Poster Nutcrackers
A collection of nutcrackers
Celcom at English Wikipedia, CC Attribution 3.0
Performance Today®

Let's get crackin'!

One measure of the lasting influence of a piece of music is how many other musicians have given it their own twist. Join us for a full hour of some of the fun, creative music that The Nutcracker, by Peter Tchaikovsky, has inspired in other composers, arrangers, and musicians.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Parents and Grandfather
Berlin Philharmonic | Semyon Bychkov, conductor
Album: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Philips 420237

Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Miniature Overture
Berlin Philharmonic | Simon Rattle, conductor
Album: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
EMI 46385

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. Duke Ellington and Jeff Tyzik: Nutcracker Overture
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra | Delta David Gier, conductor
South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD
Concert Record Date: 12/10/2016
Music: 03:23

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. Michael Axtell: The Nutcracker Suite: II. March
The National Flute Choir | Amy Rice Blumenthal, conductor
Album: Here We Come a'FLUTING
ALRY 27

Henri Tomasi: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in C
Raymond Riccomini, trumpet | Texas Festival Orchestra | Linus Lerner, conductor
Round Top Festival Institute, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. William Griffin: The Nutcracker, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Purdue Bells | Rhonda Blacklock, conductor
Purdue Musical Organizations 83rd Annual Purdue Christmas Show, Elliott Hall of Music, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN

Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker: Spanish Dance
Septura
Album: Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
Naxos 574157

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. Los Angeles Guitar Quartet: The Nutcracker: Russian Dance
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
Album: Dances From Renaissance To Nutcracker
Delos 3132

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. James Newton Howard: Mouserinks from the Original Motion Picture The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Philharmonia Orchestra | Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Album: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Walt Disney Records

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. The Cambridge Buskers: The Nutcracker: Chinese Dance
The Cambridge Buskers: Michael Copley, flute | Dag Ingram, accordion
Album: The Cambridge Buskers
DG 423400

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. Vyacheslav Gryaznov: Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker
Vyacheslav Gryaznov, piano
Grand Piano Series, Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, Naples, FL

Hour 2

Adhamhnán & Uinseann Mac Domhnaill: Cro na Nollag (The Christmas Stable)
Kiri O'Neill, soprano | Emily Doyle, soprano | The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

Traditional English, arr. John Hoybye: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

Gabriel Faure, arr. Christina Courtin: Requiem: Pie Jesu
Anthony Roth Costanzo, countertenor | The Knights | Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Album: The Knights Before Christmas
Bright Shiny Things 159

Gustav Holst, arr. Michael P. Atkinson: In the Bleak Midwinter
The Knights | Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Album: The Knights Before Christmas
Bright Shiny Things 159

Rebecca Dale: Winter
Voces8
Album: Winter
London/Decca 25736

Traditional, arr. Snorri Sigfus Birgisson: Lo! How a Rose E'er Blooming / Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen
Ane Brun, vocals
Album: Winter Tales
DG 28948615049

Johann Sebastian Bach: Christmas Oratorio: Sinfonia
Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra | Michael Davis, conductor
Album: Festival of Carols
Naxos 579065

Johann Sebastian Bach, arr. Joep Beving: Sinfonia (After Bach, BWV 248)
Joep Beving, electronics
Album: Winter Tales
DG 28948615049

Eoghan Desmond: Be All Merry
Katherine Hunka, violin | The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Irish Chamber Orchestra | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

Andrej Makor: O Magnum Mysterium
Eleanor Coleman, soprano | Maximilian O'Neill, tenor | The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Desmond Earley, conductor 
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

Howard Blake, arr. Ronn McFarlane: Walking in the Air
Ronn McFarlane, lute
Album: Imagine Christmas
Sono Luminus DSL-92216

Elaine Agnew: Curoo Curoo
The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Irish Chamber Orchestra | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

Linda Kachelmeier: We Toast the Days
Ciaran O'Donovan, tenor | Ivan O'Neill, baritone | The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Sibelius' final symphony

Sibelius' final symphony

The final symphony by Jean Sibelius unfolds over twenty-one minutes, evolving from a quiet opening to a warm, life-affirming ending—it's one unbroken weightless stream. Join us at a concert in Zurich for the Symphony No. 7 by Jean Sibelius.

1:59:00
Photos: Scenes from MPR Day at the 2025 Minnesota State Fair
Lost and found Mendelssohn

Lost and found Mendelssohn

When Felix Mendelssohn was 14, he wrote music for a family party. The manuscript was then stashed away in the Mendelssohn household and forgotten about, and it wasn't played again until 1999. Hear the lost and found Double Concerto by Felix Mendelssohn on today’s show.

1:59:00
Franz Schubert's 'Miracle Year'

Franz Schubert's 'Miracle Year'

Some people refer to 1815 as Franz Schubert's "Miracle Year." He was only 18 years old, living at home and working as an elementary school teacher, but in that year, this humble young man composed an astonishing amount of memorable music. On today's show, we'll take you to a concert in Germany to hear a symphony from Schubert's 'Miracle Year.'  

1:59:00
Music@Menlo looks to the future

Music@Menlo looks to the future

On today's program, pianists Wu Han and Hyeyeon Park share the piano bench in a program that represents the future of the Music@Menlo Festival. Hear this special performance and learn how a carefully planned leadership transition is ensuring the festival's continued success.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Osvaldo Golijov

PT Weekend: Osvaldo Golijov

In 2000, composer Osvaldo Golijov experienced a wave of violence in Israel. Soon after, at a planetarium in New York, he saw an image of Earth from afar, our beautiful blue planet floating in apparent serenity. Tune in today for music inspired by contrasting perspectives and realities: Tenebrae, by Osvaldo Golijov.

1:59:00
Strings for Peace

Strings for Peace

Sharon Isbin is a master of Western classical music. Amjad Ali Khan is a master of Indian classical music. Together, they're building musical and cultural bridges. Join us at a concert in Aspen for a highlight from Sharon Isbin's and Amjad Ali Khan's Strings for Peace project.

1:59:00
Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras describes J.S. Bach's solo cello suites as a "burst of life." To Queyras, these suites transcend any particular time or place; they feel like a metaphysical connection between earth and heaven. Tune in today to hear Jean-Guihen Queyras play J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 2 at a recent concert in Girona, Spain.

1:59:00
Osvaldo Golijov: Tenebrae

Osvaldo Golijov: Tenebrae

In 2000, composer Osvaldo Golijov experienced a wave of violence in Israel. Soon after, at a planetarium in New York, he saw an image of Earth from afar, our beautiful blue planet floating in apparent serenity. Tune in today for music inspired by contrasting perspectives and realities: Tenebrae, by Osvaldo Golijov.

1:59:00
Gabriella Smith: Children of the Fire

Gabriella Smith: Children of the Fire

Composer Gabriella Smith grew up hiking and backpacking. She finds joy and inspiration in climate action and nature, and her music reflects the perpetual groove of the world around us. Tune in today to hear Gabriella Smith's 'Children of the Fire,' from a concert in Charleston, South Carolina.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00