Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (San Francisco Ballet)

Introduction

This live performance was recorded over two nights in December, 2007, at the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco.

There are very few pieces of music that have become so entrenched in Western culture than Tchaikovsky's fairytale opera from 1891. The story is a simple one, as all the best stories are. The original setting of mid-nineteenth century Germany has been updated to early-twentieth century San Francisco, a city which held the World's Fair in 1915, and which needed the attention of the world (and especially the investment it bought) following the disastrous earthquake nine years previously.

The updating is not disastrous though, as we are still welcomed into the home of the Stahlbaum's on Christmas Eve for various jolly family celebrations, sibling rivalry, dancing, and magical 'Uncles' with special presents.



In fact, the only real difference in the plot here, is that the fantasy ride to 'Sugarland' is turned into Clara's dream about a huge pavilion in the World's Fair itself. Apparently 'Sugarland' (or 'Candyland' as it's dsecribed in the extras) would not make sense to the modern US audience as they wouldn't know where it was....well, nothing new there then.

Video

A good, clean NTSC picture which brings out the colours and lighting effects very well indeed. I had some problem with the clarity of the picture when the cameras moved across the stage though, which doesn't seem to happen in other Opus Arte NTSC discs, but this could be down to the US recording. It isn't completely distracting however.

Audio

Good DTS sound which brings out the orchestral detail impressively, but I found that sometimes things were a little treble oriented and often a bit 'cramped' in climaxes. It's a relatively small band though, and this should be taken into consideration.



Extras

Some short, yet fairly interesting chats from Helgi Tomasson (choreographer), Michael Yeargan (stage designer) and Martin Pakledinaz (costume designer) but nothing at all from the dancers, musicians or Martin West (conductor). Knowing very little about the history of this particular ballet company, apart from the fact that they put on the first production of this ballet in the States, it would also have been good to have had a more detailed history provided, as this disc seems to be a major marketing exercise.

We also have a 10 minute film on the story of the World's Fair in 1915. This certainly helps put some of the concepts laid out in the new production of the ballet into perspective.

There is also an advert for First National Bank, the 'major' sponsor of this production (and Jim and Cecilia Herbert & Family get a mention too, which is nice). I wonder when this sort of 'extra' will worm its way onto locally produced discs.

Conclusion

As I said at the start, this work has become a major part of Western culture, and its easy to see why. Fairy Tales are never really going to go out of fashion, and when the music is so inventive and memorable, and is constantly borrowed and modified for other media, it will be very hard indeed for a professional Nutcracker to be a disappointment.

And indeed this isn't.

When works are 'updated' (and I'm talking more about operas than ballets) I generally feel a bit wary as to how much of the original has been torn apart just to satisfy the whims of an over-zealous director. Ballets have often changed completely since their conception, and can therefore take on new settings and choreography more naturally. This is probably down to the fact that there is no libretto that makes no sense following the update, but I digress yet again.

We have what seems to be a traditional Nutcracker in Tomasson's choreography, and Yeargan's stage design is a very fine take on traditional settings, with a little 'Tim Burton' thrown in (the fireplace mutates into something resembling a scene in 'Beetlejuice'), and the Christmas tree growth is spectacular, and almost certainly the stuff of nightmares.



The dancing itself doesn't actually begin until we are well into the celebrations in the house. Until then the action is all 'preparation'. outside the household. The typical family Christmas is now on view, and Elizabeth Powell (Clara) makes a very good 'on the verge' Clara who is obviously noticing men and enjoying dancing with the grown ups.

The battle scene between the toy solders and mice is suitably chilling, despite the obvious dreamlike quality of the set and a 'comedy-death' of the mouse king is always welcome to lighten the mood.

Davit Karapetyan (The Nutcracker / Prince) is absolutely fantastic. His presence on stage, even when he is the Nutcracker, always captures the audience's attention and draws some of the most enthusiastic applause of this performance (applause being something the San Francisco crowd is not afraid to use, treating the dancing more like an ice skating routine than anything else which unfortunately gets in the way of the music in many cases).

This work always has favourite sections for whoever watches it, and mine just happens to be the 'snowflakes' at the end of Act 1. Here, the company had 100lbs of recycled paper fluttering down on them (luckily not in one big lump, which could have caused a few problems) and it makes a hugely impessive scene, although I got the impression that there was a lot to get rid of towards the end, so it comes down rather heavily (see a couple of sceenshots up).

The music for this scene has always struck me as very unlike Tchaikovsky's usual output, which is probably why I enjoy it so much. The female (offstage) choir makes everything sound more like a Danny Elfman score - even more so in a Northern Ballet performance I went to a few weeks ago when the 'choir' was played on keyboards - this obviously fits in nicely with the Tim Burton connection I mentioned earlier on (however irrelevant), and is more proof that many of the most famous film composers of recent years have been influenced by the great classical composers.





The 'characteristic dances' are all well done, especially the Russian dance, where the Cossacks burst out of cocoon-like structures bang on cue, and Vanessa Zahorian is a lovely 'Sugar Plum Fairy' (a role which is far larger than the eponymous dance would suggest).

If there is anything to complain about, then I would have preferred a less 'final' final scene in which everything is explained as a dream, and Clara just goes back to bed. Going back to the Northern Ballet production, there was an obvious 'ah!..but was it all a dream?' feeling, which makes everything more satisfactory, but as the original story involved Clara and her Nutcracker Prince riding off into the snowy sunset toegther, then I'm sure anything goes, and often does.

The important thing for me when reviewing these discs is how long I spend writing notes about them while watching. For some reviews, you can watch the whole thing without even picking up your pen. This is one of those discs. The sheer fun of the work shines out, and the DVD can be wholeheartedly recommended, even for Scroogy curmudgeons. Go on, it is Christmas after all!