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Lecture, Conway Hall, Monday, 15 Dec 2025 - 19:00
The Nutcracker’s Musical Magic
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What musical tools does Tchaikovsky use to illustrate magic in his score for The Nutcracker? Why does he use the celesta to depict the Sugar Plum Fairy? This lecture explores the unusual challenge of writing the score for a ballet, which requires around two dozen short, contrasting musical movements to tell the story based on Dumas and Hoffmann. What role does music play in ballet and how do the two collide in this classic Christmas fairy tale?
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