About the Album
I love Christmas, Christmastime, Christmas lights, and Christmas music.
In fact, I have been know to sing and/or hum various Christmas songs at various points throughout the entire year. (Yes, I am one of those people. I do not apologize.)
Some of my favorite instrumental Christmas music is from The Nutcracker ballet, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. For me, it’s another one of those albums without which it’s just not Christmas.
So one day when I was out thrift-store shopping and saw a Nutcracker album for sale, naturally I snatched it up.
But when I put it in my CD player, I was in for a bit of a surprise. It sounded … different. The music was played very well – don’t get me wrong – but there were songs I did not recognize and others that sounded different from what I remembered.
It was at that moment that I realized something – not all Nutcracker arrangements are created equal.
(That, and the fact that apparently The Nutcracker actually contains more songs than I had heard previously.)
So while there was nothing inherently wrong with the album I had purchased, I decided that I really, really wanted to own a copy of the one I had grown up with and was most familiar with.
As a result, I went on a website hunt on one of the major marketplaces and purchased my very own copy of The Nutcracker Highlights – Peter Wohlert: Berlin Symphony Orchestra. (And whenever I see one for sale, I usually buy it in case any of my siblings wants it.)
At some point, I truly do want to hear the other Nutcracker songs that are not on this album. But for the most part, I am content to enjoy this one – full of good memories and that good old Christmas feeling.
As one of my all-time favorite Christmas albums, The Nutcracker Highlights – Peter Wohlert: Berlin Symphony Orchestra gets 5 stars.
Track List
Here is the track list for The Nutcracker Highlights – Peter Wohlert: Berlin Symphony Orchestra:
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No. 2 March
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No. 4 Dance Scene
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No. 4 Scene and the Grandfather Dance
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No. 6 Scene
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No. 7 Scene
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No. 8 Scene
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No. 12 Divertissement
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Chocolate (Spanish Dance)
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Coffee (Arabian Dance)
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Tea (Chinese Dance)
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Trepak (Russian Dance)
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Dance of the Toy Flutes
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The Clown
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No. 13 Waltz of the Glowers
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No. 14 Pas de deux
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No. 15 Closing Waltz and Grand Finale
Prayer Focus
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Britney Spears (Birthday: December 2, 1981)
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Mickey Thomas, vocalist from Starship (Birthday: December 2, 1949)
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Ozzy Osbourne (Birthday: December 3, 1948)
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Johnny Pate (Birthday: December 5, 1923) [100 years!]
Please pray for these bands and individuals as God leads you.
(I also have a basic guideline here if you wish to refer to it.)
Station Support
In addition to praying for the weekly Prayer Focus, please pray for God to guide me and give me wisdom as I make decisions for the radio station and for the website. I really appreciate your prayer support!
If you feel that the Lord is leading you to support Rocking for Jesus financially as well, you can do so by clicking here or by clicking on the “Give” tab in the website menu.
Contact
Do you have a favorite arrangement of a specific Christmas song or album? I’d love to hear about it!
Links
- Listen to The Nutcracker Highlights (Peter Wohlert: Berlin Symphony Orchestra) here: YouTube Music
Downloads and/or physical copies may also be available worldwide from your favorite online music store, at your local bookstore or thrift shop, or through your favorite online marketplace.
Closing Note
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Signing off until next week –
Rocking for Jesus with you!
Amanda Renée
Credits:
Site I used for musicians’ birthdays: