Nutcracker Fantasia

From Wind Repertory Project
Peter I. Tchaikovsky

Peter I Tchaikovsky (arr. Julie Giroux)


General Info

Year: 1891 / 2012
Duration: c. 9:30
Difficulty: V (see Ratings for explanation)
Publisher: Musica Propria
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $185.00   |   Score Only (print) - $30.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn
Bassoon I-II
Contrabassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet Solo-I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Contra Alto Clarinet
B-flat Contrabass Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Saxophone
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Bass Trombone
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp
Timpani
Percussion, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bell Tree
  • Chimes
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Finger Cymbals
  • Orchestra Bells
  • Suspended Cymbal
  • Tambourine
  • Triangle
  • Vibraphone
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

This arrangement came about through an actual experience I had. I wanted to do a setting of some type of The Nutcracker ... which would include many of my favorites from the ballet -- and not just the typical ones we hear in the Suite. To refresh my memory, I decided to watch the entire ballet. Somewhere during the performance I fell asleep. I blame my age. While I was sleeping, I was dreaming a few of the melodies in quite different settings. When I woke up, the ballet was still going. This experience serves as the premise for this chart.

We start out with a Godfather-like setting of The Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairies, followed by Waltz of the Flowers done in two styles. First, that of a Rogers and Hammerstein-style waltz; then a slow Copland-ish setting. This concludes the fantasia (my dreaming) portion of this chart. The rest of it is literal, so literal that all the key are the original keys from the composer's score. This resulted in a lot of key changes, a lot of transition composing in the style of Tchaikovsky, and quite a bit of groaning and moaning from the performers. Just imagine if I had transposed everything in band-friendly keys. Some poor trumpet player would have shown up for an orchestral audition, be given Le Chocolat to sight-read, and would end up saying something like, "Hey, wait a minute. Isn't this supposed to be in B-flat?"

- Program Note from liner notes for Klavier CD Jingle Them Bells


Media


State Ratings

None discovered thus far.


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Dallas (Tx.) Winds (Jerry Junkin, conductor) - 22 December 2021
  • Andrews University (Berrien Springs, Mich.) Wind Symphony (Byron Graves, conductor) - 4 December 2021
  • Metropolitan Wind Symphony (Dedham, Mass.) (Matthew Marsit, conductor) – 7 December 2019
  • Triangle Wind Ensemble Durham, N.C. (Evan Feldman, conductor) - 15 December 2013


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources