Never before had Rudolf Nureyev’s world-famous choreography of the “Nutcracker” been performed by the Wiener Staatsballett. The present recording presents Nureyev’s final, 1985 Paris version of the original 1967 choreography for the Royal Swedish Ballet with two magnificent young soloists and the splendid Vienna corps de ballet. With its accent on the psychological contents of the work’s underlying tale, Nureyev’s choreography is truly revolutionary. Many formerly stereotyped characters are now transformed into flesh-and-blood figures who infuse the work with wit and lightness.
The Nutcracker
The Wiener Staatsballett is one of the great companies in the world. Yet never before had Rudolf Nureyev’s world-famous choreography of The Nutcracker been performed in Vienna. The present production remedies this omission by presenting Nureyev’s final, 1985 Paris version with two magnificent young soloists and the splendid Vienna corps de ballet. Nureyev’s version enjoys a particular standing in the history of this well-known ballet in that it was the first to incorporate the psychology of E. T. A Hoffman’s fairy tale on which Tchaikovsky’s ballet is based. The critic Clive Barnes set the tone by remarking: “No version of The Nutcracker that we have ever seen has been more potently dramatic; few have displayed so sharp an imprint of personal style. “Elegant, romantic, delightful” (Die Presse) · “Outstanding soloists” (Der Standard)