Productions

Libretto by Marius Petipa based on the fairy-tale of E. T. A. Hoffmann and Alexandre Dumas (sen.)
World premiere on December 18, 1892 Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg)

Choreographer Ben Stevenson
Conductors Risto Joost, Lauri Sirp, Kaspar Mänd
Designer Tom Boyd 

Ben Stevenson’s wondrous stage production starts the Christmas month at the Estonian National Opera! Even the most impossible dreams turn into a marvellous and tantalizing reality. Tchaikovsky’s beautiful music takes the viewer with Clara to the magical world of sweets, the Mouse King, toy soldiers, flying chefs, the giant Christmas tree, Christmas evening and dancing. Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker is one of the best known and most loved pieces of the composer, the music of which has inspired many choreographers to the tell the colourful Christmas fairytale of E. T. A. Hoffmann and Alexandre Dumas senior in the language of dance.

Ben Stevenson is to this day considered one of the most important shapers of the American ballet art. For almost thirty years, he has been the art director of the Houston Ballet and under his leadership the company has grown into an internationally acknowledged ballet theatre, and from the year 2003 he is the Artistic Director of the Texas Ballet. His stage productions have earned several renowned awards and praise from the critics, and have been staged at Opéra de Paris, Canadian National Ballet, La Scala, Bavarian State Opera, London City Ballet etc.