The Nutcracker: Rerelease
The Modern Mandolin Quartet released their album The Nutcracker Suite on September 10, 1991 on Windham Hill Records. For whatever reason, the version of the album shown as the first result on most streaming platforms is not the original recording from 1991 with the original musicians, but years later with other personnel. To keep things straight, I wanted to provide links here for the original version.
The arrangements for this album have a funny story attached to them. At the time, we had just finished working on Intermezzo when Windham Hill pitched the idea of recording a version of the Nutcracker as our next album. We deliberated on this for a while. Come Christmastime, The Nutcracker might be the most well known piece of holiday classical music; the classical cousin of (albeit more tolerable than) winter holiday pop music.
I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of the idea, knowing I was the one doing the bulk of the arranging work. However, the idea for a prank started to form in my mind, so I continued to voice distaste for the idea to the other group members, while secretly starting to work on arranging the music anyway. This continued for a few months. Every time someone would mention the idea to me again, I would turn up the disgust and frustration in my tone a notch, and dismiss the idea again.
I carried on like this for a couple more months. One day, before a concert, i noticed the guys huddling and talking in a sort of hushed tone before one of them came over to me. I knew it was going to be about the Nutcracker again, and sure enough, he [who?] said: “John, we need to talk. Windham hill, the nutcracker..” —Now it was the right moment for me to flip out. At this point I had five of the eight movements finished, and in my bag. I don’t remember exactly what was said, but something along the lines of: “Nutcracker, again? I’m sick of hearing of this Bullsh*t. Do you have ANY idea how much work it would be to arrange those parts?” I reached into my bag and pulled out one of the movements, which I had hand-copied out. “Russian dance? For f*cks sake!” I threw it on the ground. “Dance of the Mirltons? Who’s going to do that?” I threw the next piece on the ground. I continued until the five movements I had finished were lying around the stage, the other band members flabbergasted. “There. Someone else can do the rest.” I said.
I was quite happy about how the prank went. As far as slow burners go, it had plenty of build-up and a good catharsis at the end. In any case, the pieces and their respective arrangers are noted below, so you can see which pieces of music hit the stage floor all those years ago.
Album Credits:
Composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Arrangements by John Imholz und Paul Binkley)
Production and Recording: Produced by Mike Marshall, Recorded May-June 1991 at Mobius Music Studios, San Francisco
Personnel:
Mike Marshall: Mandolin I
Dana Rath: Mandolin II
Paul Binkley: Mandola and Guitar
John Imholz: Mandocello
Guest Artists: Edgar Meyer (Bass on Winter’s Chill) & Ransom Wilson (Flute on Vivaldi’s Winter)
Tracklist:
1. Overture (3:05) (arr. JI)
2. March (3:04) (arr. JI)
3. Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy (2:07) (arr. Paul Binkley)
4. Russian Dance (1:08) (arr. JI)
5. Arabian Dance (3:49) (arr. Paul Binkley)
6. Chinese Dance (1:03) (arr. JI)
7. Dance Of The Mirlitons (3:11) (arr. JI)
8. Waltz Of The Flowers (7:31) (arr. Paul Binkley)
9. Antonio Vivaldi – Winter: Allegro Non Molto (3:12)
10. Antonio Vivaldi – Winter: Largo (1:59)
11. Antonio Vivaldi – Winter: Allegro (2:53)
12. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Overture From The Magic Flute (7:08)
13. Edgar Meyer – Winter's Chill (5:29)
Über das Album
Komponist: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Arrangements von John Imholz und Paul Binkley)
Produktion & Aufnahme: Produziert von Mike Marshall, aufgenommen im Mai und Juni 1991 in den Mobius Music Studios in San Francisco.
Besetzung:
Mike Marshall: Mandoline (Mandolin I)
Dana Rath: Mandoline (Mandolin II)
Paul Binkley: Mandola und Gitarre
John Imholz: Mandocello
Gastmusiker: Edgar Meyer (Bass bei Winter's Chill) und Ransom Wilson (Flöte bei Vivaldis Winter).