Music from The Nutcracker

Even if you've never seen the ballet or never read the original tale, you've certainly heard pieces from the famous The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, composed by Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky and performed for the first time in 1892, a year prior to the ballet's premiere.

The Nutcracker Suite remains of the composer's most famous works, along with his compositions for The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake ballets.
Its soundtrack contains 9 pieces from its ballet compositions, which are now the ballet's most recognizable pieces, frequently performed in movies and on television, as well as in orchestral concerts.
Ironically, Tchaikovsky wasn't satisfied with his composition, and felt The Nutcracker was far inferior to The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet which he had composed 3 years earlier.

Here below you may listen to 5 of the most famous pieces from the suite. Enjoy them, as they are truly beautiful compositions.