The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker: Press the Note to Hear Tchaikovsky’s Music

Follow Clara on a magical christmas adventure in this musical retelling of the nutcracker ballet push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from tchaikovskys original score.

It is christmas eve at Claras house. Scents of ginger, chocolate and peppermint waft through the air. Claras parents are having a party, and her little brother fritz is decorating the christmas tree. Claras godfather, a toymaker, arrives with gifts, including a very special one for her a wooden nutcracker carved in the shape of a little man. After fritz breaks it, the children are sent to bed.

The story follows Clara in her dreams as she battles and defeats a mouse king, then travels with her nutcracker-turned-prince to the land of sweets where she watches its enchanting inhabitants perform beautiful dances. As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the ballets music, including ‘the waltz of the flowers’, ‘the dance of the sugar plum fairy’, ‘the russian dance’, and the awesome ‘finale’.

At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, pyotr ilyich tchaikovsky, with details about his composition of the nutcracker ballet. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms.

The story orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores.

Author: Katy Flint
Hardcover: 24 pages
Age range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Lincoln Children’s Books; Ina edition (5 Oct. 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1786030683
ISBN-13: 9781786030689
Product dimensions: 27.6 x 3 x 31.1 cm