Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Blu-ray Movie Review

If it ain't broke. . .

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 25, 2010

Christmas is a time of nostalgia, of memories and perhaps even a bit of wistful and wishful thinking about the glories of bygone days. It’s therefore fitting that the Royal Opera House production of Tchaikovsky’s evergreen (pun intended) Nutcracker relishes in its period charm the way an excited child gallops into a pile of snow. This production is going on a quarter of a century old now, and it has become a tradition of its own for British children of all ages. There’s nothing remotely new or innovative about this outing, and that only seems to highlight its pure, unadulterated joy. We’ve had a somewhat tricked out Nutcracker on Blu-ray already, the splendid on its own terms San Francisco production which was released about a year ago, and so this more staid and traditional production makes a nice companion piece. It’s perhaps shocking to realize, especially when watching something to staunchly traditional, seemingly etched into our collective unconscious, that The Nutcracker was not exactly a smash hit when it first trod the boards well over a century ago. Tchaikovsky was coming off a considerable success after the resounding premiere of Sleeping Beauty, and everyone expected The Nutcracker to follow in those esteemed footsteps. Perhaps due to regular choreographer Marius Petipa falling ill, or perhaps due to limitations within the libretto of the ballet itself (something Tchaikovsky himself seemed to realize), The Nutcracker opened to fairly withering reviews and, perhaps most surprisingly of all, was largely shelved for the next several decades, only seeing sporadic productions. In fact the ballet wasn’t even regularly done at Christmastime, despite its setting. It’s funny how some traditions seem, well, less traditional when fully exposed to the sometimes disconcerting light of history. Be that as it may, The Nutcracker has become the seasonal ballet non pareil, an easily accessible way for parents to introduce their children to the glories both of classical dance and classical music simultaneously, and this Royal Opera House production plays up the lushness of both arts with considerable finesse.

There’s no accounting for taste. I have it on good authority that one young boy a few years (or more) ago was dragged kicking and screaming to a production of The Nutcracker, a production he resolutely refused to even watch despite having front row seats in a very opulent theater housing an extremely well known ballet company. Instead this young boy decided to exhibit his displeasure at the indignity of being forced to go to a “girl’s” event like ballet by turning his face and thrusting it deep in the red velvet pile of the back of the theater seat. For two hours. But enough about me. Hopefully my childhood antics weren’t mimicked by any of the British children taken to see this sumptuous production by the Royal Ballet on what, from the framing scenes shot outside the Royal Opera House, looks like a perfectly snowy wintry night on which to see the famous piece.

There’s no denying that there’s not a lot of viscerally exciting elements in The Nutcracker, and that in fact was one of the chief complaints of early critics of the piece. But taken on its own stolid terms, this is a perfect evening’s entertainment, especially for children and the young at heart, with just the right amount of magic, both real (as in stagecraft) and imagined (as in the fantasy setting of the second act). If Petipa’s replacement Lev Ivanov is often thought of as a sort second string choreographer, there’s no denying the magnificent tableaux Ivanov crafted for the specialty dances in that second act. And the first act, while sometimes hobbled by less than professional dancing by children (something this production unfortunately repeats), nonetheless draws the children in the audience into the event by dint of the fact that there are children onstage.

The Royal Opera House has been presenting Peter Wright’s slight revisions of Ivanov’s version for decades now, and they have their act down pat. If the kids in Act One are a little unruly, too exuberant and not disciplined enough to evince a true corps de ballet, they at least have youthful vigor on their side. The corps work of the adults, especially in Act Two, is splendid and precise. Gary Davis chews the scenery in a balletic way as Herr Drosselmeyer, and Iohna Loots and Ricardo Cervera make an appealing romantic duo as Clara and Hans-Peter, the poor soul trapped in The Nutcracker. Their pas de deux closing Act I is lovely and lyrical, ably setting the stage for the magnificent Waltz of the Snowflakes.

The specialty dances of Act II all come off without a hitch, several exhibiting some fairly fierce athleticism. The audience is obviously enthralled, spending almost ten minutes in ovations for the cast. Koen Kessels leads the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in a colorful, if not exactly fiery, interpretation that has a few balance issues (discussed in the audio section below). This is a gorgeously evocative production of The Nutcracker. No, it’s nothing new, and for some it will seem more than a bit musty. But like going home for Christmas, it’s a comfortable feeling that is full of warmth and more than a little bit of magic.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Nutcracker pirouhettes onto Blu-ray with a very sharp looking AVC encoded transfer in 1080i and 1.78:1. This is in fact one of the nicer looking ballet Blu-rays that we've had from Opus Arte, which almost always does such a splendid job with its classically oriented BD releases. Here we're treated to a wonderful amount of fine detail and some especially lovely color, brilliantly saturated and robust. This is a really sumptuous physical production, and the Blu-ray offers a lot of detail in the gorgeous costumes, which run the gamut from pastel colors to vibrant primary colors, and the very evocative background paintings. Close-ups reveal a wealth of detail in both costumes and the dancers themselves. Some of the animal costumes are very whimsical, and every whisker on the Mouse King's head can be counted. Black levels and contrast are very strong throughout this presentation.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There's nothing really egregiously horrible about either of the lossless tracks on this Blu-ray, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and an LPCM 2.0, so don't get too worried about my score and comments here. But after having been reviewing so many of the fine classical releases by Opus Arte and some of the other labels distributed by Naxos, I've perhaps developed more of an ear for very slight differences in quality. While there's nothing innately wrong with the recording here, there are some balance issues when individual instruments play that I can't help but wonder about. These are especially noticeable right off the bat in the Overture, when the flute and clarinet solos can barely be heard above the orchestral mass. If you can get past this transitory issue, you're left with a very solid, if not exactly exciting, reading of this score, presented with wonderful fidelity and clarity, and extremely expressive dynamic range. The entire spectrum of frequencies sound exquisite here, with some thundering lows in the brass and tympani and nice hall ambience from the near perfect acoustics of the Royal Opera House pit.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Three above average supplements are included. While the cast gallery is fairly standard, Rehearsals at White Lodge (HD; 10:12) is a charming look at the kids in the cast learning their steps, and Peter Wright Tells the Story of 'The Nutcracker' (HD; 8:51) is an equally charming little piece of director Wright relating Hoffmann's original conception to the kids.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sometimes the tried and true is all that's required. We get enough glitz and supposed innovation through the year with any number of dunderheaded productions of various ballets and operas. Sometimes it's nice to just sit back and enjoy an old friend. That's the case with this traditional but very pleasing outing of The Nutcracker. Recommended.