The Nutcracker

What distinguishes this 2014 production of Tchaikovsky's beloved Christmas perennial mounted by Berlin's Staatsballet is its earnest effort to recreate as closely as possible the St. Petersburg premiere. Using archival material, Vasily Medvedev and Yuri Burlaka attempt to approximate Lev Ivanov's 1892 choreography, and both Andrey Voytenko's stage design and Tatiana Noginova's costumes are modeled after historical sketches. Visually, the result carries considerable charm: the sets and effects—including snowfall in the opening scene—are agreeably old-fashioned, and even though the costumes occasionally look strange by today's standards, viewers can quickly adjust. The dancing is expert as well, with Iana Salenko (as grownup Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy), Marian Walter (as the Nutcracker and the Prince), and Michael Banzhaf (Drosselmayer) all standing out. The company corps de ballet also does excellent work, while the children (including Elena Iseki as young Clara and Linus Schmidt as Fritz) are quite delightful. Unfortunately, however, the production suffers from the orchestral performance. Conductor Robert Reimer opts for unusually slow tempi, especially during the first act, and the playing lacks sparkle and verve, sometimes even coming across as positively slack. While this staging does give ballet connoisseurs the opportunity to experience The Nutcracker in something very close to its original form, those more concerned with enchantment than history should look elsewhere, such as the London Royal Opera House production (VL-3/11). Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is a strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)