-Allegro vivo]. Rothbart’s spell over the swan maidens is broken. In an apotheosis, the swan maidens watch as Siegfried and Odette ascend into the Heavens together, forever united in love. Odette, comforted by her swan maidens, is distraught. In a version which has an ending very close to the 1895 Mariinsky revival, danced by American Ballet Theatre in 2005, Siegfried’s mistaken pledge of fidelity to Odile consigns Odette to remain a swan forever. The Nutcracker (1892). Swan Lake, the British premiere. Six princesses are presented to the prince [Entrance of the Guests and Waltz], one of whom his mother hopes he will choose as his bride. Sleeping Beauty (1889) The storm subsides, the moon comes out and a band of swans appear on the tranquil lake. Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Boris Gruzin. The principal roles are: In a version danced by New York City Ballet in 2006 (with choreography by Peter Martins after Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, and George Balanchine), the Prince’s declaration that he wishes to marry Odile constitutes a betrayal that condemns Odette to remain a swan forever. Various changes to the libretto were made (see above) and the four acts became three (Act 2 became Act 1 scene 2). However, Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. The first of Tchaikovsky's great ballet scores, Swan Lake has been enshrined in the public's imagination as the classical ballet non pareil. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music. Karpakova likely also danced the part Odile, although it is not known for certain. Grief-stricken, Siegfried hurries back to the lake. As Von Rothbart disappears, the swan maidens fill the clearing [Scène: Allegro, Moderato assai quasi andante]. Odile (The Black Swan), Rothbart’s daughter The second scene of Swan Lake was then presented on 21 February in Prague by the Ballet of the National Theatre in a version mounted by the Balletmaster August Berger. Odette (aka Queen Of The Swans and The White Swan), who has been transformed into a white swan by Rothbart Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake Theme Instrumental cover by Agnieszka Kurcaba. Word of this change soon found its way to Tchaikovsky, who became very angry, stating that, whether the ballet is good or bad, he alone shall be held responsible for its music. No longer was the music a string of unrelated dance movements with no attempt to portray characters or events on stage, as was usual in the fare provided by the ‘specialist’ ballet composers. But it is actually Von Rothbart’s daughter Odile in disguise, for Rothbart has magically disguised her as Odette. The score was published posthumously, and it did not achieve lasting fame until after the … A storm arises. It ends with the famous 32 Fouettés En Tournant. Really. The libretto is based on a story by the German author Johann Karl August Musäus, “Der geraubte Schleier” (The Stolen Veil), though this story provides only the general outline of the plot of Swan Lake. Yet with all this, the premiere of Swan Lake on Friday 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, was something of a fiasco. He is a young Prince, full of bright spirit and enthusiasm, and seems to have little interest in his royal role. Combined with a Russian conductor who not only knows the printed notes on the page, but understands the music they are trying to convey, and you have a Swan Lake unmatched by any other modern recording, a Swan Lake that Tchaikovsky was thinking of. Sobeshchanskaya was so pleased with Tchaikovsky’s new version of the Minkus music that she requested he compose for her an additional variation, which he did. By April 1876 the score was complete, and rehearsals began. Critics considered Tchaikovsky’s music “too noisy, too ‘Wagnerian’ and too symphonic”. Subject.to much argument and change is the ending; variously, Odetter kills helself in despair, the Prince either joins her or follows after her, Odette or both either rise (To Heaven) or drown ( trust me, this is important) OR THE Prince rights/kills Rothbart and Odette liveSS, rising/rescued from the lake ( coming down from Heaven is a no-no) OR the power of their love defeats Rothbart, who dies. He arrives at the lakeside clearing, just as a flock of swans land nearby [Scène. The origins of the ballet Swan Lake are rather obscured, and since there are very few records concerning the first production of the work to have survived, there can only be speculation about who the author of the original libretto was. Night falls. Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as Von Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno. The dazzled public roared with demands for an encore, and the Ballerina repeated her variation, this time performing twenty-eight fouettés en tournant. She is Odette who explains that she and her companions are victims of a spell cast on them by the evil Rothbart whereby they are turned into swans during the day, only returning to human form at night by the enchanted lake. Odette is often referred to as a “tragic heroine” and is always portrayed as vulnerable, gentle, caring, modest and warm-hearted. Tchaikovsky's original score contains an Introduction and 29 individual numbers as listed below, together with two supplementary numbers (Nos. The biggest difference of productions all over the world is that the ending varies from romantic to tragic. The plan succeeds, yet in the end, Rothbart is not triumphant. Hansen made considerable efforts throughout the late 1870s/early 1880s to salvage Swan Lake, and on 13 January 1880, he presented a new production of the ballet for his own benefit performance. Curiously, there is no record of Tchaikovsky’s involvement with the ballet during its rehearsal period through much of 1876, though he was living in Moscow at the time. Ballet is full of horrible endings for the the lovers. Rothbart (“Redbeard”) may also be spelled Rotbart. The music was composed by the Alhambra Theatre’s chef d’orchestre Georges Jacoby. info)), Op. Though different productions present differing versions and interpretations of the story, the essential elements are constant: Prince Siegfried is celebrating his coming of age. But there was a more special version for the Chapultepec Lake in Mexico City -that was repeated in the Lenin’s Park Amphitheater in Havana (1983 or 1984 I think)- that was the most impressive performance I’ve seen. Berger’s production was only given eight performances, and was even planned for production at the Fantasia Garden in Moscow in 1893, but it never materialised. His favourite hobby is hunting, so to end his birthday celebrations, he and Benno head into the forest on a hunting expedition with their companions. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. A similar ending was used in. with not one iota of those frantic, intrusive, camera maneuverings so out of place in the art of ballet (and so common in competitive sports). But before he can shoot it, the swan transforms into the most beautiful girl he has ever seen: Princess Odette, the Queen of the Swans. In spite of the poor reaction to the première, the ballet nevertheless continued to be performed. Find album reviews, stream songs, credits and award information for Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - John Lanchbery on AllMusic - 1989 Los Angeles group Sweetbox uses the main theme for the chorus of their song “Superstar” from the 2001 album “Classified”. When Odette falls in love with Prince Siegfried, hope for her freedom has come at last, until Siegfried is tricked into breaking his vow by Von Rothbart, trapping Odette as a swan forever. However, Geltser was in all probability merely the first person to copy the scenario for publication, as a surviving copy bears his name. The story of the ballet is based on a German fairy tale. As of April 2011, the Royal Ballet have performed Swan Lake 946 times. She tells him that he must choose a bride at the royal ball the following evening. to be produced and directed and photographed with intelligence and taste and respect for the arts . The adaption follows the original, but some parts like the pas de deux was not possible to perform in Second Life and has been changed. Title: Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (1942) Author: Granville Bantock (1868-1946) Created Date: 1/4/2004 11:05:33 AM In a version danced by San Francisco Ballet in 2009, Siegfried and Odette throw themselves into the lake, as in the 1895 Mariinsky revival, and von Rothbart is destroyed. Swan Lake (Russian: Лебединое озеро/Lebedinoye ozero), Op. Every summer, Tchaikovsky was in the habit of visiting the same three places and friends. Berger’s production followed the 1877 libretto, though the names of Prince Siegfried and Benno were changed to Jaroslav and Zdeňek, with the rôle of Benno danced by a female dancer en travestie. $29.99. The most authoritative theory appears to be that it was written by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres during the time that the ballet was originally produced, and possibly Vasily Geltser, Danseur of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre. Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake Theme Instrumental cover by Agnieszka Kurcaba. It was given only sixteen performances between the première and the 1895–1896 season, and was not performed at all in 1897. His letters to Sergei Taneyev from August 1875 indicate, however, that it was not only his excitement that compelled him to create it so quickly but his wish to finish it as soon as possible, so as to allow him to start on an opera. Odette also appears in many adaptations of the ballet. Tchaikovsky studied the music of these “specialists”, such as the Italian Cesare Pugni and the Austrian Ludwig Minkus, before setting to work on Swan Lake. The ballet was given during two concerts which were conducted by Tchaikovsky. Read our guide to Tchaikovsky’s romantic masterpiece ‘Swan Lake’ – one of the greatest and most popular classical ballets of all time. Not to be missed by anyone wishing to explore one of the greatest ballet scores ever, indispensable for those who still think of Tchaikovsky's music as sugary and sentimental wish-wash. One example is the Bolshoi Ballet’s version, where he is portrayed as a sadistic schemer and plays a wicked game of fate with Siegfried, which he wins at the end, causing Siegfried to lose everything. “Swan Lake” in Warsaw, 1900. The première of Swan Lake on Friday, 4 March 1877, was given as a benefit performance for the ballerina Pelageya Karpakova (also known as Polina Karpakova), who performed the role of Odette, with the Bolshoi Theatre’s Première danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales[a] and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The only way for the spell to be broken is by the power of eternal love between Odette and a young man who will remain faithful to her, for if the vow of eternal love is broken, she will remain a swan forever. Title Лебединое озеро Composer Tchaikovsky, Pyotr: Opus/Catalogue Number Op./Cat. Throughout the long and complex performance history of Swan Lake the 1895 edition of Petipa, Ivanov, and Drigo has served as the version from which many stagings have been based. In 2014 the Little Princess Ballet Academy (LPBA) performed the entire Swan Lake in Second Life. She has many companions under the same spell, who have made her their queen, hence her title “The Swan Queen.” She is forced to live by a lake that was magically formed from the tears of her grieving mother after Rothbart kidnapped her. Siegfried threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes – if Von Rothbart dies before the spell is broken, it can never be undone. She appears in the second and fourth acts, though she also makes a minor appearance in the third act when she appears as a vision during the Ball. On the night of the Ball, Siegfried is thinking of nothing but Odette, and after rejecting various potential brides in her favour, he is overjoyed when she finally arrives. The most loved and mesmerizing of classical ballets, "Swan Lake" was Tchaikovsky's first. In a version danced by National Ballet of Canada in 2010, Odette forgives Siegfried for his betrayal and the promise of reconciliation shines momentarily before Rothbart summons forth a violent storm. Most of the critics were not themselves familiar with ballet or music but rather with spoken melodrama. 19a and 20a). Of course, Siegfried has eyes only for her, whereupon Odette appears and attempts to warn him of the trick, but he does not see her and announces that he will marry Odile. When the storm subsides, Odette is left alone to mourn the dead Siegfried. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake was composed in 1875 after he received a commission from Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, the intendant of Moscow's Russian Imperial Theatres. Swan Lake is generally presented in either four Acts, four Scenes (primarily outside Russia and Eastern Europe) or three Acts, four Scenes (primarily in Russia and Eastern Europe). Nearly every balletmaster or choreographer who has re-staged Swan Lake has sought to make modifications to the ballet’s scenario, while still maintaining to a considerable extent the traditional choreography for the dances, which is regarded as virtually sacrosanct. Prince Siegfried is the lead male ballet dancer role. It was composed in 1875 and over 100 years later it remains a favorite with ballet companies regularly performing it throughout the world. The choreographer assigned to the production was the Czech Julius Reisinger (1827–1892), who had been engaged as balletmaster to the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (today known as the Bolshoi Ballet) since 1873. There are 33 numbers in the complete ballet scored for a large symphony orchestra (five instruments more than the pit orchestra for Tristan Und Isolde, for example). Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Moreover, the score for Swan Lake allows the ballet master free rein to repeat or delete sections at will. Tchaikovsky’s excitement with Swan Lake is evident from the speed with which he composed: commissioned in the spring of 1875, the piece was created within one full year. Respectively, he created scores of the first three numbers of the ballet, then the orchestration in the fall and winter, and was still struggling with the instrumentation in the spring. In 1960 George Balanchine choreographed a pas de deux to this music for the Ballerina Violette Verdy, and the Danseur Conrad Ludlow performed on the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City under the title Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, as it is still known and performed today. There are major differences between Drigo’s and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake score. This act of sacrifice and love breaks Von Rothbart’s power, and he is destroyed. The ballet “libretto” omits the same process with affects (or afflicts) the ballet itself. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 4.3 out of 5 stars 48. Swan Lake is one of the most popular of all classical ballets, and the first of Tchaikovsky’s three ballets (the others being The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker) that opened a golden age of Russian ballet. The Russian folktale “The White Duck” also bears some resemblance to the story of the ballet, and may have been another possible source. Odette is distraught at Siegfried’s betrayal. 20 (1875–1876): The Swan Lake Op. There was a ballerina known as Alicia Alonso, who made her version of the Lake with the happy ending and believe me, it was beautiful (and nice). According to Lopukhov, “both the plot of Swan Lake, the image of the Swan and the very idea of a faithful love are essentially Russian”. Swan Lake (ballet), Op.20 (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr) For the concert suite extracted from the ballet, see Swan Lake (suite), Op.20a. After her departure, the ballet was taken over by Mathilde Kschessinskaya, who was as much celebrated in the rôle as was her Italian predecessor. The Swan Lake ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Some productions in the West include a prologue that shows the actual transformation by which Princess Odette is first turned into a swan. As for Delibes, Tchaikovsky later wrote to his protégé the composer Sergei Taneyev that he “listened to the Delibes ballet Sylvia… what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm and harmony. Rothbart is rarely seen in human form, as he appears as a giant owl in the second and fourth acts. Julius Reisinger left Moscow in 1879, and his successor as Balletmaster was Joseph Peter Hansen. I was ashamed, for if I had known of this music then, I would not have written ‘Swan Lake'”. But unlike the instructions that Tchaikovsky received for the scores of The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, no such written instruction is known to have survived. Nevertheless – and this is not often recorded- this production survived in the repertoire for six years and had 41 performances, more than many of the other ballets in the Bolshoi repertoire. Sobeshchanskaya was replaced by Pelageya Karpakova who danced the rôle of the Swan Queen until the former was reinstated by Petipa. By day they are turned into swans and only at night, by the side of the enchanted lake – created from the tears of Odette’s mother – do they return to human form. This, the graceful ‘Waltz’ from Act 1, and the delightful ‘Dance Of The Cygnets’ from Act 2, are the best-known musical highlights of this great score. -Moderato]. His friend Benno and the tutor try to lift his troubled mood. Frederick Ashton’s 1987 version has seen the most revivals by the company. Stalin is blamed for the “happy”. In this version, the lovers’ joint suicide inspires the rest of von Rothbart’s imprisoned swans to turn on him and overcome his spell, which ultimately defeats him. 20 - FinaleComposer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)Conductor: Michael Tilson ThomasOrchestra: London Symphony Orchestra Swan Lake was the first ballet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Like Odette and Von Rothbart, he appears in many adaptations of the ballet, although he has a different name in almost every one, despite retaining some or all of his characteristics. This sequence differs from some versions produced after the composer's death. For such a famous work the genesis of Swan Lake, the greatest of all romantic ballets, is surprisingly vague. The swan-maidens try to comfort her, but she is resigned to death. The production’s “failure” was due to several reasons. This version has often been used by Russian and Chinese ballet companies. In some productions, Odile is known as the Black Swan and, rather than being magically disguised as her, is actually Odette’s evil twin or double; an example of this type of portrayal is seen in the production by the Bolshoi Ballet. The dancer of Odette (and probably Odile though this has never been proved for certain) was a secondary soloist and “not particularly convincing”, “The poverty of the production, meaning the décor and costumes, the absence of outstanding performers, the Balletmaster’s weakness of imagination, and, finally, the orchestra…all of this together permitted (Tchaikovsky) with good reason to cast the blame for the failure on others.”. He clearly cares more for socialising, merry events and sporting activities, as shown when he is celebrating his 21st birthday with his best friend, Benno and his tutor, Wolfgang. Our recommended recording of Swan Lake, featured on Tchaikovsky: Ballet Suites performed by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich, can be bought here. One informant claimed that the ‘swan theme’ familiar from the later ballet made its first appearance at this time; another claimed that the production had taken place in the summer of 1867. We also know that before setting to work, Tchaikovsky studied the music of ‘specialist’ ballet composers like Cesare Pugni (1802-70) and Ludwig Minkus (1826-1917) whose light, rhythmic, melodious but vapid works were in great demand. She is a swan … 4.5 out of 5 stars 97. Prince Siegfried goes out hunting one night and chases a group of swans – one of them transforms into a young woman, Odette, who explains that she and her companions were turned into swans by the evil Baron Von Rothbart. In 1940, San Francisco Ballet became the first American company to stage a complete production of Swan Lake. According to two of Tchaikovsky’s relatives—his nephew Yuri Lvovich Davydov and his niece Anna Meck-Davydova—the composer had earlier created a little ballet called The Lake of the Swans at their home in 1871. The two composers whose ballet music he most admired were French: Adolphe Adam and Leo Delibes. “Swan Lake: a chronology; The sleeping beauty: a chronology; other Tchaikovsky ballets.”. However, the death of Tsar Alexander III on 1 November 1894 and the period of official mourning that followed it brought all ballet performances and rehearsals to a close for some time, and as a result all efforts were able to be concentrated on the pre-production of the revival of Swan Lake. Petipa choreographed Sobeshchanskaya’s pas de deux to music composed by Ludwig Minkus, who held the post of Ballet composer to the St Petersburg Imperial Theatres. A moonlit night. The score used in this résumé is Tchaikovsky’s score as he originally composed it (including later additions of the original 1877 production). Struck by her beauty, Siegfried falls in love with her at once. Having seen more than 55 years of ballet and very very many Swan Lakes , I now vote for the happy endings. Get the latest classical news straight to your inbox! But as dawn arrives, the evil spell draws Odette and her companions back to the lake and they are turned into swans again. Pop 19 Don Henley - Boys Of Summer Vocal cover by dead faeries. The other von Rothbart, a repulsive, reptilian-like creature, reveals himself only after he has performed an evil deed, such as transforming Odette into a swan. The festivities are interrupted by The Princess who, worried at her son’s carefree lifestyle, announces that he must choose someone to marry by the following evening. “The poverty of the production,” wrote Modest Tchaikovsky, the composer’s brother, “the absence of outstanding performers, the ballet master’s weakness of imagination, and, finally, the orchestra … all of this together permitted (Tchaikovsky) with good reason to cast the blame for the failure on others.’”. Required fields are marked *. When his mother, the Queen tells him he must soon marry, he refuses because he has not yet found a woman of his preference. It may not be the easiest "Swan Lake" to live with, nor is it the only possible interpretation of the ballet, yet Svetlanov's is by far the most profound version on disc around. Your email address will not be published. Von Rothbart’s daughter Odile is danced by the same ballerina; this facilitates the scene in which Odile, disguised as Odette, tricks Prince Siegfried into being unfaithful. The scenario, initially in four acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. He makes a passionate apology. Most of the reviews in the St. Petersburg newspapers were positive. Glazunov - Raymonda / Bolshoi Ballet, Ludmila Semenyaka, Irek Moukhamedov Irek Mukhamedov. He aims his crossbow at the swans [Scène. She only appears in the third act, usually dressed in black (though in the 1895 production, she did not wear black) and magically disguised as Odette in order to help her father trick Siegfried into breaking his vow of love to Odette. This production was far more well-received than the original, though it was by no means a great success. 20 (with synopsis of the Ballet) The Swan Lake - Act I (A park, with a castle in the distance) Odette is called away into swan form, and Siegfried is left alone in grief as the curtain falls. Willam Christensen based his choreography on the Petipa-Ivanov production, turning to San Francisco’s large population of Russian émigrés, headed by Princess and Prince Vasili Alexandrovich of Russia, to help him ensure that the production succeeded in its goal of preserving Russian culture in San Francisco. During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky considered reviving Swan Lake and were in talks with Tchaikovsky about doing so. Realising his mistake, Siegfried flees grief-stricken to the lake. The Grand adage (a.k.a. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular ballets of all time. Adam uses leitmotifs – the technique that associates certain musical themes with particular characters and emotions, a device that Tchaikovsky adopted for Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. Princess Odette is the lead ballerina role. This breaks Von Rothbart’s spell over the swan maidens, causing him to lose his power over them and he dies. The Russian ballet patriarch Fyodor Lopukhov has called Swan Lake a “national ballet” because of its swans, which he argues originate from Russian lyrically romantic sources, while many of the movements of the corps de ballet originated from Slavonic ring-dances. His human form is seen only in the third act with his daughter Odile, when she dances with the Prince Siegfried. The contemporaries of Tchaikovsky recalled the composer taking great interest in the life story of Bavarian King Ludwig II, whose tragic life had supposedly been marked by the sign of Swan and who—either consciously or not—was chosen as the prototype of the dreamer Prince Siegfried. The first full-scale version of Swan Lake on a British stage didn’t happen until 1934 when the Vic-Wells Ballet performed it with Alicia Markova as Odette/Odile. All parts are played by individual avatars. Pudelek, Janina. The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. Von Rothbart suddenly appears [Scène. The critics also found fault with Reisinger’s choreography which they thought was “unimaginative and altogether unmemorable”. In the final tableau, the lovers are seen rising together to heaven in apotheosis. Guests arrive at the palace for a costume ball. The Prince does so as well. Apart from a full symphonic score, Tchaikovsky offered moments of magical orchestration too numerous to mention, and, with the sophisticated use of different tonalities, links the various elements of the narrative into a cohesive whole (using B minor for the Swans, for instance, F minor for Rothbart). Wolfgang, his tutor. He was commissioned to write it by the Vladimir Begichev for the Moscow Imperial Theater in the spring of 1875, and the whole piece was created within one year: by April 1876, the ballet was complete.
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