The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Brandenburg Concertos

admin Posted OnNovember 10, 2017

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The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Brandenburg Concertos: Here’s where to see the Holiday “core four”. The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Handel’s Messiah and The Brandenburg Concertos.

The Nutcracker

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, New York City Ballet, Lincoln Center – Fri, 11/24 – Sun, 12/31: Balanchine’s Nutcracker premiered at Manhattan’s City Center in 1954 and has been staged in New York every year since. It is the most famous staged production of the ballet set to Tchaikovsky’s legendary score in the US. The production features elaborate and grand stage elements, the most famous of which is the one-ton Christmas tree that grows from a height of 12 feet to 40 feet. (62-65 St. at Columbus Ave., NYC; www.nycballet.com)

The Nutcracker, The New York Theater Ballet, Tarrytown Music Hall – Sun, 12/10: 3 & 6pm: An hour-long production of The Nutcracker, created for younger audiences, yet sophisticated enough for adults! Founded in 1978 by artistic director Diana Byer, New York Theatre Ballet has earned national attention for its elegant revivals of masterworks by great choreographers. (13 Main St. Tarrytown; www.tarrytownmusichall.com)

The Nutcracker, Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, Ridgefield Playhouse – Fri & Sat, 12/15-16: 6pm & Sun, 12/17: 1pm: A seasonal tradition in Ridgefield. The Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance’s production of The Nutcracker features Tchaikovsky’s score, graceful ballerinas, wooden soldiers who come to life and a bigger than life Christmas tree in this holiday tradition presentation of The Nutcracker at the Ridgefield Playhouse. All for just $25 for adults and $20 for kids and seniors. (Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

The Nutcracker, Westchester Ballet Company, Westchester County Center – Sat, 12/16: 12:30 & 4:30pm & Sun, 12/17: 2pm: For a fraction of the cost of the New York City Ballet you can take the kids to see the Westchester Ballet Company perform The Nutcracker at the County Center. At $27 per ticket ($23 for kids) it’s a great way to train next-gen culture vultures. We did. Choreographed by Beth Fritz Logrea and Jean Logrea. (198 Central Ave., White Plains; www.countycenter.biz)

The Nutcracker, Connecticut Ballet, Palace Theatre – Sat, 12/16: 2 & 6pm & Sun, 12/17: 1 & 5pm: Guest stars from the American Ballet Theatre join the Connecticut Ballet in Brett Raphael’s traditional holiday production of The Nutcracker at Stamford’s Palace Theatre. There are four shows featuring fab costumes, falling snow, the giant tree, and a full corps de ballet. (61 Atlantic St., Stamford www.palacestamford.org)

Colonial Nutcracker, Paramount Hudson Valley – Sat, 12/23 :3pm: This interpretation of the ballet from Artistic Director Rose Menes of Dance Theatre in Westchester moves the action to colonial Yorktown during the Revolutionary War and features redcoat army mice. The one-hour show is designed for families with children ages 4 and up. The company has performed at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts. (1008 Brown St., Peekskill; www.paramounthudsonvalley.org)

The Nutcracker, Bolshoi Ballet in HD – Ridgefield Playhouse – Sat, 12/23: 2pm: See a The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, Brandenburg Concertos live performance of The Nutcracker by the Bolshoi Ballet onscreen in high definition. The Bolshoi’s version of The Nutcracker has a unique and beautiful sense of romance and philosophy, danced by the heroic Denis Rodkin as the courageous Prince and the magical Anna Nikulina as Marie. (Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield, CT; www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org)

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol, Muscoot Farm – Fri-Sat, 12/8-9 & 15-16: 5pm & 6pm: This indoor/outdoor, abridged version of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, travels from site to site across the farm grounds visiting the homes of the Ebenezer Scrooge, The Cratchits, Old Fezziweg and more as the story unfolds. (51 NY-100, Katonah; www.muscootfarm.org)

Mr. Dickens Tells A Christmas Carol, Lyndhurst Mansion – Sun, 12/10-Sat, 12/30: checkmates & times: In this hour-long theatrical performance appropriate for all ages, actor Michael Muldoon recreates the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge, Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim from Charles Dickens’s scripts. The performance travels through the mansion meeting the story’s spirits and characters in different rooms along the way – a cool way to see this fabulous castle. (635 S. Broadway, Tarrytown; www.lyndhurst.org)

Dickens’ Christmas Carol, Historic Hudson Valley – Sat- Sun, 12/9-10 & 16-17: 3:30, 4:45 & 6pm: Master storyteller Jonathan Kruk’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol at the historic Old Dutch Church in Tarrytown is a Historic Hudson Valley tradition. Kruk’s 60 minute performance of Ebenezer Scrooge’s night-long journey into Christmas past, present and future with the ghost of Jacob Marley is performed with musical accompaniment. (Old Dutch Church, 430 Broadway, Tarrytown; www.hudsonvalley.org

The Brandenburg Concertos

Local! The Brandenburg Concertos, Bedford Chamber Concerts – Wed, 12/13: 8pm: Wynton Marsalis called Dr. Anthony Newman “the high priest of Bach.” His Bedford Chamber Concerts made our Bucket List so his semi-annual take on the Brandenburg’s would be a Bucket List event on steroids. Newman has performed this Bach holiday staple with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center 12 times at Alice Tully Hall. (St, Matthews Church, 382 Cantitoe St., Bedford; www.bedfordchamberconcerts.org)

The Brandenburg Concertos, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center – Fri, 12/15: 7:30 pm, Sun, 12/17: 5pm & Tues, 12/19: 7:30pm: The Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach are considered among the finest musical compositions of the Baroque era. The New York Times called The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s annual performances at Alice Tully Hall a “New York holiday staple.” This is when you can get your holiday Bach fix. (Alice Tully Hall, 1941 Broadway, NYC; www.lincolncenter.org)

The Messiah

New Choral Society, Messiah, Part I & Three Nativity Carols, Scarsdale – Fri, 12/1: 8pm & Sun, 12/3: 3pm: The Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah is the traditional season-opener for the New Choral Society. Filled with familiar and uplifting choruses and solos, including the famed “Hallelujah Chorus”, it is a festive way to begin the holiday season. This year’s concert will also present a new work by Stephen Paulus, Three Nativity Carols. (Hitchcock Presbyterian Church, 6 Greenacres Avenue, Scarsdale; www.newchoralsociety.org)

The Messiah, Westchester Oratorio Society, South Salem Presbyterian Church, Sat, 12/2: 7pm: Westchester Oratorio Society, Benjamin Niemczyk, artistic director, celebrates its 20^th Anniversary Season with the complete Handel’s Messiah. The chorus will be accompanied by a professional instrumental ensemble and soloists Corine Byrne, soprano, Mun-Tzung Wong, alto, Michael Anderson, tenor, and Benjamin Bloomfield, baritone. (111 Spring St, S. Salem; www.westchesteroratorio.org)

Stamford Symphony presents Handel’s Messiah – Sat, 12/9: 8pm: Ted Sperling conducts the Stamford Symphony takes on Part I & and the Hallelujah Chorus from Part II of Handel’s classic oratorio at The Basilica of St. John The Evangelist in Stamford. “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made low, the crooked straight and the rough places plain.” (Basilica of St. John The Evangelist, 279 Atlantic St., Stamford; www.palacestamford.org)

Handel’s Messiah, New York Philharmonic, Tues-Thurs, & Sat, 12/12-14 & 16: 7:30pm: Conductor Andre Manze and the Westminster Symphonic Choir take on Part I and Part II of the most famous and beloved chorale works of all time. (David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, NYC: www.newyorkphilharmonic.com)

It’s A Wonderful Life

It’s A Wonderful Life, Katonah Village Library, Fri, 12/1: 7pm: The Katonah Village Improvement Society (KVIS) will screen Frank Capra’s holiday classic starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed (George and Mary Bailey) as they fight the Great Depression and Henry Potter from taking down Bedford Falls and his family’s do-good Savings & Loan with a little help from Clarence – George’s guardian angel. Despite being a relative loser at the box office, the film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.(26 Bedford Rd., Katonah)

It’s A Wonderful Life, Bedford Historical Hall – Wed, 12/6: 7:30pm: See Frank Capra’s Holiday Classic at Bedford’s Historical Hall in this free screening courtesy of The Bedford Historical Society and The Bedford Playhouse.

It’s a Wonderful Life, Jacob Burns – Thurs, 12/21: 7:15pm & Fri-Mon, 12/22-25: 12pm: George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) staves off financial ruin at the hands of the evil tycoon Henry Potter (Lionel Barrymore) in Frank Capra’s bittersweet holiday classic set in Bedford Falls during the Great Depression. With Donna Reed (“Oh, Buffalo gals won’t you come out to night”) and the original Bert and Ernie – the cop and the cab driver, played by Ward Bond and Frank Fallen Fri-Thurs: 12/23-29: 12pm. (Jacob Burns, 364 Manville Rd., Pleasantville; www.burnsfilmcenter.org)