Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Snowflakes – Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker

Day 10 🎄 Snow falls in the moonlit pine forest as the Snow King and Queen lead a delicate waltz. This ushers Clara and her Nutcracker prince to the Kingdom of Sweets for Act II of the ballet. The Nutcracker by Sir Simon Rattle and the Berlin Philharmonic (Berliner Philharmoniker) remains one of the most iconic recordings of Tchaikovsky’s beloved “fairy ballet“. Long after its premiere on December 18, 1892, the Romantic-Era masterpiece has become a staple of the Christmas season in both its original ballet and orchestral forms. Listen to the full album here: Many of its numbers have become world-famous themes, especially prominent in classical music performances and pop culture around the holidays: from the extraordinary opening Miniature Overture to the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Waltz of the Flowers, Dance of the Reed Flutes, March from Act I, and Trepak (Russian Dance). Conductor Sir Simon Rattle calls The Nutcracker “one of the great miracles in mu