The Nutcracker Suite is a recording by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 guitarist Tim Sparks, released in 1993. It consists of both an adaptation for acoustic guitar of Tchaikovsky's suite from his ballet The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...

and the Balkan Dreams Suite, a suite of songs based on melodies and ideas of Bela Bartok

Béla Bartók

Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...

. Sparks won the 1993 National Fingerstyle Guitar Championship

Walnut Valley Festival

The Walnut Valley Festival is a well-known acoustic music festival, held annually in Winfield, Kansas. The main genre of music is bluegrass, but other acoustic styles are represented...

 playing his solo guitar arrangement of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite".

Reception

A review of the album in Classical Guitar Magazine

Classical guitar magazines

Classical guitar related Media -English:*Soundboard A quarterly classical guitar magazine published in the USA, Soundboard articles feature a wide variety of technical and musical columns, new music, and reviews...

stated: "After listening to the CD, I must admit that Sparks catches the essence of the music in a wonderful way. For the advanced player, this is an excellent edition to reap the rewards of the Nutcracker Suite."

Guitar Player

Guitar Player

Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...

called it "An exhilarating, odd-meter minefield inspired by Near Eastern music. An important recording from a gifted composer, arranger and performer."

Track listing

(P.I. Tchaikovsky/arr. Tim Sparks)

1. "Overture" – 2:10
2. "March of the Toy Soldiers" – 2:12
3. "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" – 1:57
4. "Cossack Dance" – 1:22
5. "Arabian Dance" – 2:41
6. "Chinese Dance" – 1:15
7. "Dance of the Reed Pipes" – 2:50
8. "Waltz of the Flowers" – 6:11

Balkan Dreams Suite (trad. arr. Tim Sparks)

1. "Oniro/Dimineatsa Dupa Nunta" – 3:09
2. "Samiotisa – 2:33
3. "Tatavliano Hasapiko" – 2:35
4. "Melek N'ty Ubana" – 4:06
5. "The Blues on Bartok Street" (Tim Sparks) – 3:25