The Nutcracker

Although an obligatory Christmas perennial, performances of Tchaikovsky's ever-popular 1892 ballet—about a young girl's encounter with a toy nutcracker that becomes a prince who battles the evil Mouse King—are always welcome, and a production from Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre should be a special event. Unfortunately, however, this mounting is rather routine, drawing on Yuri Grigorovich's version, who himself followed Soviet-era revisions to the libretto (turning the child Clara into the more mature Marie and excising the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy entirely). Grigorovich's choreography is busy and muscular but often lacking in charm, which can also be said here of the mostly dark, rather gloomy sets. The dancing is better, with Nina Kaptsova's Marie, Artem Ovcharenko's Nutcracker Prince, and Denis Savin's Drosselmeyer all coping well with Grigorovich's considerable demands. But the orchestral work under Pavel Klinichev—while reasonably alert—sounds somewhat pallid, and the Russian-style rhythmic applause at the close somehow befits a production that feels more like a mechanical run-through than a joyous rediscovery. Although this release carries the Bolshoi imprimatur, the 2009 mounting at London's Royal Opera House (VL-3/11) is more stylish and exuberant. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a booklet. Optional. (F. Swietek)