“The Christmas season is over.… Nobody’s thinking much about the ‘Nutcracker,’ ” writes John Wilkens in Saturday’s (2/13) San Diego Union-Tribune. “John Stubbs is. The longtime San Diego violinist and orchestra conductor discovered an error recently in the score for the beloved ballet, an engraving mistake in the original printing plates more than 100 years ago that altered in a subtle way how Tchaikovsky wanted one passage of the music played. The composer wrote it for two flutes. The engraver gave him a flute and a piccolo. ‘It added a bright color where Tchaikovsky didn’t mean to have a bright color,’ Stubbs said…. He’s been a violinist for more than 40 years with the San Diego Symphony and has led the orchestra for the California Ballet‘s performances of ‘Nutcracker’ for 25 years…. When Stubbs examined the score more closely, he zeroed in on a passage in what’s known as the Chinese (or Tea) Dance … [Then] he found scanned images of Tchaikovsky’s original score … and they answered his question: The entire reprise section was supposed to be played by two flutes. No piccolo. ‘It’s been hiding in plain sight for more than 100 years,’ Stubbs said.’ ”
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