Having had some success with his "dramatic symphony" remaking of
The Sleeping Beauty
, conductor
Kristjan Jaervi
turns to the king of all the ballets,
The Nutcracker
, with a similar treatment. Casual listeners should be apprised right up front that this is not the
Nutcracker
to which they are accustomed.
Jaervi
has thoroughly recast the score with the intent of making the work into a kind of symphony. He adds a whole new pre-overture derived from "The Magic Castle in the Land of Sweets," here called, after its French title, the "Magical Palace of Confiturenburg." He excerpts the work at will, rearranges whole blocks, and writes new transitions, retitling several pieces. The familar March at the beginning is called "Dazzling Party" here; this, too, actually follows the original French title, "Une fete de Noel." One might object that
is not after all a symphony but a series of set scenes, and in a way,
seems to agree; he takes the whole thing at a brisk clip, especially the set pieces from the Divertissement in Act II, Tableau III. These are perhaps less satisfying when done this way (sample also the "Dazzling Party"), and there is also the consideration that there is already a perfectly good abridgement of
The Nutcracker ballet
, the famed
Nutcracker Suite
. However, there is absolutely no shortage of recordings of either the
Suite
or the
whole ballet
, and
deserves credit for trying something undeniably new. The young musicians of the
Baltic Sea Philharmonic
respond to his innovations with lively, crisp playing, and one actually wants to hear more from them. Those wishing to shake up their holiday playlists should give this 2022 release a try. ~ James Manheim