About this edition
Drawn from the beloved 1892 ballet, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a distills eight of the score's most enchanting numbers into a concert work of unmatched orchestral imagination. The Suite's premiere in St. Petersburg in March 1892 — months before the ballet itself — was an immediate sensation, with five of its movements demanded as encores. From the celebrated Miniature Overture and the gossamer pizzicato of the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" (one of the earliest orchestral uses of the celesta) to the swirling "Waltz of the Flowers," every page rewards close study.
This edition reproduces the full orchestral score originally issued by P. Jurgenson in Moscow (plate 17668, 1892), Tchaikovsky's principal publisher and the firm responsible for bringing nearly all of his major works into print. The present reproduction is taken from the early Leipzig reprint by D. Rahter (plate 319), prepared for international distribution shortly after the Russian first edition. As the earliest published source for the Suite, the Jurgenson score carries unique authority: it transmits the text essentially as Tchaikovsky himself approved it, before later editorial layers accumulated, and it remains a primary reference for performers and scholars investigating the composer's original orchestration and dynamics.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (conductor's score), all eight movements complete
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches, printed for clear study and reference use
- Faithfully reproduced from a public domain historical source
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
This volume makes a landmark historical edition readily available to conductors, orchestral players, students, and music lovers. Because the original score has long since entered the public domain, we are delighted to bring it back into print so that a new generation of musicians can study and enjoy Tchaikovsky's masterpiece in the form he gave it to the world.
