“Whimsy runs rampant through every note of Nutcracker Nouveau…Yet whatever nonsensical heights are reached by such brainy musical mischief are surpassed by the playing itself.” Toronto Star 

Premiered at St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre in December 1892, Tchaikovsky’s music for The Nutcracker received glowing praise, but the ballet production itself was not a roaring success. No one could have predicted that almost seventy-five years later The Nutcracker would become a festive season favorite, a ‘Christmas bonus’ for ballet companies around the world.

In their 2013 release Nutcracker Nouveau, Ensemble Polaris celebrates Tchaikovsky’s popular music with influences ranging from traditional Scandinavian, bluegrass, Roma and Klezmer to Chinese classical and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and juxtaposed with instrumentals and songs from Russian folk tradition. Music for good cheer, at any time of the year!