Classical review: The Nutcracker, Usher Hall, Edinburgh

IT FELT a bit like having turkey and crackers at the end of August, but Josep Pons’s enjoyable account of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra demonstrated, if it were needed, that the ballet is not just for Christmas, but for the whole year.

The Nutcracker

Usher Hall

Star rating: * * * *

This was the full score, rather than the usual excerpts, providing the opportunity to admire the composer’s dramatic pacing and to hear well-loved music in its intended context. And in any case, there’s little dead wood – instead, just more chances to luxuriate in Tchaikovsky’s poignantly beautiful melodies. Pons was energetic in the lesser-known Dance of the Parents, all thrusting horns and folksy strings, although the Grandfather Dance had a few ragged edges.

Most of the BBC SSO players had their moments of glory, with keening oboes and bassoons in the Arabian Dance and celesta player Lynda Cochrane lithe in a sultry, feline Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy that brought a broad smile to the face. The girls’ voices from the National Youth Choir of Scotland contributed beautifully to Clara’s journey into the Land of Snow, and Pons’s final waltz rounded things off in stylish and resounding fashion.