Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite for Piano

[nicko124]

Hello Everyone

I hope that someone can help me with this.
I have always enjoyed listening to the orchestral recordings of the Nutcracker Suite, i absolutely adore all of them. I have found the suite arranged for piano at the site on the link below:-

https://www.everynote.com/piano.choose/0/4/1/114.note

On the site you can view the scores first page with Adobe Reader and i have to say the arrangements look really good. They seem to take into account the complexity of each piece. Obviously they will never be complex enough to match the orchestral versions unless it was for four hands or something.

Anyway i have four questions that i would appreciate answears from anyone who knows them.

Who originally transcribed the Nutcracker into solo piano  format?

Are the arrangements for  solo piano worth learning?

How much different do they sound to the orchestrel versions, if anyone has heard a solo piano performance (unlikely) or played them?

I have never seen the Nutcracker arranged for piano before and i was wondering if it is good to add to your repetiore if you enjoy the orchestra versions?

If anyone can help me with the above questions that i would be greatful. 

I plan on learning them in a few months when i have some free time if they are worth it.

[allchopin]

Yes, these appear to be Tchaikovsky's own transcriptions of the works.

1) I believe that Tchaikovsky himself was the first to transcribe them for the piano, though others followed later (Grainger, Pletnev), wanting their own renditions.  He actually didn't do enough justice to his own works, in my opinion.

2) Definitely! 

3) I haven't played them (although they're definitely on my to-do list) but they do sound great and evoke a lot of the same feelings I get from the actual pieces.  There used to be videos on the piano e-competition website of a contestant playing the set, but they are having some difficulties right now - may want to check occaisionally for those.

I would take extra care preparing these pieces though because they must be handled very well to bring out the true coloration of the original orchestration.  They're also just too good to ruin!  You can get the sheet music from someone at https://pianofiles.com/.
Good luck.

[porilo]

Pletnev's transcription is great!  It's not the whole ballet but just 7 selected items, including the dance of the sugar plum fairy (quite a difficult arrangement!), a Chinese dance with jumps of 2 octaves in the right hand (accuracy needed), and a dramatic Andante Maestoso at the end.  On hearing it, or even looking at the sheet, if you didn't know who composed it I feel it could easily be mistaken for a Liszt transcription.  It's that sort of style. 

[nicko124]

Yes, these appear to be Tchaikovsky's own transcriptions of the works.

1) I believe that Tchaikovsky himself was the first to transcribe them for the piano, though others followed later (Grainger, Pletnev), wanting their own renditions.  He actually didn't do enough justice to his own works, in my opinion.

2) Definitely! 

3) I haven't played them (although they're definitely on my to-do list) but they do sound great and evoke a lot of the same feelings I get from the actual pieces.  There used to be videos on the piano e-competition website of a contestant playing the set, but they are having some difficulties right now - may want to check occaisionally for those.

I would take extra care preparing these pieces though because they must be handled very well to bring out the true coloration of the original orchestration.  They're also just too good to ruin!  You can get the sheet music from someone at https://pianofiles.com/.
Good luck.

Yes i will probably look for a book that has the Nutcracker Piano Suite as i want to get all of them. I can see myself wanting to play each one in the future.

Does anyone know why Tchaikovsky transcribed them for piano? What were his motives?
I mean they are so obviously orchestral pieces but did he intend them to ever be used as part of the solo piano repetoire?