Showing results by author "Mrs. St. Simon - translator" in All Categories

E.T.A. Hoffmann's The Nutcracker and the Mouse King is one of the most beloved children's stories of all time and a Christmas classic. The story is the basis for the popular ballet "The Nutcracker." In the story, a young girl named Marie is given a precious nutcracker as a Christmas present by her godfather, the enigmatic Drosselmeier. When the nutcracker is broken, Marie attempts to repair it and stays up late to tend to her new toy, but when the nursery is invaded by an army of mice, the nutcracker comes to life to both drive off the mice and escort Marie to a magical land of living dolls.

Collected here are two different versions of the classic story. It includes not only the original, written by E. T. A. Hoffman, but also the translation/adaptation by the famous novelist Alexandre Dumas (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, The Man in the Iron Mask). These, in turn, inspired the world-famous Tchaikovsky ballet. Listeners can finally compare and contrast the two different versions, and thrill to the story in both its multifaceted variations.