In the final years of Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s life, the artist’s growing despondency stood in stark contrast to the fame, respect, and recognition that surrounded him. Without creative work, life proved impossible for him. When Ivan Vsevolozhsky—a well-educated, artistically talented man who was very supportive of the composer—became director of the theaters in St. Petersburg, he commissioned numerous operas and ballets from Tchaikovsky. The last eight years of Tchaikovsky’s life saw the creation of such great works as, among others, the operas *The Queen of Spades* and *Iolanta*, and the ballets *Sleeping Beauty* and *The Nutcracker*.

The French translation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale *The Nutcracker* inspired Tchaikovsky to compose a ballet based on a libretto by Marius Petipa and Ivan Vsevolozhsky. He began writing the ballet in 1891, and by March 23, 1892, the score was complete. The Nutcracker was first performed on December 6, 1892, at the Mariinsky Theater, choreographed by Lev Ivanov.

From the perspective of the genre’s development, the ballet *The Nutcracker* represents a transitional stage between the symphonic music of *Swan Lake* and *Sleeping Beauty* and puppet-style ballet performances such as Debussy’s *The Toy Box*and Stravinsky’s *Petrushka*. (Arnold Alszwang, PWM 1979)

The first postwar Polish production of *The Nutcracker*, choreographed by Rajmund Sobiesiak, took place in Bydgoszcz on April 10, 1958. It was an important, even historic event in the history of Bydgoszcz’s musical theater: the Opera Studio’s first independent, full-length ballet production. The ballet subsequently appeared on the Bydgoszcz Opera’s program in 1986 (choreography: Przemysław Śliwa) and was performed at the Polish Theater for over a decade.

The current production, choreographed by a true ballet star—the outstanding dancer and choreographer Paul Chalmer—is impressive.

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The Nutcracker - ballet

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