Various - Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker / Various

2009 2X CD compilation. The Nutcracker, first seen in 1892, recounts the magical Christmas Eve of young Clara. Her adventures in the company of an enchanted prince inspired Tchaikovsky to such spellbinding numbers as Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy, the Waltz of the Flowers and a sparkling series of national dances. Magic albeit with tragic consequences also inhabits La Sylphide one of the first romantic ballads, with music by Norwegian-born Hermon Lovenskold (1815-1870)