Twelve Days of Christmas Music: Sugar Rum Cherry

I loved The Nutcracker as a child in a deep and profound way. Not just the ballet and the story, but the music itself was something I could listen to over and over again. It kindof broke my heart when, as a teenager, I hung around with a couple classical composers and discovered that cool people consider The Nutcracker to be, at best, music that is best watched and, at worst, naff and pandering to the lowest common denominator. In terms of high art and snobbery, Tchaikovsky is not Stravinsky. Now, snobby high art wannabe that I was (and still am), I attempted to adopt this too evolved for the classical equivalent of top 40 music attitude, but, try as I might to be a cool kid, I can't shake my love for this flower petaled, sugar-dusted suite.

So, obviously, I am pleased as punch to listen to Duke Ellington's Three Suites record because only someone with a blood temperature approaching absolute zero would suggest they are too cool for something this awesome.