Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich

Set and costume designs Simon Virsaladze

Lighting design Mikhail Sokolov

A masterpiece of classical dance, and a Christmas favourite with audiences everywhere, this Nutcracker is a magical version of the score by Tchaikovsky filmed at the Bolshoi Theatre. Since its première in Saint-Petersburg in 1892, The Nutcracker has been one of the most successful classical ballets and Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions. Yuri Grigorovich deals with Hoffmann’s fantastic imagery and takes ideas from Marius Petipa’s scenario: battle of the mice, snowflakes flurry, character dances executed by the dolls that came to life…

The most talented soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet appear in this production including Nina Kaptsova (Marie) and Artem Ovcharenko (the Nutcracker Prince) and Denis Savin (Drosselmeyer).

Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich

Set and costume designs Simon Virsaladze

Lighting design Mikhail Sokolov

A masterpiece of classical dance, and a Christmas favourite with audiences everywhere, this Nutcracker is a magical version of the score by Tchaikovsky filmed at the Bolshoi Theatre. Since its première in Saint-Petersburg in 1892, The Nutcracker has been one of the most successful classical ballets and Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions. Yuri Grigorovich deals with Hoffmann’s fantastic imagery and takes ideas from Marius Petipa’s scenario: battle of the mice, snowflakes flurry, character dances executed by the dolls that came to life…

The most talented soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet appear in this production including Nina Kaptsova (Marie) and Artem Ovcharenko (the Nutcracker Prince) and Denis Savin (Drosselmeyer).

Choreography by PÄR ISBERG

Set Design by BO-RUBEN HEDWALL

Costume Design by ANN-MARI ANTTILA

Arthaus presents on DVD a production from the Royal Opera House in Stockholm: A Swedish “Nutcracker” – a version that interweaves the classical ballet wonderfully with Swedish traditions. The version seen here was the fifth production of the work in the history of the Royal Swedish Ballet, whose origins go back to the 18th century. It opened in December 1995 and is the work of the then forty-year-old Pär Isberg, who danced for the company as a soloist and is now in international demand as a choreographer. Isberg replaced Hoffmann’s characters with others from Swedish folklore drawn from Peter and Lotta’s Christmas, the immensely popular children’s book by Elsa Beskow (1874–1953). Not only does the choreography appear clearly inspired by Swedish folklore, but the designs by Bo-Ruben Hewall and Ann-Mari Anttila include motifs from Värmland.

But no matter which interpretation, there is always the music of Tchaikovsky – from the first success in a concert performance of the score in July 1892 to today it has remained one of the most popular and well known pieces of ballet music. The light and at the same time dramatic music can rightly claim to have added immensely to the ongoing success of this ballet.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, PAL

Running Time: 95 mins

FSK: 0

Choreography by THIERRY MALANDAIN

Sets and costumes by JORGE GALLARDO

Lighting design by JEAN-CLAUDE ASQUIÉ

Additional music by NICOLAS DUPÉROIR

“A few ballets, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake, which at the end of the 19th Century brought together to the stage the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and two ballet masters of the imperial theatre, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, were conceived from three orchestral suites, which had become musical standards. Among these symphonic suites, The Nutcracker alone was written by the composer and performed under his direction before the creation of the completed ballet. It was on the occasion of a gala evening, so Tchaikovsky chose the „featured dances“, namely dances reserved for „entertainments“. Yet, even if he had considered using them, the orchestral suites of The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake were included without his approval after his death. Destined to be performed in concerts, they were considered a sort of best off of each of the ballets; bringing together without an event-driven chronology, the „featured dances“ and a few numbers centred on the characters and the action. In looking for a title, I remembered that as a child I defined my wonderments as „Magifique“. Magnifique without a „n“ because hatred divides (the word for hatred in French sounds like the letter „n“), and that this invented word, a sort of short-circuited language, fits well with the intentions of this creation: to create magic or else recycle life’s raw material through expressive and poetic forms. However, the title is also „Tchaikovsky‘s Suites“, in order to be consistent i.e. “avoir de la suite dans ses idées”. Thierry Malandain

BONUS: Making of Magifique. Including interviews with Thierry Malandain and the dancers as well as rehearsal footage.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Languages/Subtitles: FR, GB, DE (Bonus)

Running Time: 80 mins + 25 mins (Bonus)

FSK: 0

Choreography by THIERRY MALANDAIN

Sets and costumes by JORGE GALLARDO

Lighting design by JEAN-CLAUDE ASQUIÉ

Additional music by NICOLAS DUPÉROIR

“A few ballets, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake, which at the end of the 19th Century brought together to the stage the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and two ballet masters of the imperial theatre, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, were conceived from three orchestral suites, which had become musical standards. Among these symphonic suites, The Nutcracker alone was written by the composer and performed under his direction before the creation of the completed ballet. It was on the occasion of a gala evening, so Tchaikovsky chose the „featured dances“, namely dances reserved for „entertainments“. Yet, even if he had considered using them, the orchestral suites of The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake were included without his approval after his death. Destined to be performed in concerts, they were considered a sort of best off of each of the ballets; bringing together without an event-driven chronology, the „featured dances“ and a few numbers centred on the characters and the action. In looking for a title, I remembered that as a child I defined my wonderments as „Magifique“. Magnifique without a „n“ because hatred divides (the word for hatred in French sounds like the letter „n“), and that this invented word, a sort of short-circuited language, fits well with the intentions of this creation: to create magic or else recycle life’s raw material through expressive and poetic forms. However, the title is also „Tchaikovsky‘s Suites“, in order to be consistent i.e. “avoir de la suite dans ses idées”. Thierry Malandain

BONUS: Making of Magifique. Including interviews with Thierry Malandain and the dancers as well as rehearsal footage.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Picture Format: 16:9

Resolution: 1080i FULL HD

Languages/Subtitles: FR, GB, DE (Bonus)

Running Time: 80 mins + 25 mins (Bonus)

Blu-ray Disc: 25 GB (Single Layer)

FSK: 0