Royal Opera House Published on Feb 6, 2015
The Royal Ballet perform the Waltz of the Snowflakes in The Nutcracker, with Meaghan Grace Hinkis as Clara, Ricardo Cervera as the Nutcracker and Gary Avis as Drosselmeyer.
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker score was commissioned by the director of the Russian Imperial Theatres, following the resounding success of Sleeping Beauty in 1890. Marius Petipa created the scenario – based on a fairytale by E. T. A. Hoffman – and Lev Ivanov provided the choreography. The Nutcracker was first performed in 1892 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. It initially had a poor reception, but its combination of enchanting choreography and an unforgettable score have since made it one of the best-loved of all ballets.