The Nutcracker

In 2025, it will have been 12 years since I moved from my home in the countryside to the capital to study music. I've accomplished many things during this time, and I've learned a great deal, not only about music but about the arts in general, as the city of Caracas offers the best of every artistic expression; but there's something I've always had planned for the Christmas season that I've never been able to do, either because I travel to the countryside to spend Christmas with my family or simply because choir rehearsals or my finances don't allow it, and that's to go to the city's most popular show, The Nutcracker.

This was my first relaxed December in a long time (so to speak), and besides, we have artist friends at every theater, so I was able to attend this event for free. After 12 years, I finally got to enjoy it, and now I know that next time I should buy a better ticket to enjoy it from a better vantage point. This show combines music and dance. I love watching ballet, but I rarely get to enjoy it live. The Nutcracker is performed every December in Caracas, specifically at the Teresa Carreño Theater, and they truly make a remarkable effort to make everything magical, and I'm not just talking about the music and the dancing, but also the costumes, the set design, and the special effects.

The music of The Nutcracker belongs to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, an artist whose work I, as a choral singer, have performed only a few times, but every time it enters my life, it touches my soul with the grandeur of his compositions. This particular work, which is over 100 years old since its premiere, is a gem full of melodies that have become popular through television and social media. As an example, you can see the video clip I shared above; those are melodies we all know... If you live in Caracas, you shouldn't let the same thing happen to you as happened to me, at least not for so many consecutive years! 😅 Allow yourself to experience this live performance and let yourself be swept away by the magic of Christmas; as for me, I'm sure I'll start attending more than once every time the season begins...