After the well-known versions by George Balanchine and Nacho Duato, Nureyev's intricately choreographed, psychologically charged direction of this Christmas fable par excellence—inspired by E.T.A. Hoffmann's story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King—meets and exceeds our high expectations. The great Russian choreographer's central idea is well-known: what if the charming Prince and shadowy Uncle Drosselmeyer were performed by one dancer, as if two sides of the same personality? Freud would have watched, rapt, from the front row… "In her dream," explains Aleth Francillon—a former étoile dancer chosen by Nureyev to play Clara at La Scala's 1987 Nutcracker—"Clara discovers her femininity while imagining Drosselmeyer as a masculine ideal. I spoke at length with Nureyev about his psychoanalytic vision of the ballet, which removes the original version's sugar coating."
La Scala offers up a Nutcracker that evokes the fears we feel when faced with a rite of passage, probing the depths of our thoughts and reminding us of the intimate value of shared symbols and archetypes. The Nutcracker at La Scala: a finely nuanced take on a beloved holiday classic that will surprise and delight at every turn!
Photo © Marco Brescia & Rudy Amisano
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