• Arabian Dance

• Chinese Dance

• Dance of the Reed Flutes

• Waltz of the Flowers

Tchaikovsky premiered the suite months before the ballet, and audiences fell in love instantly.

The full ballet premiered on December 18, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. It was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, with music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

The story is based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s 1816 tale, adapted into a gentler version by Alexandre Dumas. The ballet was originally paired with Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta as a double bill.

While the ballet received mixed reviews at first, the Nutcracker Suite became an immediate hit, helping the ballet gain popularity over the next decades.

By the mid‑20th century, especially in the U.S., The Nutcracker became a Christmas tradition, performed annually and beloved worldwide.

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Quick Facts!

🌟The celesta, a keyboard instrument with a magical bell-like tone, was used famously in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Tchaikovsky kept it secret so other composers wouldn’t steal the sound.

🌟The ballet’s setting — Christmas Eve in a child’s imagination — is a major reason it became a holiday staple.

🌟The “Trepak” (Russian Dance) is one of the most energetic pieces in classical music and is often used in pop culture.

🌟The suite is one of the most recorded classical works in history.

🌟Tchaikovsky didn’t think the ballet would be very successful — ironic, considering it became one of the most performed ballets ever.

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I do hope you have enjoyed reading about this carol, as much as I have enjoyed presenting this to you.

Thank you for joining me on this festive journey! Wishing you and your loved ones, a season filled with light, laughter, love, and of course, MUSIC! 🌟🎄

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Christmas cheer and good tidings to you!

Larissa

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