
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), an exceptional melodist and brilliant orchestrator, was renowned for his innate sense of detail.
The music of the Nutcracker Ballet was composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Born in the Ural Mountains of Russia, he dedicated his life to music. From 1850 to 1859, he attended the school of Jurisprudence and studied piano. In 1861, he attended classes with the Russian Music Society. In 1862, he entered the Saint Petersburg Conservatory. Beginning in 1866, Tchaikovsky taught at the Moscow Conservatory while composing many of his concertos and symphonies. In 1892, Tchaikovsky composed the Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker was first presented on December 18, 1892, and critics were divided in their assessemnt of the ballet. It has been reported that Tchaikovsky himself did not groove on the idea of adapting the E.T.A. Hoffmann tale either.
Guess he fooled himself with that one. HUndreds of productions of the Nutcracker are performed over the world during the festive holiday season annually.
Not bad considering Tchaikovsky himself felt that the subject was too dark and did not lend itself to scenic presentation.