Abstract
The Nutcracker is one of the most popular works in the ballet repertoire. It is based on a fairy tale by the Romantic author E.T.A. Hoffmann, and set to the strains of Piotr Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable music. In most conventional choreographies, though, the plot is reduced to a simplified, pared-down story. In his acclaimed version for the Ballett Zürich, Christian Spuck returns to the darkly romantic fantasy inherent to E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original story. Spuck reintroduces convoluted internal episodes and flashbacks into the plot. He also, for example, tells the tale of Krakatuk, a hard nut, which is usually omitted from the ballet, and is a prelude of sorts to Hoffmann’s original story of the prince turned into a wooden nutcracker.
Further, and to develop a compelling narrative thread, Christian Spuck breaks down Tchaikovsky’s music into individual parts and recombines them in a completely new way, placing them in different dramatic contexts which alter their mood. A harmless Christmas ballet thus is transformed into a puzzle that masterfully jumps back and forth between several levels of reality and mixes the real with fantasy. He also introduces other figures of Hoffmann’s to the action, such as the wicked Frau Mauserinks and Princess Pirlipat, who has been turned into an ugly, nutty monster. This poetically fantastical production won accolades not only at the Opernhaus Zürich, but was also enthusiastically received at a guest performance given by the Ballett Zürich at Moscow’s legendary Bolshoi Theatre.
