On December 18, 1892, the now infamous ballet “Nutcracker Suite” made its premiere in St Petersburg, Russia. 1 The ballet was based on the The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by E.T.A. Hoffmann and the score was composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Neither the ballet nor its score were well received.  In fact, it wasn’t until December 1944 that this work was finally considered a success thanks in part to the San Francisco Ballet.  Today, it is a beloved spectacle of the holiday season. 2   In the ballet, Clara receives a Christmas present -- a toy nutcracker – which [...]