The Nutcracker: Complete Ballet in Full Score (Dover Orchestral Music Scores) Paperback – Illustrated, September 16, 2004

I was thrilled when I saw that Dover had published the complete score of Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" and snatched it up immediately. It is BIG. The pages are a normal 9 x 12 (or so) but the book is about 2 inches thick and for a score with only 90 minutes of music that's unusual (I know, that was trivial factoid). The cover and pages are sturdy and have held up well to my numerous readings of the score and flipping pages quickly as I follow along with a recording. It's nice to be able to follow one line, say, the clarinet part (I played clarinet) through the piece and be able to hear it because you're focused in on what an individual instrument's part is during the work (it's amazing to hear some of the little details that you normally don't pay attention to). The binding is strong, the print is easy to read, and it has a very reasonable price. It should be in the collection of anyone who reads music and, I guess, those who don't but want to see what the score looks like.

It's a thick full score with a sewn binding so it lays flat. Early pages include a list of English translations for Russian text which is too long to fit on certain pages. I am very pleased!

very large and legible, one of the best scores I have purchased!!

Orchestration and performance introductory notes in Russian, German, and English, with Russian and French notations (in addition to the usual Italian notations) on the score itself, plus occasional English margin translations.That said, there are some issues:1) This is not a new edition, but a scan from quite old engraving prints. There is a general lack of crispness, and a grittiness to lines, text that is a bit fatiguing. Digital cleanup of pages is inconsistent, with some pages looking pretty good, others where all features are thickened and dark, and at least one page thinned and spotty.2) Inconsistency: The French score section headings are translated into English and placed on the bottom margin, whereas the Russian score note translations are put into the introductory section before the score.3) Poor translations occasionally pop up: e.g. when discussing "Entrée des parents en incroyables", the term incroyables is translated as dandies or fops. This is incorrect. A brief Parisian fashion fad in post-Bastille France after about 1792, the Incroyables and Merveilleuses were young men and women flamboyantly rebelling against the stuffy courtly manners and decadent clothing fashions of their parents. The parents of the Nutcracker party scene have arrived in quaint but fun costume of their grandparents' generation.4) I should very much have liked to see the score portion for Act II, 12. Divertissement: d. Gigue (English Dance) orchestration by noted ballet conductor John Lanchbery. Though not 100% authentic Tchaikovsky (but evidently drawn from his notes), it would be nice to have, given that at least one "Complete Score" recorded album includes a performance of the Gigue.5) The pages are hard to grip and turn.

I finally broke down and bought this excellent reprint of the full score. It completes my circle of "Nutcracker" appreciation: first as music (as a kid - two recordings and the piano pieces that drove my parents crazy), then as ballet (as a teen, the first ballet I ever saw), then as orchestration (as the celesta player - "I AM Sugar-Plum!"), and now I can look at the score with full appreciation, with more than one exclamation of "So THAT'S how he did it!" Everything from the translated Russian to the French stage directions adds to the value of this highly affordable publication. A real joy.

At this price, how wonderful to have the complete ballet score with the original performance notes right there on the staves. The paper and print are quite usable, clear enough and large enough. Tchaikovsky's orchestration is ever more breathtaking, the closer you look.

Wonderful tool for the upcoming staging of our show. 500+ pages of full orchestral score will make my organization and delivery of dances to both assistants and students smoother. Glad I purchased it.

I looked around my orchestra's music library, and was disappointed that they had scores of the suites, but not the complete ballet score. The lay-flat binding makes flipping through the pages a breeze.