The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a is an orchestral suite by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Пётр Ильич Чайковский), composed and first performed in 1892. The suite condenses orchestral highlights from the ballet into a sequence of character pieces that showcase Tchaikovsky's melodic writing, colourful orchestration and use of dance forms and orchestral colour, and it served to present selections from the 1892 ballet in the concert hall, becoming a staple of the orchestral repertoire.
