The Nutcracker and I by Alexandra Dariescu

Before you go ‘oh no, not another Nutcracker!’ please read on. This is a Nutcracker like no other; and at 50 minutes’ length an ideal treat for the little ones.

Entitled The Nutcracker and I by Alexandra Dariescu, it’s the brainchild of eponymous young pianist. It tells the story of a little girl’s magical Christmas night dream through an ingenious combination of piano playing - some of Tchaikovsky’s best loved tunes, of course! - dancing by ballerina Désirée Ballantyne, and tailor-made digital animations.

Let’s hear Alexandra’s own account of this charming project:

This clever combination of media gives the audience a sense of being more than just spectators - they become actors in The Nutcracker and I, which is also the story of Alexandra Dariescu herself: a little girl daring to dream of becoming a concert pianist, and seeing her dream come true.

Born in Romania, Alexandra Dariescu completed her music studies in Britain, and was recently described by BBC Music Magazine as 'enormously impressive.' She made her professional debut four years ago at the Royal Albert Hall, and since then her international career has flourished with performances in such prestigious houses as Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and New York’s Carnegie Hall.

Yeast Culture are a prolific animation company, which has collaborated with artists as varied as contemporary composer Nitin Sawhney, jazz saxophonist Courtney Pine and the Philharmonia Orchestra, to mention but a few.

The setting is the gorgeous Milton Court, part of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, which is set within the Barbican campus.

So, we hope we’ve been able to persuade you that The Nutcracker and I by Alexandra Dariescu is not 'just another Nutcracker.’ On the contrary it’s a fresh take on a well-established tradition, and one well worth sampling.

Tickets are selling like hot cakes - book now!

PLEASE NOTE: Due to heavy demand, an extra performance has been added at 20:00 on Tuesday, 19 December