Nothing says Christmas quite like a trip to the ballet for Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. As evergreen as a Christmas tree and with sparkle galore, it’s one of the great ballet scores, brimming with melody and orchestrated by a master—and here beautifully played and conducted with terrific élan by Barry Wordsworth. The Royal Opera’s production, with choreography by Peter Wright, in quite magical sets by Julia Trevelyan Oman, is a real delight. Marianela Nuñez is an enchanting Sugar Plum Fairy and Vadim Muntagirov every inch the charming Prince, and their chemistry is obvious. A glorious feast for the ears and the eyes.