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Prologue[]

Once upon a time, there was a man who died. The man’s work was the writing and telling of stories, but he could not defy death. The last story he was working on was about a brave and handsome prince who vanquishes a crafty raven. But now it seems their battle will go on for eternity. “I’m sick and tired of this!” cried the raven. “I’m sick and tired of this!” cried the prince as well. The raven escaped from the pages of the story and the prince pursued the foul creature. In the end, the prince took out his own heart and sealed the raven away by using a forbidden power. Just then, a murmur came from somewhere. “This is great!” said the old man who was supposed to have died.

Story[]

After waking from an unusual dream in which she was a duck, Ahiru runs to class in fear of being late when she mistakenly takes it to be the wrong time. There, she finds her upperclassman Mytho dancing, a boy with a vacant expression who she admires. In her attempt to leave she slips. Mytho rushes forward to catch her from her fall but hurts his leg in the process. Before Ahiru can apologize, however, Mytho's dorm roommate Fakir comes and takes him away.

Later that day, the Advanced Class puts on a display for Ahiru's group. Ahiru admires Mytho's girlfriend Rue who is the leader of the special class. After class, Ahiru goes to the boys' dorm to try and apologize to Mytho for his ankle but is turned away at the door by a cold Fakir.

It isn't until the next day that she sees Mytho. He falls out of a high window trying to save a falling bird. Ahiru runs forward, and suddenly transform into Princess Tutu. She saves Mytho using a sea of flowers to break his fall. When Mytho asks Tutu who she is, she remembers that she is really a duck. She quacks in shock and runs away, and transforms into a duck.

Trivia[]

  • The subtitle for 1.AKT is ~Der Nußknacker: Blumenwalzer~, or “The Nutcracker: Waltz of the Flowers”, referring to the aforementioned ballet, and a piece of music from Act II. This is a piece used later in the AKT.
  • Despite the fact that The Nutcracker takes place around Christmas, "The Waltz of the Flowers" is full of springlike themes. "The melody, or main theme, is only vaguely hinted at in the opening. Then the harp plays the tenderly worked out introduction, like a flower blooming. The main theme is first presented in full by the horns, and answered by a lone clarinet. More rocking melodies follow, before the main theme sounds again, and the music springs out in full bloom. It shines still brighter, until the exciting end." (Klassiske mesterverker: Vårtoner, my translation).
  • About The Nutcracker: "The ballet's simple action is above all an excuse for a series of short, beautiful dances with a large number of different characters" (De store komponistene, my translation).
  • Drosselmeyer, of course, is the toymaker in the ballet. Here is an article which states that he sets the tone for the entire ballet , and here is the Wiki article on the ballet.
  • Princess Tutu's costume is based on Odette from Swan Lake.
  • We see the duck become a swan in the opening - just like in H.C. Andersen's The Ugly Duckling.

Music[]

  • Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy (The Nutcracker) Pyotr Tchaikovsky
  • Miniature Overture (The Nutcracker) Pyotr Tchaikovsky
  • Wedding March (A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
  • Waltz (Swan Lake) Pyotr Tchaikovsky
  • March (The Nutcracker) Pyotr Tchaikovsky
  • Waltz of the Flowers (The Nutcracker) Pyotr Tchaikosky
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