There comes a moment in 'The Nutcracker' when the Sugar Plum Fairy dances to a tune you’ve probably heard before. Over plucked string instruments, a glassy bell-like melody emerges from a celesta, evoking water drops and then more as those drops give way to flowing runs. Photo: ©2024 The New York Times Company
There comes a moment in The Nutcracker, a ballet full of fantasy of fantastical music, when the Sugar Plum Fairy dances to a tune you’ve probably heard before.
Over plucked string instruments, a glassy, bell-like melody emerges from a celesta, evoking water drops and then more as those drops give way to flowing runs. It’s a transporting sound: mysterious and otherworldly, delicate and playful.
