If you’ve been searching for the perfect Christmas present, we’ve found it for you. It’s the new Steinway & Sons CD of the complete Tchaikovsky Nutcracker ballet arranged for piano by a terrific young pianist named Stewart Goodyear.
To apply the term “arrangement” to Goodyear’s work is to deny it the credit it deserves. It is a new musical work with voicings and nuances that make it a completely satisfying way to experience the Tchaikovsky score. Just phenomenal.
First, here’s a video of the pianist discussing his work . . .

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And second, here’s a video of Goodyear playing some of its sections in a live concert. To tell you the truth, the studio CD recording seems even more polished and poised than the performance you will see in this video . . .

Great, Right?

Click here to go to Amazon.com to order a copy. And by the way, I’m not making a cent from Amazon if you do. It’s already bringing Christmas joy to my home, and I’m sure it will do the same for yours.

Another option? Subscribe to Classical Archives, my favorite online library of classical tracks, and listen to it over and over there. A subscription to Classical Archives won’t cost much more than buying the CD, and you’ll also have access to tens of thousands of other classical recordings.
Thanks to Stewart Goodyear for making this Christmas especially happy. I needed that, didn’t you?  We look forward to listening to his Nutcracker in future Christmases too.