Originally from ACT 2 Scene 14 of the ballet The Nutcracker, the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” has become one of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky most famous compositions. Tchaikovsky took eight selections from the ballet and made them into a piece to be performed in concert, sans dancing, called The Nutcracker Suite. The ending to the ballet version of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” was altered and gained popularity in the late 19th and early 20th century. In 1940 Disney’s Fantasia brought it into popular culture, and its original context, in a Christmas themed ballet, helped solidify it as a concert staple of many orchestras Holiday programs.

In 2005 The Red Baron remixed the Berlin Symphony Orchestra conducted by Peter Wohler’s 1989 recording, adding a trip-hop beat and accentuating the celesta in the mix. It breathed new life into the 100+ year old song, making it fresh for the new millennium. In 2008 BMW used this version of the song in a television commercial.