A Magical Christmas at Kilden
"The Nutcracker" is perhaps the world's most popular Christmas show. But why is that, exactly?
KSO Director Stefan Sköld believes the secret lies in Tchaikovsky's music.
“Despite his tragic life, almost no one composed music as exuberant as his. He had an exceptional ability to create music that is perfectly suited for pointe ballet, and the piece was, after all, created especially for children, says Sköld. “The Nutcracker” was written as a commissioned work based on German author E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” The ballet is about little Clara, who experiences the most incredible things when toys, candies, and nutcrackers come to life on a magical Christmas night.
Emotions and drama
But the life story of the Russian composer Peter, or Pyotr, Tchaikovsky is far from child-friendly, and is marked by intense emotions and great drama. He was born in 1840, and during the early years of his life he lived in a small mining town near the Ural Mountains, where his father was a mining engineer. Little Pyotr’s musical talent was discovered early on, and in 1848 the family moved to St. Petersburg, where he received his musical education, before being hired as a music professor at the new conservatory in Moscow. But he had a big secret. He was gay, a fact that at the time could be punished by torture and the death penalty. The fear of being exposed led to alcohol problems, nervous breakdowns, and repeated suicide attempts. In 1893, at the age of 53, he succeeded. Yet Tchaikovsky’s music is deeply vibrant, emotionally charged, and captivating. Among his works are some of the world’s most famous ballets: “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker.”
It wouldn't be Christmas without
In Oslo, *The Nutcracker* has been staged every single year since 1965, much to the delight of audiences. Every Christmas, nearly 30,000 people flock to the Opera House to experience what for many has become a Christmas tradition just as important as gingerbread cookies. Ingrid Lorentzen, ballet director at the Norwegian Opera & Ballet, believes the status of this popular production is well-deserved.
– “The Nutcracker” is pure Christmas magic. It’s the anticipation of Christmas with gatherings and gifts, it’s the toys coming to life and dreams becoming reality. It’s performed in countless versions around the world, every Christmas. Tchaikovsky’s fantastic music is always the same, whether you see “The Nutcracker” in Oslo, Tokyo, Cape Town, Chicago, or Kristiansand. Yet no two performances are ever quite alike. That is why “The Nutcracker” has become a family classic that you can watch over and over again, and always discover something new, she says. In Bergen, too, “The Nutcracker” has been performed every year for the past 17 years, as well as in many other European cities. Now Frøydis Emilie Lind, Kilden’s opera director, feels the time has come here as well.
– In many places, people can’t imagine celebrating Christmas without seeing *The Nutcracker* first, but here in Kristiansand, children’s theater has been the Christmas tradition. However, dance in all its forms has become increasingly popular in recent years, so I think the audience wants this too!
Little Clara experiences the most incredible things when toys, candy, and nutcrackers come to life on that magical Christmas night.Straight from Milan – and Sharrons
Until now, there has been little professional ballet to see at Kilden. Since Kilden have its own dance company, Lind and Sköld have brought in a team from none other than Balletto di Milano—
22 dancers, a choreographer, and technicians. In addition, 11 children from Sharon’s dance studio will participate and dance in the children’s scene that takes place in
Act 1. Some of the boys even had to be retrained from street dancers to classical ballet for the occasion and have been training hard all fall.
“For the girls, this is a huge dream come true, but for the boys, it’s been an enormous challenge that they’ve taken very seriously,” says Sharron Roberts.
Ballet Debut for KSO
But there are others who are excited. For the Kristiansand Symphony Orchestra, this is the first time they will be performing for a ballet. The experienced ballet conductor Ingar Bergby will therefore be on hand to lead the musicians through Tchaikovsky’s work. Both the KSO director and the opera director are confident that it will go brilliantly, and are delighted to be able to present top-quality dance to Kilden’s audience, for the first time with their own signature.
“In Kilden’s history, there has actually never been a dance performance that Kilden has produced. In that sense, ballet is a new art form for us,” says Lind.
“Opera houses all over the world are performing *The Nutcracker*, and it’s a wonderful introduction to classical music for children and young people, who suddenly realize they recognize the melodies,” Sköld concludes.
Text: Kristin Øygarden
Photo: Carla Moro & Aurelio Dessy
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