Dance of the Reed Flutes (Nutcracker Suite)

About This Song

Tchaikovsky wrote many works that are popular with the classical music public, including his “Romeo and Juliet,” “1812 Overture”, his three ballets (“The Nutcracker”, “Swan Lake’, “Sleeping Beauty”) and “Marche Slave”. Tchaikovsky displayed an unusually wide stylistic and emotional range, from salon works of innocuous charm to symphonies of tremendous depth, power, and grandeur. “The Dance of the Reed Flutes” is one of the eight original pieces in Tchaikovsky’s 1892 Nutcracker Suite. The famous song is also referred to as the “Dance of the Mirlitons” or “Marzipan.” In 1891, Tchaikovsky was asked to write an accompaniment to E. T. A. Hoffman’s 1816 tale, The Nutcracker and the King of Mice. Reworking the tale, Lev Ivanov created the book and choreography that accompanied Tchaikovsky’s original score. Tchaikovsky was reveling in his last hit and thought The Nutcracker infinitely poorer than Sleeping Beauty. Tchaikovsky was never able to see the full impact of this now-famous work. Mr. Pasero’s transcription is the first adaptation for the guitar repertoire. He began the transcription from the orchestral score in 1982 and completed the work in 1984, recording it in 1985. It was first released on vinyl records, then cassette tape, CD, and now downloads and streaming.