Question 1

True or false: The Nutcracker Suite is actually a condensed version of the full ballet, arranged by Tchaikovsky himself.

Accepted Answer

True. Tchaikovsky selected eight movements from the ballet for the 20-minute concert suite, which premiered in March 1892, nine months before the full ballet. He approved the final tracklist.

Question 2

True or false: Tchaikovsky created The Nutcracker Suite by selecting and arranging pieces from his full ballet The Nutcracker, which was commissioned by the Imperial Theatres.

Accepted Answer

True. The suite Op. 71a was compiled by Tchaikovsky from the ballet music. The ballet was commissioned in 1891 by Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Imperial Theatres.

Question 3

True or false: The 'Russian Dance' (Trepak) was originally a slow, melancholic piece that Tchaikovsky later sped up.

Accepted Answer

False. The Trepak was always intended as a fast, high-energy folk dance. Its frantic pace reflects the traditional Russian trepak, a whirling Cossack dance.

Question 4

True or false: The 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' was originally written for the celesta, a brand-new instrument at the time.

Accepted Answer

True. Tchaikovsky discovered the celesta in Paris in 1891 and insisted it be kept secret from other composers. Its ethereal sound perfectly matched the Sugar Plum Fairy, making it iconic.

Question 5

True or false: Disney's 'Fantasia' originally omitted the 'Dance of the Reed Flutes' because it was too short.

Accepted Answer

False. Disney's 1940 'Fantasia' includes the 'Dance of the Reed Flutes' in its 'Nutcracker Suite' segment. The claim that it was omitted is incorrect.

Question 6

True or false: The Nutcracker Suite was a massive flop at its premiere, with critics calling it 'too noisy'.

Accepted Answer

False. The Nutcracker Suite premiered in March 1892 to great acclaim, with the audience demanding encores. It was an immediate success, not a flop, and there is no record of critics calling it 'too noisy'.

Question 7

True or false: The Nutcracker Suite was the last musical work Tchaikovsky completed before his death.

Accepted Answer

False. Tchaikovsky's final completed work was his Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique' in 1893, a year after The Nutcracker Suite. He died shortly after its premiere.

Question 8

True or false: Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker Suite' features the celesta in the 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy'.

Accepted Answer

True. Tchaikovsky was one of the first major composers to use the celesta, prominently in the 'Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy' from The Nutcracker Suite, giving it its distinctive ethereal sound.

The Nutcracker Suite Trivia Questions