Commissioned by the Imperial Opera Directorate to create a ballet based on E. T. A. Hoffmann’s “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” Tchaikovsky set to work on a subject he disliked and ended up creating a beloved classic. This suite, selected by the composer from The Nutcracker, features such gems as “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy,” “Trepak" (Russian Dance), “Arabian Dance,” and “Waltz of the Flowers.” Orchestra audiences are as enchanted by this suite as ballet enthusiasts are by the complete work.
