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Sugar Plum Fairy Centre-Stage On Sunday Afternoon
On Sunday, Orchestra Wellington is gearing up for a
stunning Christmas
show guaranteed to end 2020 on a high
note with the Sugar Plum Fairy
from Tchaikovsky’s
Nutcracker making a special appearance.
Ballet dancer
Kate Cockerton-Holmes is dancing the role of the
Sugar
Plum Fairy, the ultimate tutu and tiara role, to
Tchaikovsky’s
evocative Dance of the Sugar Plum
Fairy.
The first Sugar Plum Fairy debuted at the
Mariinksy Theatre in St
Petersburg in December 1892. Over
time, this has become the most
recognisable passage from
the entire Nutcracker ballet, a Christmas
classic for
ballet companies around the globe.
Russian
choreographer, Marius Petipa, asked for music that
sounded
like drops of water shooting out of a fountain,
and Russian composer
Tchaikovsky matched the description
superbly.
The use of the celesta, sometimes called a
bell-piano, a new
instrument in Tchaikovsky’s time,
plays a significant role in the
music’s otherworldly
sound.
Soul diva Lisa Tomlins is also bringing her
super-powers to the
orchestra’s Christmas concert.
Tomlins, who has sung with
Shapeshifter, Fat Freddy’s
Drop, Fly My Pretties and Rhombus will
share the vocals
with Kirsten Te Rito, and Myikah Asovale.
Also in the
mix are maestro Marc Taddei and the Pasifika sounds
and
harmonies of the Signature Choir.
Singing from
your seats is encouraged in Jingle Bells, Santa Claus
is
Coming to Town, Jingle Bell Rock, Deck the Halls, A
Pukeko In a Ponga
Tree, I saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus,
Te Harinui, Rudolf the Red
Nosed Reindeer, Sleigh Ride,
Silent Night, Summer Wonderland and All I
Want For
Christmas is You.
A reading from Charles Dickens’
timeless tale, A Christmas Carol, is a
theatrical element
to counter the lively vocals.
For the little ones,
pre-show entertainment of bouncy castles and
face
painting will be available in the Renouf Foyer at
the Michael Fowler
Centre one hour before the
show.
Orchestra Wellington’s Christmas Sing-Along is
on Sunday 13th December
at 2.30 at the Michael Fowler
Centre with host Erroll Anderson and
ballet dancer Kate
Cockerton-Holmes.
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