The Nutcracker by the Moscow State Ballet

The Nutcracker by the Moscow State Ballet | December 2 | Athens Concert Hall

The Nutcracker is one of the few classical ballet performances that seem as if they were written today. The imaginative choreography of Marius Petipa and the unsurpassed music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky have established it as one of the most popular performances which, despite being 124 years old, has all the vitality and enthusiasm of its first performance. It preserves, untouched by time, all those elements that make childhood dreams seem achievable.

The premiere of “The Nutcracker” was held on December 18, 1892 at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and the audience welcomed it with a thunderous applause. It was the night that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky felt once again completely vindicated. His music was uniquely combined with the libretto based on the fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann and which was masterfully adapted by Alexandre Dumas. Marius Petipa surprised everyone with his choreography. The tender story of “The Nutcracker” left no one unmoved.

The story of “The Nutcracker” takes place on Christmas Eve, in a German town, where little Clara is waiting for a gift from her godfather. Opening it, she is surprised to see a toy soldier serving as a nutcracker. When all the guests leave, Clara enters the living room to put her toy soldier to sleep. As the clock strikes midnight, the girl falls asleep and is transported to a fairy-tale world, where the toys come to life and fight the giant mice that invade the room. In this battle, the Nutcracker emerges victorious and transforms into a handsome prince.

In the second act, we watch Clara and the Nutcracker Prince take a magical journey, first to the land of the Snow Queen and then to the land of the Candy Cane and the Sugar Fairy. The dream doesn't last long. As Christmas dawns, little Clara wakes up to discover that the Prince Charming of her dreams has transformed back into the Nutcracker her godfather gave her.

Abroad, “The Nutcracker” was first performed in London in 1934, forty-two years after its 1892 premiere. And there, the reception was exceptional. Since then, there have been numerous performances around the world, with several adaptations of the choreography, as each choreographer tries to give his own version of the story. “The Nutcracker” was choreographed by both of the leading dancers of the 20th century, Rudolf Nureyev for the Royal Swedish Ballet and Mikhail Baryshnikov for the American Ballet Theater. Each left their mark, reinforcing the legend of a work that never ceases to amaze us.

The “Nutcracker” will be presented by the Moscow State Ballet, one of the most dynamic schools of classical ballet in Moscow. With founder and artistic director Vyacheslav Gordeev, a world-renowned dancer who was a star of the Bolshoi Ballet for many years, the Moscow State Ballet continues the tradition of the great Russian school, gaining recognition, reviving performances that stand the test of time and providing emotion and inspiration.

Duration: 2 hours with intermission
Ticket Prices:
Premium Zone: €50, Zone A: €45, Zone B: €40, Zone C: €30
Student-Children: 2€
Athens Concert Hall (Alexandra Trianti Hall)
Information and reservations phone number: 210 72 82 333
Vas. Sofias and Kokkalis
Ticket presale:
At the Concert Hall Box Offices (Vas. Sofias and Kokkalis) and at the ticket office at 8 Omirou Street in Syntagma.
By phone at 210 72 82 333, electronically at www.megaron.gr .

Article source: dancetheater.gr