Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Rudolf Nureyev The Nutcracker

The most performed classical ballet in the world has grown into a social phenomenon, celebrating the festive spirit of Christmas and the season of joy and giving. The Nutcracker (originally Shchelkunchik) is considered a symphony of childhood, where the world of children intertwines with glimpses of the adult world. This fantastic fairy tale
about a girl named Clara, whose wooden doll becomes a heroic figure leading her on unforgettable adventures, is set to enchanting music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and continues to captivate audiences of all ages.

The ballet is based on the famous story written in 1816, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, by German author E. T. A. Hoffmann. The libretto was written by choreographer Marius Petipa at the invitation of Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Russian Imperial Theatres, while the choreography was jointly credited to Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Since its premiere in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, the ballet has been performed in various choreographic versions by artists such as Alexander Gorsky, Fyodor Lopukhov, Vasili Vainonen, and Yuri Grigorovich. It was also staged in Paris by the famous Ballets Russes company founded by Sergei Diaghilev. George Balanchine later created his celebrated version.

Croatian audiences first encountered The Nutcracker in 1923 through the choreography and direction of Margarita Froman, who brought her experience from dancing with the Ballets Russes to the Zagreb ensemble. At the Ballet of the CNT in Zagreb, this magical Christmas story has since been interpreted by Waczlaw Orlikowsky, Frano Jelinčić and Dagmar Kessler Jelinčić, Derek Deane, and Vladimir Malakhov.

The season 2025/2026 is marked by the return of the beloved Nutcracker, reimagined in an ambitious production by the renowned Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev, based on choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Nureyev first staged his version of The Nutcracker in 1967 for the Royal Swedish Ballet. The libretto is based on Alexandre Dumas’s adaptation of the story. Nureyev reinterpreted it, adding a psychoanalytical dimension: in Clara’s dreamlike adventure, Drosselmeyer and the Prince are the same person, representing the ideal man and her coming of age.

A film version of Nureyev’s Nutcracker, starring Elisabeth Maurin (Clara) and Laurent Hilaire (Drosselmeyer), was later made. The ballet has been performed by the Royal Ballet in London, La Scala in Milan, the Ballet of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, the Vienna State Opera, the Paris Opera Ballet, and other prestigious companies around the world.

Duration

Act I – 50 minutes

Interval – 20 minutes 

Act II – 55 minutes