Staatskapelle Berlin: The Nutcracker
Берлинская государственная опера: Щелкунчик
Tschaikovsky's perhaps best-loved and most famous work in an amazing production from the Berlin State Opera featuring Vladimir Malakhov, who is recognized worldwide as one of the greatest dancers of his generation.
Actors
Prince
Vladimir Malakhov
Marie
Nadja Saidakova
Drosselmeyer
Oliver Matz
Grand Duchess
Béatrice Knop
La Reine des Neiges
Viara Natcheva
Staatskapelle Berlin
Crew
Choreographer
Patrice Bart
Conductor
Daniel Barenboim
Set and costume designer
Luisa Spinatelli
Lighting designer
Maurizio Montobbio
As enchanting as it is mystical, Hoffmann's "The Nutcracker" is a marvel, not least because it lies open to a multitude of diverse interpretations. The French choreographer Patrice Bart has chosen a reading with a historical slant.
Unlike the classical version, which begins with idyll and the anticipation of a feast, Bart's production—indeed, the very life of its heroine—commences with dreadful trials. His Marie is the daughter of a Grand Duchess, stolen from her home in childhood and torn from her mother during an armed rebellion. Marie lives with a foster family, yet the phantoms of her past refuse to release their hold. One Christmas, the girl receives the gift of a Nutcracker, dressed in the uniform of a guardsman; the doll stirs memories of the tragedy she endured long ago. From the realm of nightmarish shadows, she is saved by the mysterious Drosselmeyer, who leads Marie to her true mother, who now reigns in a kingdom of snow. And it is there that the maiden at last discovers her happiness.
One should not, perhaps, search for precise historical references in Bart's staging. After all, it is not for this that we love ballet. A performance set within a certain historical context remains, in its soul, classical in structure and breathtaking in the purity of its dance.
Its principal star, of course, is Vladimir Malakhov. A famed graduate of the Moscow Ballet Academy, who has forged a career both in the West and the East (he now serves as Artistic Director in Tokyo), he is possessed of a singular gift, one which people say makes him "dance as naturally as he breathes." His Prince is the very picture of an aristocratic ballet style, yet no less magnificent are the performers in the two leading female roles: Nadja Saidakova (Marie) and Beatrice Knop (the Grand Duchess). This Marie, with her dreamy pensiveness that somehow calls to mind Pushkin's Tatyana, is not the merry, sprightly girl often portrayed in "The Nutcracker." Her sorrows, fears, and hopes find an echo in Tchaikovsky's score, which is far from mere confectionery sweetness. Her love—lucid and pure—resounds not as a fleeting fantasy, but as a hard-won, long-awaited happiness realized at last.
This "Nutcracker" from the stage of the Berlin Opera is no naive children's fable, but rather a journey home, a pilgrimage to one's true self—through trials and dreams, and the dawning of new feelings.
Unlike the classical version, which begins with idyll and the anticipation of a feast, Bart's production—indeed, the very life of its heroine—commences with dreadful trials. His Marie is the daughter of a Grand Duchess, stolen from her home in childhood and torn from her mother during an armed rebellion. Marie lives with a foster family, yet the phantoms of her past refuse to release their hold. One Christmas, the girl receives the gift of a Nutcracker, dressed in the uniform of a guardsman; the doll stirs memories of the tragedy she endured long ago. From the realm of nightmarish shadows, she is saved by the mysterious Drosselmeyer, who leads Marie to her true mother, who now reigns in a kingdom of snow. And it is there that the maiden at last discovers her happiness.
One should not, perhaps, search for precise historical references in Bart's staging. After all, it is not for this that we love ballet. A performance set within a certain historical context remains, in its soul, classical in structure and breathtaking in the purity of its dance.
Its principal star, of course, is Vladimir Malakhov. A famed graduate of the Moscow Ballet Academy, who has forged a career both in the West and the East (he now serves as Artistic Director in Tokyo), he is possessed of a singular gift, one which people say makes him "dance as naturally as he breathes." His Prince is the very picture of an aristocratic ballet style, yet no less magnificent are the performers in the two leading female roles: Nadja Saidakova (Marie) and Beatrice Knop (the Grand Duchess). This Marie, with her dreamy pensiveness that somehow calls to mind Pushkin's Tatyana, is not the merry, sprightly girl often portrayed in "The Nutcracker." Her sorrows, fears, and hopes find an echo in Tchaikovsky's score, which is far from mere confectionery sweetness. Her love—lucid and pure—resounds not as a fleeting fantasy, but as a hard-won, long-awaited happiness realized at last.
This "Nutcracker" from the stage of the Berlin Opera is no naive children's fable, but rather a journey home, a pilgrimage to one's true self—through trials and dreams, and the dawning of new feelings.
The magic of classics
There are performances that remain in history forever. Years pass, new stars appear, fashion changes, but these productions continue to live in the memory of the audience. The TheatreHD project "Magic of the Classics" is dedicated to just such time-tested works by the masters who continue to give the audience theatrical magic - and the magic of retro - even today.
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The Nutcracker Marathon
This year’s Nutcrackers include: a tender, youthful production by students of the Vaganova Academy; a watercolor, cozy staging from the Dresden Opera; a grand, Hoffmann‑esque somber Viennese Nutcracker choreographed by Nureyev; an elegant, classical performance from the stage of the Berlin State Opera starring Vladimir Malakhov and Nadia Saidakova; a fairytale production by Matthew Bourne, an elegant tribute to 1930s musicals and early Hollywood; and the most beloved, long‑awaited New Year’s ballet version – staged by Yuri Grigorovich at the Bolshoi Theatre, among others.
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