Thread by @GraceSpelman, I just don't understand how anyone could say The Nutcracker isn't the [...]

I just don't understand how anyone could say The Nutcracker isn't the greatest piece of music of all time

I saw the New York City Ballet do this and wept through the entire thing but especially this part. This video is from the Rotterdam Philharmonic with one of my favorite conductors, Yannick Nezet-Seguin. Might do a thread of my favorite moments from this concert.

Here's the overture. Yannick Nezet-Seguin as a conductor makes all the faces you wish you could make on the train while you're listening to The Nutcracker but because you're in public, you cannot

Okay, I've decided I *will* be doing a thread of my favorite parts from this performance of The Nutcracker so that *you* don't have to watch the entire hour and a half concert. WHen you follow me, this is just part of the package. I'm sorry

dudes rock

Here is a fun little build-up moment in the first movement ("I. The Christmas Tree"). As it progresses, more instruments join in (fun!) and it gets louder (also fun!)

Just for the record, this concert is my favorite *video* of The Nutcracker but the best *recording* to actually listen to is the one from the Berlin Philharmoniker https://twitter.com/disasterlich/status/1342202043310563328

https://twitter.com/disasterlich/status/1342202043310563328

It's Act I: Movement No. 7 ("The Battle") of The Nutcracker which means we've reached the part where the strings are so fierce and urgent it makes you want to punch a wall

ME: [sitting in lincoln center, watching this part and weeping] oh god the toys are attacking her

Act I: No. 8 "In The Pine Forest" has the type of string lines so beautiful you feel like that meme of the old guy clutching his chest

Here's how "In The Pine Forest" ends. I don't have anything else to say other than I saved this video to my computer and titled it "vomit.mp4" because it makes me feel sick when I listen to it loudly. but in a nice way

End of Act 1. Clara, our main character, has taken whatever Christmas hallucinogens some weird uncle gave her & she's ready to go balls to the wall. Act 2 is her yuletide acid trip and the fun-er second half, musically. I'm off to get some wine and then we'll continue with Act 2

okay I admit I drank some wine last night and then got distracted by something else and forgot about this thread. I’m going to get some coffee and then I’ll continue. Unless something more fun and interesting comes along in between then

Onto the first number of Act II. Clara & her Nutcracker Prince have entered the candy dreamland. And how fitting to have some harps. The classic "ooooh it's a dreeeeaaam" instrument. Look at these ladies go

Now it's time for the candy-round-the-world to show their stuff. First is Spain (Act II. No. 12 "Spanish Dance"). Little clicky instruments are castanets. Very Spanish! Favorite part: The violins have their solo line and then the rest of the strings join in at 0:17 mark

Act II, No. 12 "Arabian Dance" (Coffee). Not my favorite movement, tbh. Feel like Tchaikovsky could have made it more eastern, musically. But I'm including this video because Yannick is really feeling the strings and also there's a guy very gently playing a tambourine

Time for some flute solos and piccolo solos and some fun string pluckin'. It's the song about tea. (Act II, No. 12 "Chinese Dance").

For the record, in ballet productions of The Nutcracker, the Arabian and Chinese numbers are almost pretty racist. I think in recent productions, companies have beeen trying to amend this but historically these numbers have relied on offensive stereotypes.

The one we've been waiting for. It's Act II No. 12 "Russian Dance." It's barely a minute long so I'm gonna include the whole thing. It slaps. You gotta think Tchaikovsky was like "Alright time to show these fuckers what Russian music is all about." Look how happy the conductor is

"Russian Dance" also known as "The song in the trailer for the Christmas movie when things are getting a little out of control!!!! Uh oh!!!!"

I love when a conductor clearly has an inside joke with their orchestra/choir/band and they make the little face at a specific section like, "haha there's that part you couldn't nail in rehearsal!" (Act II, No. 12 "Mother Gigogne")

Okay, next is "Waltz of the Flowers" which is my favorite song of all time. If I had to go to a desert island with one song, it would be that one. It is a song that often times when I listen, I put my glasses on top of my head because I know I'm going to fog them up with wet eyes

All of this is to say I will probably have more than one video for Waltz of the Flowers, and you're going to have to deal with that.

Act II, No. 13 "Waltz of the Flowers." I consider this part an intro tbh. A little interlude, if you will, before the actual song starts. But technically it's still "Waltz of the Flowers" so whatever. Harp solo! We love to see it

ok before I tweet the next part in the song, I gotta show the sheet music for it. It's the horn entrance at the beginning. It's just 4 measures but it is so gorgeous and it just makes ya feel sick in a good way. (for the curious: "dolce cantabile" = "sweetly singing")

I realize I sound like an insanely corny person saying all this about something that only lasts, like, 3 seconds. It's just disgustingly beautiful in a way that feels like Tchaikovsky is preparing you for the Feelings you are about to have over the course of the next 6 minutes

If you're curious about whether the strings are gorgeous in "Waltz of the Flowers"... all you really need to do is look at the conductor imo. Heart wrenching with some v expressive dynamics. ugh

(dynamics = loudness and softness. [It is important to me to make my music tweets accessible to all])

Going to show the sheet music first for this next part bc the vid doesn't show the string players. But if you listen, you can hear the violin, the second violin, and the viola basically taking turns doing these ascending and descending lines which are, you guessed it, beautiful!

Two violins and a viola just having a nice conversation. Once again, the conductor is in his feelings.

Sorry, still tweeting about "Waltz of the Flowers." But the cellos have entered the chat and they're really going to town with some very moving dynamics.

Basically, the more < > pac-man symbols you see in a piece of sheet music, the more the composer is playing with the loudness and softness of a song. ("crescendo", "ff", and "dim" [pictured here] are also all musical directions for volume). sorry for making u learn w/o ur consent

I'm almost done tweeting about this song I swear. Just want to give a shout out to the next part of the song, which, if you notice, sounds the same as the horn intro I mentioned early. Except now it's fuller, louder, and faster. A sign of things to come.........

Okay, here's the very end of "Waltz of the Flowers." The most breathtaking piece from The Nutcracker, imo. My belief is that it's best listened to loudly with headphones. Everything else I want to say is written on the face of the conductor

hoo boy this song fuc ks me up real bad. I need to take a break before I move on. gotta take a nap or something. gotta use a defibrillator to slow my heart down

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