Although quite technical, this history and analysis of the creation and original productions of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and Nutcracker offers a great deal for the interested layperson. There is a wonderfully informative introductory section on the practice of ballet and production of ballet music in Russia in the mid-late 1800s, and as a whole the book illustrates how Tchaikovsky's forays into the dance world made possible the work of Stravinsky and Diaghilev just a generation later. Using primary sources such as holographic (written by the original hand) letters, scores and rehearsal reductions; as well as contemporary reviews and memoirs, the author traces the development of each ballet from concept to consultations between composer and ballet master to performance. There are also descriptions of the various choreographers, the choreography itself, the original libretti and changes made to them, and the primary dancers. Perhaps most difficult for the non-specialist is the examination of how Tchaikovsky designed the music, with multiple examples of key progressions, repetitions, and the use of new sounds, as he brought his genius at symphonic design to bear and altered ballet permanently.

It's hard to imagine a more thorough one-volume treatment, unless new primary materials are discovered. ( )