Commissioned by the Imperial Opera Directorate to create a ballet based on E. T. A. Hoffmann’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, Tchaikovsky set to work on a subject he disliked and ended up creating a beloved classic. This suite, selected by the composer from The Nutcracker, features such gems as Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy, Trepak' (Russian Dance), Arabian Dance, and Waltz of the Flowers. Orchestra audiences are as enchanted by this suite as ballet enthusiasts are by the complete work.