This December, the Alabama Symphony Orchestra returns to performing the Nutcracker with the Alabama Ballet after a lengthy hiatus. Regular symphony-goers may notice how close our annual Handel’s Messiah concerts are to Christmas Eve. This is due to scheduling the ballet into the previous weekend.  While December becomes even busier for us, the musicians are enthusiastic to once again be part of another popular holiday tradition our community enjoys. It seems everyone knows someone who either dances or watches the Nutcracker in December. 

Despite its popular use as children’s ballet recital repertoire, like many ballets, the story is more wild than tame. In a sugar-fueled dreamscape the characters include human-size mice and toy soldiers battling, fairies, and mysterious gift-givers. In addition to the magical sets and memorable choreography, the evocative and dramatic score by Tchaikovsky leaves an impression. The orchestration showcases different solo instruments creating characters that appear on stage as if spun out of the music itself. One of the most exciting moments is the Trepak, a dance originating in Ukraine, where the orchestra crescendos and simultaneously accelerates as the dancers jump and spin, until maximum velocity is reached. 

With a live orchestra for a ballet, the dancers rely on the conductor to capture the best tempo for them, while the musicians focus on being as precise as possible, knowing the intensity of the dancing and delicacy of the choreography. The music is enjoyable to play, but playing the music with dancers is added pressure to enable them be as successful and artistic as possible. Working with the multiple casts of the Alabama Ballet through the course of the week of rehearsals and shows, we learn the small tempo and timing adjustments that best fit each soloist and group. This flexibility only comes with a live orchestra and takes constant concentration and adjustments. After a run of performances, the musicians as well as the dancers have aching muscles and fatigued bodies. 

In orchestra concerts, musicians sit on stage while the audience’s imaginations create their own pictures. In a ballet, the musicians descend into the pit below stage level, and the audience sees the ballet while listening as the music is being created. Every pit is different in shape, size, and depth. Most of the time, to get to the pit, the musicians enter through a backstage door, go down hallways and stairwells behind and under the stage, and carefully maneuver to our seats across a tighter than normal stage space. The orchestra seating has to be specifically designed for every production and every pit, based on the layout of the pit and the instrumentation required for the music. This means in some cases we get to sit next to instruments we rarely sit close to on the orchestra stage, like when the basses are next to the first violins. Often it means viewing the conductor from a different angle than usual. Most of the musicians are not able to see the stage and just use our imaginations. Hearing the audience applaud during the music lets us know something impressive just happened above us, or that an orchestral solo was acknowledged.

Playing a ballet and being in the pit is different and challenging, but we hope to maintain and increase our performances with our partner arts organizations. Like us, these artists live, perform, and teach within our community. The shows with live orchestra are December 15 at 7:30, December 16 at 2:30 and 7:30, and December 17 at 2:30. Before the show or at intermission, if you have never done it before, come to the front of the stage and give us a wave down in the pit!