Casse-Noisette at Rockhal

On 18 December 1892, in Saint Petersburg, Tchaikovsky’s new Christmas ballet opened on a double bill with an opera. More than 130 years later, The Nutcracker is still the story of Clara, a toy that comes to life and a battle against the mice.

Casse-Noisette, ballet and orchestra, comes to the Rockhal Main Hall on Saturday 21 November. Doors at 14:30, on stage at 16:00.

The Paris Ballet Theater dance Ivanov’s choreography to Tchaikovsky, produced by Franceconcert. This is the full version, with a live orchestra.

An afternoon start, seated, and a good one to bring children to. The date was moved from February 2027, and Rockhal confirms that tickets already bought remain valid. Beast in Black are in the Club the same evening.

What is The Nutcracker?

The Nutcracker is the Christmas ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his Opus 71. It first opened at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg on 18 December 1892, on a double bill with his opera Iolanta. Marius Petipa wrote the libretto and started the choreography, and his assistant Lev Ivanov completed it.

The story comes from E. T. A. Hoffmann’s 1816 tale The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, by way of a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas. On Christmas Eve, young Clara is given a nutcracker shaped like a little man. The toy comes to life, leads a battle against the mice, turns into a prince and takes her on a dreamlike journey to a kingdom where snowflakes and flowers dance.

A nice twist in its history: the first night was not a hit. Critics found the story lopsided, though several liked the music. Its fortunes changed in the twentieth century, with the first complete American performance by San Francisco Ballet on 24 December 1944 and George Balanchine’s 1954 version for New York City Ballet, which helped turn it into a Christmas tradition.

The music to know

Tchaikovsky gathered eight numbers into a concert suite, first played in Saint Petersburg on 19 March 1892, about nine months before the ballet itself. Almost every number was encored. The score is also known for its celesta, a keyboard instrument with a bell-like sound.

Music to know before the night: the “Waltz of the Flowers”, the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy”, the Russian “Trepak”, the Arabian and Chinese dances, the “Dance of the Reed Flutes” and the Adagio of the Grand Pas de Deux.

This production

The Rockhal performance is Casse-Noisette, Ballet & Orchestre, danced by the Paris Ballet Theater in an original production by Franceconcert, on tour for the 2026 to 2027 season. It follows Ivanov’s choreography and Petipa’s libretto, with new sets: a frozen forest under falling snow, a living room where the Christmas tree suddenly grows, and a castle lit up by fireworks. Allow about 2 hours 10 minutes, with one interval.