Waltz of the Flowers

The "Waltz of the Flowers" (1892) is a piece of orchestral music from the second act of The Nutcracker, a ballet composed by Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky told his fellow musicians he was working on a "fantastic" ballet called The Nutcracker: "It's awfully fun to write a march for tin soldiers, a waltz of the flowers, etc." The waltz is also the last number in his Nutcracker Suite. The "Waltz of the Flowers" is very popular. It has been arranged for various instruments and for various combinations of instruments. Percy Grainger arranged the waltz for piano solo as Paraphrase on Tchaikovsky’s Flower Waltz. Walt Disney Studios animated the waltz for the movie Fantasia. Waltz of the Flowers wins Academy Award for Animated Short Film characters: Thumbelina, Janessa, Chrysella from Barbie Presents Thumbelina.

Tchaikovsky in 1893

Other websites

• "Waltz of the Flowers", a compilation of images of Tchaikovsky accompanied by "Waltz of the Flowers"
• "Waltz of the Flowers", the Mariinsky Ballet (Kirov Ballet) in October 1993 at Mariinsky Theater in St Petersburg
• "Waltz of the Flowers" played on an organ