Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov

It is Christmas eve and Clara and Fritz's parents are throwing their annual holiday party. The mysterious guest, the toymaker Herr Drosselmeyer, arrives with life-size dancing dolls to entertain the family and their guests, but he saves his most special gift for his god-daughter Clara, a nutcracker doll. That night, the tree begins to grow, the toy soldiers and the Mouse King have a battle, and Clara's nutcracker turns into a handsome prince! This...

Academy Award winner Gene Kelly brings his remarkable talents as star, director and choreographer to this glittering gala of music, dance and pantomime -- and the result is a lush, one-of-a-kind musical flight of fancy. The film has three episodes, each with its own distinct period and mood. In Circus, a clown (Kelly) in a small carnival troupe is hopelessly in love with the show's high-wire walker. Ring Around the Rosy is a satiric tale about a bracelet...

Famous artists from the world of classical music take children on a journey through the "Classical Wonderland." Jonas Kaufmann, Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, Plácido Domingo and many other artists have each selected and recorded a short piece for this album. In this way they hope to entice young people into the enchanted world of classical music.

"Mikhail Fokine was Diaghilev's chief choreographer 1909-1914 and he is considered to have been the creator of modern dance. This sparkling Russian gala features four Fokine ballets, all associated with Nijinsky. Recorded live from the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, the Kirov Ballet brings to life, once again, the full glory of the Ballets Russes"--Kultur's website.