The year was 1892, and the St. Petersburg audience had packed into the theater on a frigid December evening to see Iolanta, a new opera by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Also on the program was the composer’s latest ballet, which, by all contemporary accounts, turned out to be mediocre at best. Today, The Nutcracker is universally recognized as one of the finest ballets of the 19th century and a tradition virtually synonymous with Christmas. Now through December 30, you have the chance to see the New York City Ballet, one of the world’s premier ballet companies, perform this holiday masterpiece at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. From the driving rhythms of the “Russian Dance,” to the mystical ring of the celesta in “The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies,” to the soaring runs of the clarinet in “The Waltz of the Flowers,” few musical scores are more iconic or more beloved. Wherever your travels may take you this month, the Lotte New York Palace wishes you and your family a very happy holiday season.
Address: 20 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York, NY 10023