This arrangement is scored for saxophone octet (SSAATTBB), but also comes with optional Soprillo, Sopranino, Alto 3, Tenor 3 and Bass saxophone parts. There is also an optional percussion part for Tambourine and Glockenspiel included. 'The Nutcracker' premiered, in its full ballet form, in 1892 in St Petersburg; a set of miniatures to which Tchaikovsky provided the score. Though the ballet was a flop originally, the music - delightfully witty, light, and adventurous - gained huge popularity as a suite in its own right. It was only later that the ballet performances gained popularity, on the back of Tchaikovsky's memorable and enchanting music. Here a selection of the most well-known of those miniatures, in the sort of form that initially gained the music its popularity, is put into the hands of a saxophone ensemble, who have the opportunity for glistening nimbleness and furiously rompish fun. Tchaikovsky's taste for orchestral colour can also be serviced with a range of extra parts for those more 'colourful' saxophones at the higher and lower ends!