E.T.A.
Hoffmann's Nutcracker at our house
"Be a 'Clara'! She saves
the Nutcracker from the Mouse King!" -- Mommy Weis, permanently
aged 9
When I was a child my mother would
often say "One of these days we'll go see 'The Nutcracker.' Not to slight
my mom in the slightest, "one of these days" never came during my childhood
-- we were too busy going to the zoo and other The 24-year-old child said "Mommeeeeee!
That's what I want for Christmas!" Said mommy was appalled at the $16 price
for a paperback (albeit over-sized) book and did not buy it.
My husband (whom she calls
her Christmas Boy) bought it for me and signed it to his Christmas Girl. When Alan and I visit Germany,
I conduct business at every pretzel vendor I can find. Nuremberg is Herr
Drosselmeier's hometown. In
Nuremberg on our 1996 trip we found the best pretzels ANYWHERE at Kolb's Laugenbrezen!
The Nuremberg (aka Nurnberg) Kolb's Laugenbrezen happened to be between My 1998 trip to the actual ballet,
I shared with Helen at the Nancy
Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall.This
was the most tasteful yet dazzling production I've seen. For me, the most
memorable aspect of The Fort Worth Dallas Ballet's production was Herr
Drosselmeier.
The newspaper advertised a Nutcracker
children's party where one could meet some of the dancers in costume before
the matinee. I bought tickets for the twins and me.
Unfortunately, this lone rendition
plays as *plink*plink*plink*, instead of the sultry, exotic piece I have come
to prefer. It's what Shirley Temple would dance to, not Salome.
Seiskaya
Ballet's Nutcracker Home Page
Shopping
Amazon through this link benefits the
Wes Stoops Memorial Scholarship!
E.T.A
Hoffmann's "Nutcracker" illustrated by Maurice Sendak Tchaikovsky:
The Nutcracker / Gergiev, Kirov Orchestra Nutcracker:
The Motion Picture (1986)
Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, original name Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann
(1776-1822)
Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" on
the Web
"Mommeeeeeee! I want to watch Clara!" -- Nikki Weis, age 3.5
"The Mouse King! Nutcracker will save her! I be a soldier!" -- Kilory
Weis, age 3.5
I
am proud to say my love of the Nutcracker ballet has rubbed off on my twins.
They recognize the characters;
recognize the music anywhere,
call it by name
(even in a Fantasia context), and can identify where Drosselmeier arrives
at the party and when the party is over;
and are pretty good at pronouncing "Drosselmeier."
The twins often ask for "dance music" so they can do a toddler ballet.
Sometimes they call it "Barbie music,"
but
always it must be Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" or else.
The only acceptable sustitute for their living room recitals is Tchaikovsky's
"Sleeping Beauty Waltz."
great stuff!
My childhood was exposed only to the music. And that seemed enough. Until,
at approximately age 24, I found Hoffman's
original (translated) tale illustrated by Maurice Sendak*.
In
one of my favorite movies the narrator says a BB
gun was the best gift he'd ever received or ever would receive. 
For me, it would have to be our legation secretary, Bill,
who adopted us on a rainy December 21 night. But first runner up is that wondrous,
treasured book. I even bought a second copy of it over which I vow not to
pitch a fit when sticky, grabby, twin fingers bend or besmirch it. My signed
copy is sacred.
*Now if only Sendak would illustrate a Dover translation of Hoffmann's
"Der Sandmann," which was made into the ballet "Coppelia" in 1870.
Thus
began my love of the orignal tale by Hoffmann that contains "The Story of
the Hard Nut" which explains all the aspects of the ballet which leave one
with an overwhelming sense of "Huh?" (see Introduction
to E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker for an explanation of why the ballet
came out the way it did and my main Nutcracker page
for a grudging critique of said resulting ballet.) 
He calls me his Pretzel Girl.
I love large pretzels and they are a decorative motif throughout said Sendak-Nutcracker
book.
Saint
Marthakirche and the bookstore where I bought the original German version
of Nußknacker und Mäusekönig.
I read it on the flight home. I can't really read or speak German, but am
so familiar with the text that I could follow along and laugh at his humorous
writing.
At home, doing some research, I came across a photo of Hitler in Nuremberg.
So obsessed am I that what I ran to tell Alan was -- "Look! That's the church
next to that great pretzel place! Hitler's right where the kiosk was! And
the photographer must have been where I bought my book!" Priorities, huh?
My favorite character, he is often portrayed in a mad-scientist way, or as
Old-Man-Frenski-who-lives-down-the-street-with-the-sheep.
This production was Drosselmeier ala David Bowie/Mick Jagger/Kendall Brown/T.
D. Sheppeard. He was soooooooooooo cool! Totally hip, not total hip-replacement.
Alas, the metroplex was iced over forcing us to cancel and be cancelled. Forsooth,
I consoled myself with guzzling hot apple cider, listening to Tchaikovsky's
Nutcracker, and making these tribute pages.
I am still, however, heartbroken that Old Man Winter robbed me of the opportunity
to get a photo of Duuuuuude Drosselmeier as played by David Bowie/Mick Jagger/Kendall
Brown/T. D. Sheppeard.
Disgruntling also is that, search as I may, there is only one MIDI
rendition of the Arab Dance -- my favorite in 
the
Tchaikovsky score. 
Mozart had fans in both Hoffman and Tchaikovsky. In fact, Mozart has a profound
effect on the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker production, and the
book but it is only 2.5% musical -- the rest is completely visual!
It's facsinating! You've
just got to read the book!
Maurice
Sendak's introduction to E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker
The Story of the Hard Nut, Part One
The Story of the Hard Nut, Part Two
The Story of the Hard Nut, Part Three
The Story of the Hard Nut, Part Four
E.T.A. Hoffmann's Nutcracker at our house
Does Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker make sense
to you?
This is but one of the many Nutcracker CDs available; others
are priced at a steal!
The sets and costumes are Sendak's; the company, the Pacific Northwest Ballet;
the plot, once again, a hack and slash of Hoffmann's treasure. This particular
production toys with the sexual awakening of 13-year-old Clara and paints
Drosselmeier as being infatuated with her, but not in a way obvious to children.
It must be said, this production does away with the tired Land of Sweets --
huzzah; and the music is still Tchaikovsky's.
Russian
Dance - Trepak
Miniature
Overture
March
Dance
of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Russian
Dance - Trepak
Waltz
of the Flowers
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky(1840 - 1893)'s biography and works
For little ballerinas to color
Tutus
and toe shoe coloring page
Mouse
King and Nutcracker coloring page
Nutcracker
Wordfind
You are cordially invited to send a free Nutcracker postcard. Worth every penny.