EXHIBITIONS

“Gingerbread and toy soldiers have started dancing in my head.”

Thus, The Nutcracker was born. Tchaikovsky wrote the excerpt above in a letter to his brother from the train station of Utica, New York in the heart of the Mohawk Valley during his visit to Niagara Falls, then considered one of the 20 Wonders of the World.

Tchaikovsky made his only trip to the United States in 1891 at the invitation of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie for the opening of his then new concert hall in New York City. The sights and sounds of America electrified Tchaikovsky’s imagination and helped create his eternal ballet, The Nutcracker.

Celebrated artist Carl Sprague has designed five productions of The Nutcracker. In keeping with his encyclopedic eye for the charming specifics of high style, The Red Lion Inn is pleased to present excerpts from his catalogue of artistic treasures. His work in film includes design masterpieces such as Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums and The Grand Budapest Hotel, among innumerable others.

Based on an 1816 short story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the unceasing pleasures of The Nutcracker have become as much of an enduring family tradition as The Red Lion Inn itself.

Happy Holidays!

Acclaimed designer Carl Sprague’s world of art transports its viewers into fanciful, dreamt of times - past, present or future - from the American belle époque of Edith Wharton in Martin Scorsese’s film The Age of Innocence to the dystopian suburban environments of celebrated photographer Gregory Crewdson. A cherished member of the local community, Carl’s civic efforts have contributed greatly to the extraordinary historic preservation of the town of Stockbridge itself and the conservation of the lush, open lands that surround it.