Балет лебединое озеро по сказке

Swan Lake
Choreographer	Julius Reisinger
Music	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Premiere	4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877 Moscow
Original ballet company	Bolshoi Ballet
Genre	Classical ballet

Swan Lake (Russian: Лебеди́ное о́зеро, tr. Lebedínoye ózero, IPA: [lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə] listen (help·info)), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular ballets of all time.^[1]

The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian and German folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger (Václav Reisinger). The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877^[2][3] at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky’s score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre’s chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo.^[4]

History[edit]

Origins of the ballet[edit]

There is no evidence to prove who wrote the original libretto, or where the idea for the plot came from. Russian and German folk tales have been proposed as possible sources, including «The Stolen Veil» by Johann Karl August Musäus, but both those tales differ significantly from the ballet.^[5]

One theory is that the original choreographer, Julius Reisinger, who was a Bohemian (and therefore likely to be familiar with The Stolen Veil), created the story.^[6] Another theory is that it was written by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres at the time, possibly with Vasily Geltser, danseur of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (a surviving copy of the libretto bears his name). Since the first published libretto does not correspond with Tchaikovsky’s music in many places, one theory is that the first published version was written by a journalist after viewing initial rehearsals (new opera and ballet productions were always reported in the newspapers, along with their respective scenarios).

Some contemporaries of Tchaikovsky recalled the composer taking great interest in the life story of Bavarian King Ludwig II, whose life had supposedly been marked by the sign of Swan and could have been the prototype of the dreamer Prince Siegfried.^[7]

Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky in May 1875 for 800 rubles. Tchaikovsky worked with only a basic outline from Julius Reisinger of the requirements for each dance.^[8] However, unlike the instructions for the scores of The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, no written instruction is known to have survived.

Tchaikovsky’s influences[edit]

From around the time of the turn of the 19th century until the beginning of the 1890s, scores for ballets were almost always written by composers known as «specialists» who were highly skilled at scoring the light, decorative, melodious, and rhythmically clear music that was at that time in vogue for ballet. Tchaikovsky studied the music of «specialists» such as the Italian Cesare Pugni and the Austrian Ludwig Minkus, before setting to work on Swan Lake.

Tchaikovsky had a rather negative opinion of the «specialist» ballet music until he studied it in detail, being impressed by the nearly limitless variety of infectious melodies their scores contained. Tchaikovsky most admired the ballet music of such composers as Léo Delibes, Adolphe Adam, and later, Riccardo Drigo. He would later write to his protégé, the composer Sergei Taneyev, «I listened to the Delibes ballet Sylvia … what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony. I was ashamed, for if I had known of this music then, I would not have written Swan Lake.» Tchaikovsky most admired Adam’s 1844 score for Giselle, which used the Leitmotif technique: associating certain themes with certain characters or moods, a technique he would use in Swan Lake, and later, The Sleeping Beauty.

Tchaikovsky drew on previous compositions for his Swan Lake score. 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. This ballet included the famous Leitmotif, the Swan’s Theme or Song of the Swans. He also made use of material from The Voyevoda, an opera he had abandoned in 1868. Another number which included a theme from The Voyevoda was the Entr’acte of the fourth scene and the opening of the Finale (Act IV, No. 29). The Grand adage (a.k.a. the Love Duet) from the second scene of Swan Lake was fashioned from the final love duet from his opera Undina (Tchaikovsky), abandoned in 1873.

By April 1876 the score was complete, and rehearsals began. Soon Reisinger began setting certain numbers aside that he dubbed «undanceable.» Reisinger even began choreographing dances to other composers’ music, but Tchaikovsky protested and his pieces were reinstated. Although the two artists were required to collaborate, each seemed to prefer working as independently of the other as possible.^[9]

Composition process[edit]

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 year. 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. 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. By April 1876, the work was complete. Tchaikovsky’s mention of a draft suggests the presence of some sort of abstract but no such draft has ever been seen. Tchaikovsky wrote various letters to friends expressing his longstanding desire to work with this type of music, and his excitement concerning his current stimulating, albeit laborious task.^[10]

Performance history[edit]

Moscow première (world première)

• Date: 4 March (OS 20 February) 1877
• Place: Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
• Balletmaster: Julius Reisinger
• Conductor: Stepan Ryabov
• Scene Designers: Karl Valts (acts 2 & 4), Ivan Shangin (act 1), Karl Groppius (act 3)

St. Petersburg première

• Date: 27 January 1895
• Place: Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
• Balletmaster: Marius Petipa (acts 1 & 3), Lev Ivanov (acts 2 & 4)
• Conductor: Riccardo Drigo
• Scene Designers: Ivan Andreyev, Mikhail Bocharov, Henrich Levogt
• Costume Designer: Yevgeni Ponomaryov^[11]

Other notable productions

• 1880 and 1882, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, staged by Joseph Hansen after Reisinger, conductor and designers as in première
• 1901, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, staged by Aleksandr Gorsky, conducted by Andrey Arends, scenes by Aleksandr Golovin (act 1), Konstantin Korovin (acts 2 & 4), N. Klodt (act 3)
• 1911, London, Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev production, choreography by Michel Fokine after Petipa–Ivanov, scenes by Golovin and Korovin

Original interpreters

Role	Moscow 1877	Moscow 1880	St. Petersburg 1895[11]	Moscow 1901	London 1911
Queen	Olga Nikolayeva		Giuseppina Cecchetti
Siegfried	Victor Gillert	Alfred Bekefi	Pavel Gerdt	Mikhail Mordkin	Vaslav Nijinsky
Benno	Sergey Nikitin		Aleksandr Oblakov
Wolfgang	Wilhelm Wanner		Gillert
Odette	Pelageya Karpakova	Yevdokiya Kalmїkova	Pierina Legnani	Adelaide Giuri	Mathilde Kschessinska
Von Rothbart	Sergey Sokolov		Aleksey Bulgakov	K. Kubakin
Odile	Pelageya Karpakova		Pierina Legnani		Mathilde Kschessinska

Original production of 1877[edit]

The première 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 première danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. Karpakova may also have danced the part Odile, although it is believed the ballet originally called for two different dancers. It is now common practice for the same ballerina to dance both Odette and Odile.

The Russian ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya was originally cast as Odette, but was replaced when a governing official in Moscow complained about her, claiming she had accepted jewelry from him, only to then marry a fellow danseur and sell the pieces for cash.

The première was not well received. Though there were a few critics who recognised the virtues of the score, most considered it to be far too complicated for ballet. It was labelled «too noisy, too ‘Wagnerian’ and too symphonic.»^[12] The critics also thought Reisinger’s choreography was «unimaginative and altogether unmemorable.»^[12] The German origins of the story were «treated with suspicion while the tale itself was regarded as ‘stupid’ with unpronounceable surnames for its characters.»^[12] Karpakova was a secondary soloist and «not particularly convincing.»^[12]

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.

Yet the fact remains (and is too often omitted in accounts of this initial production) that this staging survived for six years with a total of 41 performances – many more than several other ballets from the repertoire of this theatre.^[13]

Tchaikovsky pas de deux 1877[edit]

On 26 April 1877, Anna Sobeshchanskaya made her début as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and from the start, she was completely dissatisfied with the ballet. Sobeshchanskaya asked Marius Petipa—Premier Maître de Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres—to choreograph a pas de deux to replace the pas de six in the third act (for a ballerina to request a supplemental pas or variation was standard practice in 19th-century ballet, and often these «custom-made» dances were the legal property of the ballerina they were composed for).

Petipa created the pas de deux to music by Ludwig Minkus, ballet composer to the St Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The piece was a standard pas de deux classique consisting of a short entrée, the grand adage, a variation for each dancer individually, and a coda.

Tchaikovsky was angered by this change, stating that whether the ballet was good or bad, he alone should be held responsible for its music. He agreed to compose a new pas de deux, but soon a problem arose: Sobeshchanskaya wanted to retain Petipa’s choreography. Tchaikovsky agreed to compose a pas de deux that would match to such a degree, the ballerina would not even be required to rehearse. Sobeshchanskaya was so pleased with Tchaikovsky’s new music, she requested he compose an additional variation, which he did.

Until 1953 this pas de deux was thought to be lost, until a repétiteur score was accidentally found in the archives of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, among orchestral parts for Alexander Gorsky’s revival of Le Corsaire (Gorsky had included the piece in his version of Le Corsaire staged in 1912). In 1960 George Balanchine choreographed a pas de deux to this music for Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow, performed at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City as Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,^[14] as it is still known and performed today.

Subsequent productions 1879–1894[edit]

Julius Reisinger’s successor as balletmaster was Joseph Peter Hansen. Hansen made considerable efforts to salvage Swan Lake and on 13 January 1880 he presented a new production of the ballet for his own benefit performance. The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. This production was better received than the original, but by no means a great success. Hansen presented another version of Swan Lake on 28 October 1882, again with Kalmykova as Odette/Odile. For this production Hansen arranged a Grand Pas for the ballroom scene which he titled La Cosmopolitana. This was taken from the European section of the Grand Pas d’action known as The Allegory of the Continents from Marius Petipa’s 1875 ballet The Bandits to the music of Ludwig Minkus. Hansen’s version of Swan Lake was given only four times, the final performance being on 2 January 1883, and soon the ballet was dropped from the repertory altogether.

In all, Swan Lake was performed 41 times between its première and the final performance of 1883 – a rather lengthy run for a ballet that was so poorly received upon its première. Hansen became Balletmaster to the Alhambra Theatre in London and on 1 December 1884 he presented a one-act ballet titled The Swans, which was inspired by the second scene of Swan Lake. The music was composed by the Alhambra Theatre’s chef d’orchestre Georges Jacoby.

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. The ballet was given during two concerts which were conducted by Tchaikovsky. The composer noted in his diary that he experienced «a moment of absolute happiness» when the ballet was performed. 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. The rôle of Prince Siegfried was danced by Berger himself with the ballerina Giulietta Paltriniera-Bergrova as Odette. 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.

Petipa–Ivanov–Drigo revival of 1895[edit]

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky discussed with Tchaikovsky the possibility of reviving Swan Lake.^[15] However, Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893,^[16] just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. It remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was prepared to revise the music for this revival. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky’s death, Drigo was forced to revise the score himself, after receiving approval from Tchaikovsky’s younger brother, Modest. There are major differences between Drigo’s and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake score. Today, it is Riccardo Drigo’s revision of Tchaikovsky’s score, and not Tchaikovsky’s original score of 1877, that most ballet companies use.

In February 1894, two memorial concerts planned by Vsevolozhsky were given in honor of Tchaikovsky. The production included the second act of Swan Lake, choreographed by Lev Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the Imperial Ballet. Ivanov’s choreography for the memorial concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful.

The revival of Swan Lake was planned for Pierina Legnani’s benefit performance in the 1894–1895 season. The death of Tsar Alexander III on 1 November 1894 and the ensuing period of official mourning brought all ballet performances and rehearsals to a close for some time, and as a result all efforts could be concentrated on the pre-production of the full revival of Swan Lake. Ivanov and Petipa collaborated on the production, with Ivanov retaining his dances for the second act while choreographing the fourth, with Petipa staging the first and third acts.

Modest Tchaikovsky was called upon to make changes to the ballet’s libretto, including the character of Odette changing from a fairy swan-maiden into a cursed mortal woman, the ballet’s villain changing from Odette’s stepmother to the magician von Rothbart, and the ballet’s finale: instead of the lovers simply drowning at the hand of Odette’s stepmother as in the original 1877 scenario, Odette commits suicide by drowning herself, with Prince Siegfried choosing to die as well, rather than live without her, and soon the lovers’ spirits are reunited in an apotheosis.^[17] Aside from the revision of the libretto the ballet was changed from four acts to three—with act 2 becoming act 1, scene 2.

All was ready by the beginning of 1895 and the ballet had its première on Friday, 27 January. Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno. Most of the reviews in the St. Petersburg newspapers were positive.

Unlike the première of The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake did not dominate the repertory of the Mariinsky Theatre in its first season. It was given only sixteen performances between the première and the 1895–1896 season, and was not performed at all in 1897. Even more surprising, the ballet was performed only four times in 1898 and 1899. The ballet belonged solely to Legnani until she left St. Petersburg for her native Italy in 1901. After her departure, the ballet was taken over by Mathilde Kschessinskaya, who was as much celebrated in the rôle as was her Italian predecessor.

Later productions[edit]

Throughout the performance history of Swan Lake, the 1895 edition has served as the version on which most stagings have been based. Nearly every balletmaster or choreographer who has re-staged Swan Lake has made modifications to the ballet’s scenario, while still maintaining much of the traditional choreography for the dances, which is regarded as virtually sacrosanct. Likewise, over time the rôle of Siegfried has become more prominent, due largely to the evolution of ballet technique.

In 1922, Finnish National Ballet was the first European company that staged a complete production of the ballet. By the time Swan Lake premiered in Helsinki Finland in 1922, it had only ever been performed by Russian and Czech ballet groups, and only visiting Russian ballet groups had brought it to Western Europe.^[18]

In 1940, San Francisco Ballet became the first American company to stage a complete production of Swan Lake. The enormously successful production starred Lew Christensen as Prince Siegfried, Jacqueline Martin as Odette, and Janet Reed as Odile. 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.^[19]

Several notable productions have diverged from the original and its 1895 revival:

• In 1967, Eric Bruhn produced and danced in a new «Swan Lake» for the National Ballet of Canada, with striking largely black and white designs by Desmond Healey. Although substantial portions of the Petipa-Ivanov choreography were retained, Bruhn’s alterations were musical as well as choreographic. Most controversially, he recast Von Rothbart as the malevolent «Black Queen», adding psychological emphasis to the Prince’s difficult relationships with women, his domineering mother included.
• Illusions Like «Swan Lake» 1976: John Neumeier Hamburg Ballet, Neumeier interpolated the story of Ludwig II of Bavaria into the Swan Lake plot, via Ludwig’s fascination with swans. Much of the original score was used with additional Tchaikovsky material and the choreography combined the familiar Petipa/Ivanov material with new dances and scenes by Neumeier. The ballet finishes with Ludwig’s death by drowning while confined to an asylum, set to the dramatic music for the act 3 conclusion. With the theme of the unhappy royal being forced into heterosexual marriage for reasons of state and also the cross reference to the personal lives of actual royalty, this work anticipated both Bourne’s and Murphy’s interpretation. Illusions Like «Swan Lake» remains in the repertoire of major German ballet companies.
• Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake departed from the traditional ballet by replacing the female corps de ballet with male dancers and a plot focused on the psychological pressures of modern royalty on a prince struggling with his sexuality and a distant mother. It has been performed on extended tours in Greece, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Ireland in addition to the United Kingdom, and has won over 30 international awards to date.^[20]
• The 2000 American Ballet Theatre version (taped for television in 2005), rather than having the curtain down as the slow introduction is played, used this music to accompany a new prologue in which the audience is shown how Rothbart first transforms Odette into a swan. This prologue is similar to Vladimir Burmeister’s production of «Swan Lake» (firstly staged in Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow, 1953) but has some differences. Rothbart in this production is played by two dancers; one appears as a handsome young man who is easily able to lure Odette in the new prologue, and the other dancer is covered in sinister «monster makeup» which reveals the magician’s true self. (in the film Black Swan, Natalie Portman, as Nina, dreams this in the film’s opening sequence). About half-an-hour of the complete score is omitted from this production.^{[citation needed]}
• Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake was first performed in 2002, and was loosely based on the breakdown of the marriage of Lady Diana to Prince Charles and his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. It combined the rôles of Rothbart and Odile into that of a Baroness, and the focus of the story is a love triangle.^[21]
• In 2010, Black Swan, a film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, contained sequences from Swan Lake.^[22]
• In 2010, South African choreographer and ballet dancer Dada Masilo, remade Tchaikovsky’s classic.^[23] Her version was a mix of classic ballet and African dance. She also made a plot twist by presenting Odile (the black swan) as a gay male swan rather than a female swan.^[24][25]
• A Swan Lake, choreographed by Alexander Ekman and composed by Mikael Karlsson, was created for the Norwegian National Ballet. The first act is part dance part theatre, about the original production of Swan Lake, which features two stage actors and a soprano. In the second act, the stage is filled in 5000 litres of water, and features the conflict between White Swan and Black Swan.^[26][27]

Instrumentation[edit]

Swan Lake is scored for the typical late 19th-century large orchestra:

• Strings: violins I and II; violas, violoncellos; double basses, harp
• Woodwinds: piccolo; 2 flutes; 2 oboes; 2 clarinets in B♭, A and C; 2 bassoons
• Brass: 4 French horns in F; 2 cornets in A and B♭; 2 trumpets in F, D, and E; 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass); tuba
• Percussion: timpani; snare drum; cymbals; bass drum; triangle; tambourine; castanets; tam-tam; glockenspiel; chimes

Roles[edit]

• Princess Odette (the Swan Queen, the White Swan, the Swan Princess), a beautiful princess, who has been transformed into a white swan
• Prince Siegfried, a handsome Prince who falls in love with Odette
• Baron Von Rothbart, an evil sorcerer, who has enchanted Odette
• Odile (the Black Swan), Rothbart’s daughter
• Benno von Sommerstern, the Prince’s friend
• The Queen, Prince Siegfried’s mother
• Wolfgang, his tutor
• Baron von Stein
• The Baroness, his wife
• Freiherr von Schwarzfels
• His wife
• A herald
• A footman
• Court gentlemen and ladies, friends of the prince, heralds, guests, pages, villagers, servants, swans, cygnets

Variations to characters[edit]

By 1895, Benno von Sommerstern had become just «Benno», and Odette «Queen of the Swans.» Also Baron von Stein, his wife, and Freiherr von Schwarzfels and his wife were no longer identified on the program. The sovereign or ruling Princess is often rendered «Queen Mother.»

The character of Rothbart (sometimes spelled Rotbart) has been open to many interpretations. The reason for his curse upon Odette is unknown; several versions, including two feature films, have suggested reasons, but none is typically explained by the ballet. He is rarely portrayed in human form, except in act 3. He is usually shown as an owl-like creature. In most productions, the couple’s sacrifice results in his destruction. However, there are versions in which he is triumphant. Yury Grigorovich’s version, which has been danced for several decades by the Bolshoi Ballet, is noted for including both endings: Rothbart was defeated in the original 1969 version, in line with Soviet-era expectations of an upbeat conclusion,^[28] but in the 2001 revision, Rothbart plays a wicked game of fate with Siegfried, which he wins at the end, causing Siegfried to lose everything. In the second American Ballet Theatre production of Swan Lake, he is portrayed by two dancers: a young, handsome one who lures Odette to her doom in the prologue, and a reptilian creature. In this version, the lovers’ suicide inspires the rest of Rothbart’s imprisoned swans to turn on him and overcome his spell.

Odile, Rothbart’s daughter usually wears jet black (though in the 1895 production, she did not), and appears only in act 3. In most modern productions, she is portrayed as Odette’s exact double (though the resemblance is because of Rothbart’s magic), and therefore Siegfried cannot be blamed for believing her to be Odette. There is a suggestion that in the original production, Odette and Odile were danced by two different ballerinas. This is also the case in some avant garde productions.

Synopsis[edit]

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). The biggest difference of productions all over the world is that the ending, originally tragic, is now sometimes altered to a happy ending.

Prologue[edit]

Some productions include a prologue that shows how Odette first meets Rothbart, who turns Odette into a swan.

Act 1[edit]

A magnificent park before a palace

[Scène: Allegro giusto] Prince Siegfried is celebrating his birthday with his tutor, friends, and peasants [Waltz]. The revelries are interrupted by his mother, the Queen [Scène: Allegro moderato], who is concerned about his carefree lifestyle. She tells him that he must choose a bride at the royal ball the following evening (some productions include the presentation of some possible candidates). He is upset that he can’t marry for love. His friend, Benno, and the tutor try to lift his troubled mood. As evening falls [Sujet], Benno sees a flock of swans flying overhead and suggests they go on a hunt [Finale I]. Siegfried and his friends take their crossbows and set off in pursuit of the swans.

Act 2[edit]

A lakeside clearing in a forest by the ruins of a chapel. A moonlit night.

Siegfried has become separated from his friends. He arrives at the lakeside clearing, just as a flock of swans land [Scène. Moderato]. He aims his crossbow [Scène. Allegro moderato], but freezes when one of them transforms into a beautiful maiden named Odette [Scène. Moderato]. At first, she is terrified of him. When he promises not to harm her, she explains that she and her companions are victims of a spell cast by the evil owl-like sorcerer named Rothbart. 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. The spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before swears to love Odette forever. Rothbart suddenly appears [Scène. Allegro vivo]. Siegfried threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes – if he dies before the spell is broken, it can never be undone.

As Rothbart disappears, the swan maidens fill the clearing [Scène: Allegro, Moderato assai quasi andante]. Siegfried breaks his crossbow, and sets about winning Odette’s trust as they fall in love. But as dawn arrives, the evil spell draws Odette and her companions back to the lake and they are turned into swans again.

Act 3[edit]

An opulent hall in the palace

Guests arrive at the palace for a costume ball. Six princesses are presented to the prince [Entrance of the Guests and Waltz], as candidates for marriage. Rothbart arrives in disguise [Scène: Allegro, Allegro giusto] with his daughter, Odile, who is transformed to look like Odette. Though the princesses try to attract Siegfried with their dances [Pas de six], he has eyes only for Odile. [Scène: Allegro, Tempo di valse, Allegro vivo] Odette appears at the castle window and attempts to warn him, but he does not see her. He then proclaims to the court that he will marry Odile before Rothbart shows him a magical vision of Odette. Grief-stricken and realizing his mistake (he vowed only to love Odette), he hurries back to the lake.

Act 4[edit]

By the lakeside

Odette is distraught. The swan maidens try to comfort her. Siegfried returns to the lake and makes a passionate apology. She forgives him, but his betrayal can’t be undone. Rather than remain a swan forever, she chooses to die. He chooses to die with her and they leap into the lake, where they will stay together forever. This breaks Rothbart’s spell over the swan maidens, causing him to lose his power over them and he dies. In an apotheosis, they, who transform back into regular maidens, watch as Siegfried and Odette ascend into the Heavens together, forever united in love.

1877 libretto synopsis[edit]

Act 1

Prince Siegfried, his friends, and a group of peasants are celebrating his coming of age. His mother arrives to inform him she wishes for him to marry soon so she may make sure he does not disgrace their family line by his marriage. She has organized a ball where he is to choose his bride from among the daughters of the nobility. After the celebration, he and his friend, Benno, spot a flock of flying swans and decide to hunt them.

Act 2

Siegfried and Benno track the swans to a lake, but they vanish. A woman wearing a crown appears and meets them. She tells them her name is Odette and she was one of the swans they were hunting. She tells them her story: her mother, a good fairy, had married a knight, but she died and he remarried. Odette’s stepmother is a witch who wanted to kill her, but her grandfather saved her. He had cried so much over her mother’s death, he created the lake with his tears. She and her companions live in it with him, and can transform themselves into swans whenever they wish. Her stepmother still wants to kill her and stalks her in the form of an owl, but she has a crown which protects her from harm. When she gets married, her stepmother will lose the power to harm her. Siegfried falls in love with her but she fears her stepmother will ruin their happiness.

Act 3

Several young noblewomen dance at Siegfried’s ball, but he refuses to marry any of them. Baron von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile, arrive. Siegfried thinks Odile looks like Odette, but Benno doesn’t agree. He dances with her as he grows more and more enamored of her, and eventually agrees to marry her. At that moment, Rothbart transforms into a demon, Odile laughs, and a white swan wearing a crown appears in the window. Siegfried runs out of the castle.

Act 4

In tears, Odette tells her friends Siegfried did not keep his vow of love. Seeing him coming, they leave and urge her to go with them, but she wants to see him one last time. A storm begins. He enters and begs her for forgiveness. She refuses and attempts to leave. He snatches the crown from her head and throws it in the lake, saying, «Willing or unwilling, you will always remain with me!» The owl flies overhead, carrying the crown away. «What have you done? I am dying!» Odette says, and falls into his arms. The lake rises from the storm and drowns them. The storm quiets, and a group of swans appears on the lake.^[29]

Alternative endings[edit]

Many different endings exist, ranging from romantic to tragic.

• In 1950, Konstantin Sergeyev staged a new Swan Lake for the Mariinsky Ballet (then the Kirov) after Petipa and Ivanov, but included some bits of Vaganova and Gorsky. Under the Soviet regime, the tragic ending was replaced with a happy one, so in the Mariinsky and Bolshoi versions, Odette and Siegfried lived happily ever after.
• In the version danced today by the Mariinsky Ballet, the ending is one of a «happily ever after» in which Siegfried fights Rothbart and tears off his wing, killing him. Odette is restored to human form and she and Siegfried are happily united. This version has often been used by Russian and Chinese ballet companies. A similar ending was used in The Swan Princess.
• In the 1986 version Rudolf Nureyev choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet, Rothbart fights with Siegfried, who is overcome and dies, leaving Rothbart to take Odette triumphantly up to the Heavens.
• In the 1988 Dutch National Ballet production, choreographed by Rudi van Dantzig, Siegfried realized he can’t save Odette from the curse, so he drowns himself. His friend, Alexander, finds his body and carries him.^[30]
• Although the 1969 Bolshoi Ballet production by Yuri Grigorovich contained a happy ending similar to the Mariinsky Ballet version, the 2001 revision changed the ending to a tragic one. Siegfried is defeated in a confrontation with the Evil Genius, who seizes Odette and takes her away to parts unknown before the lovers can unite, and Siegfried is left by himself at the lake. The major-key rendition of the main leitmotif and the remainder of the Apotheosis (retained in the 1969 production) are replaced with a modified, transposed repeat of the Introduction followed by the final few bars of No. 10/No. 14, closing the ballet on a downer.
• In a version which has an ending very close to the 1895 Mariinsky revival, danced by American Ballet Theatre starting in 2000 (with a video recording published in 2005), Siegfried’s mistaken pledge of fidelity to Odile consigns Odette to remain a swan forever. After realizing her last moment of humanity is at hand, Odette commits suicide by throwing herself into the lake. Siegfried follows her to his death. This act of sacrifice and love breaks Rothbart’s power, and he is destroyed. In the final tableau, the lovers are seen rising together to Heaven in apotheosis.
• In a version danced by New York City Ballet in 2006 (with choreography by Peter Martins after Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, and George Balanchine), Siegfried’s declaration he wishes to marry Odile constitutes a betrayal that condemns Odette to remain a swan forever. She is called away into swan form, and Siegfried is left alone in grief as the curtain falls.
• In the 2006 version by Stanton Welch for Houston Ballet, also based upon Petipa and Ivanov, the last scene has Siegfried attempting to kill Rothbart with his crossbow, but he misses and hits Odette instead. She falls, Rothbart’s spell now broken, and regains human form. Siegfried embraces her as she dies, then carries her body into the lake, where he also drowns himself.^[31][32][33]
• 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 Rothbart is destroyed. Two swans, implied to be the lovers, are then seen flying past the Moon.
• 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. He and Siegfried struggle. When the storm subsides, Odette is left alone to mourn the dead Siegfried.
• In the 2012 version performed at Blackpool Grand Theatre^[34] by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia Siegfried drags Rothbart into the lake and they both drown. Odette is left as a swan.
• In the 2015 English National Ballet version My First Swan Lake,^[35] specifically recreated for young children, the power of Siegfried and Odette’s love enables the other swans to rise up and defeat Rothbart, who falls to his death. This breaks the curse, and Siegfried and Odette live happily ever after. This is like the Mariinsky Ballet’s «Happily ever after» endings. In a new production in 2018, Odile helps Siegfried and Odette in the end. Rothbart, who is Odile’s brother in this production, is forgiven and he gives up his evil power. Odette and Siegfried live happily ever after and stay friends with Rothbart and Odile. This is actually the only production that grants a peaceful solution and a happily ever after even for Odile and Rothbart.
• In Hübbe and Schandorff’s 2015 and 2016 Royal Danish Ballet production, Siegfried is forced by Rothbart to marry Odile, after condemning Odette to her curse as a swan forever by mistakenly professing his love to Odile.
• In the 2018 Royal Ballet version, Siegfried rescued Odette from the lake, but she turns out to be dead, even though the spell is broken.^[36]

Structure[edit]

Tchaikovsky’s original score (including additions for the original 1877 production),^[37] which differs from the score as revised by Riccardo Drigo for the revival of Petipa and Ivanov that is still used by most ballet companies. The titles for each number are from the original published score. Some of the numbers are titled simply as musical indications, those that are not are translated from their original French titles.

Act 1[edit]

Introduction: Moderato assai – Allegro non-troppo – Tempo I

No. 1 Scène: Allegro giusto

No. 2 Waltz: Tempo di valse

No. 3 Scène: Allegro moderato

No. 4 Pas de trois

1. Intrada (or Entrée): Allegro

2. Andante sostenuto

3. Allegro semplice, Presto

4. Moderato

5. Allegro

6. Coda: Allegro vivace

No. 5 Pas de deux for Two Merry-makers (later fashioned into the Black Swan Pas de Deux)

1. Tempo di valse ma non troppo vivo, quasi moderato

2. Andante – Allegro

3. Tempo di valse

4. Coda: Allegro molto vivace

No. 6 Pas d’action: Andantino quasi moderato – Allegro

No. 7 Sujet (Introduction to the Dance with Goblets)

No. 8 Dance with Goblets: Tempo di polacca

No. 9 Finale: Sujet, Andante

Act 2[edit]

No. 10 Scène: Moderato

No. 11 Scène: Allegro moderato, Moderato, Allegro vivo

No. 12 Scène: Allegro, Moderato assai quasi andante

No. 13 Dances of the Swans

1. Tempo di valse

2. Moderato assai

3. Tempo di valse

4. Allegro moderato (later the famous Dance of the Little Swans)

5. Pas d’action: Andante, Andante non-troppo, Allegro (material borrowed from Undina)

6. Tempo di valse

7. Coda: Allegro vivo

No. 14 Scène: Moderato

Act 3[edit]

No. 15 Scène: March – Allegro giusto

No. 16 Ballabile: Dance of the Corps de Ballet and the Dwarves: Moderato assai, Allegro vivo

No. 17 Entrance of the Guests and Waltz: Allegro, Tempo di valse

No. 18 Scène: Allegro, Allegro giusto

No. 19 Pas de six

1. Intrada (or Entrée): Moderato assai

2. Variation 1: Allegro

3. Variation 2: Andante con moto (likely used as an adage after the Intrada but either composed inadvertently or published after the first variation)

4. Variation 3: Moderato

5. Variation 4: Allegro

6. Variation 5: Moderato, Allegro semplice

7. Grand Coda: Allegro molto

Appendix I – Pas de deux pour Mme. Anna Sobeshchanskaya (from the original music by Ludwig Minkus and later choreographed by George Balanchine as the Tchaikovsky Pas de deux)

# Intrada: Moderato – Andante

# Variation 1: Allegro moderato

# Variation 2: Allegro

# Coda: Allegro molto vivace

No. 20 Hungarian Dance: Czardas – Moderato assai, Allegro moderato, Vivace

Appendix II – No. 20a Danse russe pour Mlle. Pelageya Karpakova: Moderato, Andante semplice, Allegro vivo, Presto

No. 21 Danse Espagnole: Allegro non-troppo (Tempo di bolero)

No. 22 Danse Napolitaine: Allegro moderato, Andantino quasi moderato, Presto

No. 23 Mazurka: Tempo di mazurka

No. 24 Scène: Allegro, Tempo di valse, Allegro vivo

Act 4[edit]

No. 25 Entr’acte: Moderato

No. 26 Scène: Allegro non-troppo

No. 27 Dance of the Little Swans: Moderato

No. 28 Scène: Allegro agitato, Molto meno mosso, Allegro vivace

No. 29 Scène finale: Andante, Allegro, Alla breve, Moderato e maestoso, Moderato

Adaptations and references[edit]

Live-action film[edit]

• The opening credits for the first sound version of Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi includes a modified version of the Swan Theme from act 2. The same piece was later used for the credits of The Mummy (1932) as well as Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) and is often used as a backing track for the silent film, Phantom of the Opera (1925).
• The film I Was an Adventuress (1940) includes a long sequence from the ballet.
• The plot of the 1965 British comedy film The Intelligence Men reaches its climax at a performance of the ballet, with an assassination attempt on the ballerina portraying Odette.
• The 1966 American political thriller film Torn Curtain directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews contains a scene from the ballet Swan Lake. The lead couple of the film, played by Newman and Andrews, are escaping from East Berlin during the Cold War and attend a performance of the ballet as part of their escape plan. They are spotted and reported to the police by the lead ballerina (Tamara Toumanova) during the ballet performance. Their dramatic escape from the theatre during the ballet is a high point of the film.
• In 1968–69, the Kirov Ballet along with Lenfilm studios produced a filmed version of the ballet starring Yelena Yevteyeva as Odette.^[38]
• In the film Funny Girl (1968), Barbra Streisand, playing Fanny Brice, dances in a comedic spoof of Swan Lake.
• The ballet is central to the plot of Étoile (1989).
• John Williams’ famous theme «The Imperial March» from the Music of Star Wars is notably reminiscent in harmonic progression, orchestration, and some melodic constructs to certain presentations of the Swan Theme.
• In Brain Donors (1992), the three main characters try and succeed in sabotaging a fictional production of the ballet.
• Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010) focuses on two characters from Swan Lake—the Princess Odette, sometimes called the White Swan, and her evil duplicate, the witch Odile (the Black Swan), and takes its inspiration from the ballet’s story, although it does not literally follow it. Clint Mansell’s score contains music from the ballet, with more elaborate restructuring to fit the horror tone of the film.
• In Of Gods and Men (2011), the climactic Swan Lake music is played at the monks’ Last Supper-reminiscent dinner.
• In the film T-34, music from Swan Lake could be heard while the main characters test-drive a captured T-34 for the Germans and pulling off ballet-style moves with the tank.
• As of August 2020, a live-action adaptation of the ballet is being produced by Universal Pictures, written by Olivier Award-winning playwright Jessica Swale and starring Felicity Jones.^[39]
• The end of the ballet is in the film The Courier (2020).

Animated theatrical and direct-to-video productions[edit]

• Swan Lake (1981) is a feature-length anime produced by the Japanese company Toei Animation and directed by Koro Yabuki. The adaptation uses Tchaikovsky’s score and remains relatively faithful to the story. Two separate English dubs were made, one featuring regular voice actors, and one using celebrities as the main principals (Pam Dawber as Odette, Christopher Atkins as Siegfried, David Hemmings as Rothbart, and Kay Lenz as Odille). The second dub was recorded at Golden Sync Studios and aired on American Movie Classics in December 1990 and The Disney Channel in January 1994.^[40] It was presently distributed in the United States by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. It was also distributed in France and the United Kingdom by Rouge Citron Production.^[41]
• Swan Lake (1994) is a 28-minute traditional two-dimensional animation narrated by Dudley Moore. It is one of five animations in the Storyteller’s Classics series. Like the 1981 version, it also uses Tchaikovsky’s music throughout and is quite faithful to the original story. What sets it apart is the climactic scene, in which the prince swims across the lagoon towards Rothbart’s castle to rescue Odette, who is being held prisoner there. Rothbart points his finger at the prince and zaps him to turn him into a duck – but then, the narrator declares, «Sometimes, even magic can go very, very wrong.» After a moment, the duck turns into an eagle and flies into Rothbart’s castle, where the prince resumes his human form and engages Rothbart in battle. This animation was produced by Madman Movies for Castle Communications. The director was Chris Randall, the producer was Bob Burrows, the production co-ordinator was Lesley Evans and the executive producers were Terry Shand and Geoff Kempin. The music was performed by the Moscow State Orchestra. It was shown on TVOntario in December 1997 and was distributed on home video in North America by Castle Vision International, Orion Home Video and J.L. Bowerbank & Associates.
• The Swan Princess (1994) is a Nest Entertainment film based on the Swan Lake story. It stays fairly close to the original story, but does contain many differences. For example, instead of the Swan Maidens, we have the addition of sidekicks Puffin the puffin, Speed the tortoise, and Jean-Bob the frog. Several of the characters are renamed – Prince Derek instead of Siegfried, his friend Bromley instead of Benno and his tutor Rogers instead of Wolfgang; Derek’s mother is named Queen Uberta. Another difference is Odette and Derek knowing each other from when they were children, which introduces us to Odette’s father, King William and explains how and why Odette is kidnapped by Rothbart. The character Odile is replaced by an old hag (unnamed in this movie, but known as Bridget in the sequels), as Rothbart’s sidekick until the end. Also, this version contains a happy ending, allowing both Odette and Derek to survive as humans once Rothbart is defeated. It has nine sequels, The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (1997), The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom (1998), The Swan Princess Christmas (2012), The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale (2014), The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today (2016), The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover (2017), The Swan Princess: A Royal Myztery (2018), The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music (2019), and The Swan Princess: A Royal Wedding (2020), which deviate even further from the ballet. None of the films contain Tchaikovsky’s music.
• Barbie of Swan Lake (2003) is a direct-to-video children’s movie featuring Tchaikovsky’s music and motion capture from the New York City Ballet and based on the Swan Lake story. The story deviates more from the original than The Swan Princess, although it does consist of similarities to the plot from The Swan Princess. In this version, Odette is not a princess by birth, but a baker’s daughter and instead of being kidnapped by Rothbart and taken to the lake against her will, she discovers the Enchanted Forest when she willingly follows a unicorn there. She is also made into a more dominant heroine in this version, as she is declared as being the one who is destined to save the forest from Rothbart’s clutches when she frees a magic crystal. Another difference is the addition of new characters, such as Rothbart’s cousin the Fairy Queen, Lila the unicorn, Erasmus the troll and the Fairy Queen’s fairies and elves, who have also been turned into animals by Rothbart. These fairies and elves replace the Swan Maidens from the ballet. Also, it is the Fairy Queen’s magic that allows Odette to return to her human form at night, not Rothbart’s spell, which until the Fairy Queen counters, appears to be permanent. Other changes include renaming the Prince Daniel and a happy ending, instead of the ballet’s tragic ending.
• Barbie in the Pink Shoes (2013) features an adaptation of Swan Lake amongst its many fairytales.

Computer/video games[edit]

• The 1988 NES video game Final Fantasy II used a minor portion of Swan Lake just before fighting the Lamia Queen boss. In the WonderSwan Color and later versions the portion is longer.
• The 1990 LucasArts adventure game Loom used a major portion of the Swan Lake suite for its audio track, as well as incorporating a major swan theme into the storyline. It otherwise bore no resemblance to the original ballet.
• The 1991 DMA Design puzzle game Lemmings used «Dance of the Little Swans» in its soundtrack.
• The 1993 Treasure platform game McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure uses a portion of Swan Lake as background music for one of its levels.^{[42][better source needed]}
• The 2008 Nintendo DS game Imagine Ballet Star contains a shortened version of Swan Lake. The main character, who is directly controlled by the player of the game, dances to three shortened musical pieces from Swan Lake. Two of the pieces are solos and the third piece is a pas de deux.
• The 2009 SEGA video game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games includes Swan Lake in its figure skating competition.
• The 2015 game FNAF 3 contains a music box version of a piece from Swan Lake.
• The 2016 Blizzard Entertainment game Overwatch contains two unlockable costumes for the character Widowmaker based on Odette and Odile.
• The 2020 Nintendo Switch game Paper Mario: The Origami King features a comedic ballet production of the song, as well as a punk remix.

Dance[edit]

• The Swedish dancer/choreographer Fredrik Rydman has produced a modern dance/street dance interpretation of the ballet entitled Swan Lake Reloaded. It depicts the «swans» as heroin addict prostitutes who are kept in place by Rothbart, their pimp. The production’s music uses themes and melodies from Tchaikovsky’s score and incorporates them into hip-hop and techno tunes.^[43]

Literature[edit]

• Amiri & Odette (2009) is a verse retelling by Walter Dean Myers with illustrations by Javaka Steptoe.^[44] Myers sets the story in the Swan Lake Projects of a large city. Amiri is a basketball-playing «Prince of the Night», a champion of the asphalt courts in the park. Odette belongs to Big Red, a dealer, a power on the streets.
• The Black Swan (1999) is a fantasy novel written by Mercedes Lackey that re-imagines the original story and focuses heavily on Odile. Rothbart’s daughter is a sorceress in her own right who comes to sympathise with Odette.
• The Sorcerer’s Daughter (2003) is a fantasy novel by Irina Izmailova, a retelling of the ballet’s plot. The boyish and careless Siegfried consciously prefers the gentle, equally childlike Odile, while the stern and proud Odette is from the very beginning attracted to Rothbart (who later turns out to be the kingdom’s rightful monarch in hiding).
• Swan Lake (1989) is a children’s novel written by Mark Helprin and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, which re-creates the original story as a tale about political strife in an unnamed Eastern European country. In it, Odette becomes a princess hidden from birth by the puppetmaster (and eventually usurper) behind the throne, with the story being retold to her child.

Music[edit]

• Japanese instrumental rock group Takeshi Terauchi & Bunnys recorded this on their 1967 album, Let’s Go Unmei.
• Belgian band Wallace Collection quote from Act 2 Scene 10 in their track «Daydream» (1969).
• British ska band Madness featured a ska version in 1979 on their debut album One Step Beyond…
• South Korean group Shinhwa re-imagines the main theme into a hip-hop k-pop song “T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)” (1999)
• Los Angeles group Sweetbox uses the main theme for the chorus of their song «Superstar» from the 2001 album Classified.
• German singer Jeanette Biedermann uses the Swan Lake melody structure for her 2001 single release «How It’s Got To Be».
• Spanish symphonic metal band Dark Moor borrows elements on the song “Swan Lake”, the first track of their 2009 album Autumnal.
• A reggae version of the Swan Lake ballet appears on the 2017 album Classical Made Modern 3.^[45]
• Canadian metal band The Agonist has made an a cappella version of act 2’s «Scène. Moderato», which is included in their second studio album, Lullabies for the Dormant Mind.
• Beyoncé uses the ballet’s famous theme in her «visual album» Lemonade, a reference that underscores the film’s meditation on infidelity.
• Scott Hamilton — Tenor Saxophone. Jazz interpretation — Scott Hamilton CLASSICS^[46]

Musicals[edit]

• Odette – The Dark Side of Swan Lake, a musical written by Alexander S. Bermange and Murray Woodfield, was staged at the Bridewell Theatre, London in October 2007.
• In Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Rockettes do a short homage to Swan Lake during the performance of the «Twelve Days of Christmas (Rock and Dance Version)», with the line «Seven Swans A-Swimming».
• Billy Elliot the Musical incorporates the most famous section of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake in a dance number, in which the main character dances while shadowed by his future, adult self.
• The musical Anastasia includes a scene in which several of the main characters attend a performance of Swan Lake in Paris near the show’s climax. The four characters sing about their inner conflicts and desires as Tchaikovsky’s score blends into the musical’s melodies, the dancers onstage representing both the ballet’s characters and the thoughts of each singer in turn.

Television[edit]

• During the era of the Soviet Union, Soviet state television preempted large announcements with video recordings of Swan Lake on four infamous occasions. In 1982 state television broadcast recordings following the death of Leonid Brezhnev. In 1984 recordings preempted the announcement of the death of Yuri Andropov. In 1985, recordings preempted the announcement of the death of General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko.^[47] The final and most oft-cited instance of the use of Swan Lake in this context was during the August 1991 Soviet coup attempt leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.^[48]
• When independent Russian news channel Dozhd (also known as «TV Rain») was forced to shut down due to censorship laws caused by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the station chose to end its final newscast with Swan Lake in a reference to its use in 1991.^[49][50]
• Princess Tutu (2002) is an anime television series whose heroine, Duck, wears a costume reminiscent of Odette’s. She is a duck transformed by a writer into a girl (rather than the other way around), while her antagonist, Rue, dressed as Odile, is a girl who had been raised to believe she is a raven. Other characters include Mytho in the role of Siegfried, who is even referred to by this name towards the end of the second act, and Drosselmeyer playing in the role of Rothbart. The score of Swan Lake, along with that of The Nutcracker, is used throughout, as is, occasionally, the Petipa choreography, most notably in episode 13, where Duck dances the climactic pas de deux alone, complete with failed lifts and catches.
• In the second season of the anime Kaleido Star, a circus adaptation of Swan Lake becomes one of the Kaleido Stage’s most important and successful shows. Main character Sora Naegino plays Princess Odette, with characters Leon Oswald as Prince Siegfried and May Wong as Odile.
• In episode 213 of The Muppet Show, Rudolf Nureyev performs Swine Lake with a giant ballerina pig.
• In episode 105 of Cagney and Lacey, Det. Chris Cagney went to this with her boyfriend and hated it so that she fell asleep in the second act.
• Swan Lake was heard in two episodes of the Playhouse Disney series Little Einsteins: «Quincy and the Magic Instruments» and «The Blue Footed Boobey Bird Ballet».
• In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode Loon Lake, Babs Bunny helps out Shirley the Loon after she was ridiculed by a group of snobbish swans in ballet class while preparing for a performance of Swan Lake.
• In Dexter’s Laboratory episode, Deedeemensional, Dexter, in order to deliver an important message to his future self, was forced to dance Swan Lake with Dee Dee and her future self.
• The Beavis and Butt-Head episode «A Very Special Episode» uses the same arrangement used in Dracula and The Mummy while Beavis is feeding the bird he saved.
• In the animated children’s show Wonder Pets, Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming help encourage a baby swan to dance in his own way. The music of Swan Lake is used.
• A close arrangement of the waltz from act 1 appears in episodes 16, 23 and 78 of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, «Sonic Rainboom» , «The Cutie Mark Chronicles» and «Simple Ways».

Selected discography[edit]

Audio[edit]

Year	Conductor	Orchestra
1954	Antal Doráti	Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra	first complete recording, late 1953, mastered originally in mono only; some mock-stereo issues released on LP
1959	Ernest Ansermet	Orchestre de la Suisse Romande	taped in stereo Oct–Nov. 1958, abridged
1974	Anatole Fistoulari	Radio Filharmonisch Orkest	with Ruggiero Ricci, violin
1976	André Previn	London Symphony Orchestra	with Ida Haendel, violin
1977	Richard Bonynge	National Philharmonic Orchestra	with Mincho Minchev, violin
1979	Seiji Ozawa	Boston Symphony Orchestra	with Joseph Silverstein, violin
1982	John Lanchbery	Philharmonia Orchestra
1988	Yevgeny Svetlanov	Russian State Symphony Orchestra
1990	Michael Tilson Thomas	London Symphony Orchestra
1992	Charles Dutoit	Montreal Symphony Orchestra
2006	Valery Gergiev	Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre
2013	Neeme Järvi	Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra	with James Ehnes, violin: a multi-channel SACD recording
2018	Vladimir Jurowski	State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation	1877 version

Video[edit]

Year	Conductor	Ballet	Siegfried	Odette / Odile
1957	Yuri Fayer	Bolshoi Ballet	Nikolai Fadeyechev	Maya Plisetskaya
1966	John Lanchbery	Vienna State Ballet	Rudolf Nureyev	Margot Fonteyn
1968	Viktor Fedotov	Kirov Ballet	John Markovsky	Yelena Yevteyeva
1976	Algis Zhuraitis	Bolshoi Ballet	Alexander Bogatirev	Maya Plisetskaya
1980	Ashley Lawrence	The Royal Ballet	Anthony Dowell	Natalia Makarova
1984	Algis Zhuraitis	Bolshoi Ballet	Alexander Bogatirev	Natalia Bessmertnova
1986	Viktor Fedotov	Kirov Ballet	Konstantin Zaklinsky	Galina Mezentseva
1988	Graham Bond	English National Ballet	Peter Schaufuss	Evelyn Hart
1989	Algis Zhuraitis	Bolshoi Ballet	Yuri Vasyuchenko	Alla Mikhalchenko
1990	Viktor Fedotov	Kirov Ballet	Igor Zelensky	Yulia Makhalina
1992	Alexander Sotnikov	Perm Theatre Ballet	Alexei Fadeyechev	Nina Ananiashvili
1992	Jonathan Darlington	Paris Opera Ballet	Patrick Dupond	Marie-Claude Pietragalla
1996	Michel Quéval [fr]	Royal Swedish Ballet	Anders Nordström	Nathalie Nordquist
1998	Daniel Barenboim	Berlin State Ballet	Oliver Matz	Steffi Scherzer
2004	James Tuggle	La Scala Theatre Ballet	Roberto Bolle	Svetlana Zakharova
2005	Ormsby Wilkins	American Ballet Theatre	Ángel Corella	Gillian Murphy
2006	Vello Pähn	Paris Opera Ballet	Jose Martinez	Agnès Letestu
2007	Valery Gergiev	Mariinsky Ballet	Danila Korsuntsev	Ulyana Lopatkina
2009	Valeriy Ovsyanikov	The Royal Ballet	Thiago Soares	Marianela Núñez
2009	Vladimir Fedoseyev	Zurich Ballet	Stanislav Jermakov	Polina Semionova
2014	Alexander Ingram	Vienna State Ballet	Vladimir Shishov	Olga Esina
2015	Pavel Sorokin	Bolshoi Ballet	Denis Rodkin	Svetlana Zakharova
2015	Boris Gruzin	The Royal Ballet	Matthew Golding	Natalia Osipova
2018	Koen Kessels	The Royal Ballet	Vadim Muntagirov	Marianela Núñez

References[edit]

Sources

• Wiley, Roland John (1991). Tchaikovsky’s Ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-315314-9.

Further reading[edit]

• G. Abraham, ed. Tchaikovsky: a Symposium (London, 1945/R, R 1970 as The Music of Tchaikovsky. London: W. W. Norton, 1974)
• C. W. Beaumont. The Ballet called Swan Lake (London, 1952)
• Brown, David. Tchaikovsky: The Man and His Music. London: Faber & Faber, 2006. 108–119
• Brown, David. «Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa.» The Musical Times 125.1702 (1984): 696–698.
• Norris, George. Stanford, the Cambridge Jubilee and Tchaikovsky (London, 1980)
• Nuzzo, Nancy B. «Swan Lake: a chronology; The sleeping beauty: a chronology; other Tchaikovsky ballets.» Dance Magazine, 55 (June 1981), 57–58.
• Pudelek, Janina (1990–1991). «Swan Lake in Warsaw, 1900″. Dance Chronicle. 13 (3): 359–367. doi:10.1080/01472529008569046. JSTOR 1567690.
• Robinson, Harlow. «Review: Untitled.» Slavic and East European Journal, 31 (1987): 639–640

External links[edit]

• Listening guide with excerpts from The Australian Ballet’s production of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake
• The Kirov Ballet on YouTube

Background

• Swan Lake: From Planning to Performance at the Royal Opera House, about the Royal Ballet’s production
• Swan Lake choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
• Tchaikovsky Research

Video recordings

• Swan Lake (2005) Murphy and Corella (ABT) at IMDb
• Lebedinoe ozero (Swan Lake) at IMDb (1957)
• Schwanensee at IMDb (1967)
• Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at IMDb (1996)
• The Ballet Soloist (aka Russian Ballerina) – 1947 Soviet musical film with scenes from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. With subtitles in Esperanto.

Scores

• Swan Lake: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free sheet music of Danse Napolitaine from Cantorion.org

Swan Lake
Choreographer	Julius Reisinger
Music	Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Premiere	4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877 Moscow
Original ballet company	Bolshoi Ballet
Genre	Classical ballet

Swan Lake (Russian: Лебеди́ное о́зеро, tr. Lebedínoye ózero, IPA: [lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə] listen (help·info)), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular ballets of all time.^[1]

The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian and German folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger (Václav Reisinger). The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877^[2][3] at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky’s score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre’s chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo.^[4]

History[edit]

Origins of the ballet[edit]

There is no evidence to prove who wrote the original libretto, or where the idea for the plot came from. Russian and German folk tales have been proposed as possible sources, including «The Stolen Veil» by Johann Karl August Musäus, but both those tales differ significantly from the ballet.^[5]

One theory is that the original choreographer, Julius Reisinger, who was a Bohemian (and therefore likely to be familiar with The Stolen Veil), created the story.^[6] Another theory is that it was written by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres at the time, possibly with Vasily Geltser, danseur of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (a surviving copy of the libretto bears his name). Since the first published libretto does not correspond with Tchaikovsky’s music in many places, one theory is that the first published version was written by a journalist after viewing initial rehearsals (new opera and ballet productions were always reported in the newspapers, along with their respective scenarios).

Some contemporaries of Tchaikovsky recalled the composer taking great interest in the life story of Bavarian King Ludwig II, whose life had supposedly been marked by the sign of Swan and could have been the prototype of the dreamer Prince Siegfried.^[7]

Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky in May 1875 for 800 rubles. Tchaikovsky worked with only a basic outline from Julius Reisinger of the requirements for each dance.^[8] However, unlike the instructions for the scores of The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, no written instruction is known to have survived.

Tchaikovsky’s influences[edit]

From around the time of the turn of the 19th century until the beginning of the 1890s, scores for ballets were almost always written by composers known as «specialists» who were highly skilled at scoring the light, decorative, melodious, and rhythmically clear music that was at that time in vogue for ballet. Tchaikovsky studied the music of «specialists» such as the Italian Cesare Pugni and the Austrian Ludwig Minkus, before setting to work on Swan Lake.

Tchaikovsky had a rather negative opinion of the «specialist» ballet music until he studied it in detail, being impressed by the nearly limitless variety of infectious melodies their scores contained. Tchaikovsky most admired the ballet music of such composers as Léo Delibes, Adolphe Adam, and later, Riccardo Drigo. He would later write to his protégé, the composer Sergei Taneyev, «I listened to the Delibes ballet Sylvia … what charm, what elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony. I was ashamed, for if I had known of this music then, I would not have written Swan Lake.» Tchaikovsky most admired Adam’s 1844 score for Giselle, which used the Leitmotif technique: associating certain themes with certain characters or moods, a technique he would use in Swan Lake, and later, The Sleeping Beauty.

Tchaikovsky drew on previous compositions for his Swan Lake score. 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. This ballet included the famous Leitmotif, the Swan’s Theme or Song of the Swans. He also made use of material from The Voyevoda, an opera he had abandoned in 1868. Another number which included a theme from The Voyevoda was the Entr’acte of the fourth scene and the opening of the Finale (Act IV, No. 29). The Grand adage (a.k.a. the Love Duet) from the second scene of Swan Lake was fashioned from the final love duet from his opera Undina (Tchaikovsky), abandoned in 1873.

By April 1876 the score was complete, and rehearsals began. Soon Reisinger began setting certain numbers aside that he dubbed «undanceable.» Reisinger even began choreographing dances to other composers’ music, but Tchaikovsky protested and his pieces were reinstated. Although the two artists were required to collaborate, each seemed to prefer working as independently of the other as possible.^[9]

Composition process[edit]

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 year. 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. 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. By April 1876, the work was complete. Tchaikovsky’s mention of a draft suggests the presence of some sort of abstract but no such draft has ever been seen. Tchaikovsky wrote various letters to friends expressing his longstanding desire to work with this type of music, and his excitement concerning his current stimulating, albeit laborious task.^[10]

Performance history[edit]

Moscow première (world première)

• Date: 4 March (OS 20 February) 1877
• Place: Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow
• Balletmaster: Julius Reisinger
• Conductor: Stepan Ryabov
• Scene Designers: Karl Valts (acts 2 & 4), Ivan Shangin (act 1), Karl Groppius (act 3)

St. Petersburg première

• Date: 27 January 1895
• Place: Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg
• Balletmaster: Marius Petipa (acts 1 & 3), Lev Ivanov (acts 2 & 4)
• Conductor: Riccardo Drigo
• Scene Designers: Ivan Andreyev, Mikhail Bocharov, Henrich Levogt
• Costume Designer: Yevgeni Ponomaryov^[11]

Other notable productions

• 1880 and 1882, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, staged by Joseph Hansen after Reisinger, conductor and designers as in première
• 1901, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, staged by Aleksandr Gorsky, conducted by Andrey Arends, scenes by Aleksandr Golovin (act 1), Konstantin Korovin (acts 2 & 4), N. Klodt (act 3)
• 1911, London, Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev production, choreography by Michel Fokine after Petipa–Ivanov, scenes by Golovin and Korovin

Original interpreters

Role	Moscow 1877	Moscow 1880	St. Petersburg 1895[11]	Moscow 1901	London 1911
Queen	Olga Nikolayeva		Giuseppina Cecchetti
Siegfried	Victor Gillert	Alfred Bekefi	Pavel Gerdt	Mikhail Mordkin	Vaslav Nijinsky
Benno	Sergey Nikitin		Aleksandr Oblakov
Wolfgang	Wilhelm Wanner		Gillert
Odette	Pelageya Karpakova	Yevdokiya Kalmїkova	Pierina Legnani	Adelaide Giuri	Mathilde Kschessinska
Von Rothbart	Sergey Sokolov		Aleksey Bulgakov	K. Kubakin
Odile	Pelageya Karpakova		Pierina Legnani		Mathilde Kschessinska

Original production of 1877[edit]

The première 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 première danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. Karpakova may also have danced the part Odile, although it is believed the ballet originally called for two different dancers. It is now common practice for the same ballerina to dance both Odette and Odile.

The Russian ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya was originally cast as Odette, but was replaced when a governing official in Moscow complained about her, claiming she had accepted jewelry from him, only to then marry a fellow danseur and sell the pieces for cash.

The première was not well received. Though there were a few critics who recognised the virtues of the score, most considered it to be far too complicated for ballet. It was labelled «too noisy, too ‘Wagnerian’ and too symphonic.»^[12] The critics also thought Reisinger’s choreography was «unimaginative and altogether unmemorable.»^[12] The German origins of the story were «treated with suspicion while the tale itself was regarded as ‘stupid’ with unpronounceable surnames for its characters.»^[12] Karpakova was a secondary soloist and «not particularly convincing.»^[12]

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.

Yet the fact remains (and is too often omitted in accounts of this initial production) that this staging survived for six years with a total of 41 performances – many more than several other ballets from the repertoire of this theatre.^[13]

Tchaikovsky pas de deux 1877[edit]

On 26 April 1877, Anna Sobeshchanskaya made her début as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and from the start, she was completely dissatisfied with the ballet. Sobeshchanskaya asked Marius Petipa—Premier Maître de Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres—to choreograph a pas de deux to replace the pas de six in the third act (for a ballerina to request a supplemental pas or variation was standard practice in 19th-century ballet, and often these «custom-made» dances were the legal property of the ballerina they were composed for).

Petipa created the pas de deux to music by Ludwig Minkus, ballet composer to the St Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The piece was a standard pas de deux classique consisting of a short entrée, the grand adage, a variation for each dancer individually, and a coda.

Tchaikovsky was angered by this change, stating that whether the ballet was good or bad, he alone should be held responsible for its music. He agreed to compose a new pas de deux, but soon a problem arose: Sobeshchanskaya wanted to retain Petipa’s choreography. Tchaikovsky agreed to compose a pas de deux that would match to such a degree, the ballerina would not even be required to rehearse. Sobeshchanskaya was so pleased with Tchaikovsky’s new music, she requested he compose an additional variation, which he did.

Until 1953 this pas de deux was thought to be lost, until a repétiteur score was accidentally found in the archives of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre, among orchestral parts for Alexander Gorsky’s revival of Le Corsaire (Gorsky had included the piece in his version of Le Corsaire staged in 1912). In 1960 George Balanchine choreographed a pas de deux to this music for Violette Verdy and Conrad Ludlow, performed at the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City as Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,^[14] as it is still known and performed today.

Subsequent productions 1879–1894[edit]

Julius Reisinger’s successor as balletmaster was Joseph Peter Hansen. Hansen made considerable efforts to salvage Swan Lake and on 13 January 1880 he presented a new production of the ballet for his own benefit performance. The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. This production was better received than the original, but by no means a great success. Hansen presented another version of Swan Lake on 28 October 1882, again with Kalmykova as Odette/Odile. For this production Hansen arranged a Grand Pas for the ballroom scene which he titled La Cosmopolitana. This was taken from the European section of the Grand Pas d’action known as The Allegory of the Continents from Marius Petipa’s 1875 ballet The Bandits to the music of Ludwig Minkus. Hansen’s version of Swan Lake was given only four times, the final performance being on 2 January 1883, and soon the ballet was dropped from the repertory altogether.

In all, Swan Lake was performed 41 times between its première and the final performance of 1883 – a rather lengthy run for a ballet that was so poorly received upon its première. Hansen became Balletmaster to the Alhambra Theatre in London and on 1 December 1884 he presented a one-act ballet titled The Swans, which was inspired by the second scene of Swan Lake. The music was composed by the Alhambra Theatre’s chef d’orchestre Georges Jacoby.

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. The ballet was given during two concerts which were conducted by Tchaikovsky. The composer noted in his diary that he experienced «a moment of absolute happiness» when the ballet was performed. 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. The rôle of Prince Siegfried was danced by Berger himself with the ballerina Giulietta Paltriniera-Bergrova as Odette. 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.

Petipa–Ivanov–Drigo revival of 1895[edit]

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky discussed with Tchaikovsky the possibility of reviving Swan Lake.^[15] However, Tchaikovsky died on 6 November 1893,^[16] just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. It remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was prepared to revise the music for this revival. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky’s death, Drigo was forced to revise the score himself, after receiving approval from Tchaikovsky’s younger brother, Modest. There are major differences between Drigo’s and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake score. Today, it is Riccardo Drigo’s revision of Tchaikovsky’s score, and not Tchaikovsky’s original score of 1877, that most ballet companies use.

In February 1894, two memorial concerts planned by Vsevolozhsky were given in honor of Tchaikovsky. The production included the second act of Swan Lake, choreographed by Lev Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the Imperial Ballet. Ivanov’s choreography for the memorial concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful.

The revival of Swan Lake was planned for Pierina Legnani’s benefit performance in the 1894–1895 season. The death of Tsar Alexander III on 1 November 1894 and the ensuing period of official mourning brought all ballet performances and rehearsals to a close for some time, and as a result all efforts could be concentrated on the pre-production of the full revival of Swan Lake. Ivanov and Petipa collaborated on the production, with Ivanov retaining his dances for the second act while choreographing the fourth, with Petipa staging the first and third acts.

Modest Tchaikovsky was called upon to make changes to the ballet’s libretto, including the character of Odette changing from a fairy swan-maiden into a cursed mortal woman, the ballet’s villain changing from Odette’s stepmother to the magician von Rothbart, and the ballet’s finale: instead of the lovers simply drowning at the hand of Odette’s stepmother as in the original 1877 scenario, Odette commits suicide by drowning herself, with Prince Siegfried choosing to die as well, rather than live without her, and soon the lovers’ spirits are reunited in an apotheosis.^[17] Aside from the revision of the libretto the ballet was changed from four acts to three—with act 2 becoming act 1, scene 2.

All was ready by the beginning of 1895 and the ballet had its première on Friday, 27 January. Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno. Most of the reviews in the St. Petersburg newspapers were positive.

Unlike the première of The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake did not dominate the repertory of the Mariinsky Theatre in its first season. It was given only sixteen performances between the première and the 1895–1896 season, and was not performed at all in 1897. Even more surprising, the ballet was performed only four times in 1898 and 1899. The ballet belonged solely to Legnani until she left St. Petersburg for her native Italy in 1901. After her departure, the ballet was taken over by Mathilde Kschessinskaya, who was as much celebrated in the rôle as was her Italian predecessor.

Later productions[edit]

Throughout the performance history of Swan Lake, the 1895 edition has served as the version on which most stagings have been based. Nearly every balletmaster or choreographer who has re-staged Swan Lake has made modifications to the ballet’s scenario, while still maintaining much of the traditional choreography for the dances, which is regarded as virtually sacrosanct. Likewise, over time the rôle of Siegfried has become more prominent, due largely to the evolution of ballet technique.

In 1922, Finnish National Ballet was the first European company that staged a complete production of the ballet. By the time Swan Lake premiered in Helsinki Finland in 1922, it had only ever been performed by Russian and Czech ballet groups, and only visiting Russian ballet groups had brought it to Western Europe.^[18]

In 1940, San Francisco Ballet became the first American company to stage a complete production of Swan Lake. The enormously successful production starred Lew Christensen as Prince Siegfried, Jacqueline Martin as Odette, and Janet Reed as Odile. 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.^[19]

Several notable productions have diverged from the original and its 1895 revival:

• In 1967, Eric Bruhn produced and danced in a new «Swan Lake» for the National Ballet of Canada, with striking largely black and white designs by Desmond Healey. Although substantial portions of the Petipa-Ivanov choreography were retained, Bruhn’s alterations were musical as well as choreographic. Most controversially, he recast Von Rothbart as the malevolent «Black Queen», adding psychological emphasis to the Prince’s difficult relationships with women, his domineering mother included.
• Illusions Like «Swan Lake» 1976: John Neumeier Hamburg Ballet, Neumeier interpolated the story of Ludwig II of Bavaria into the Swan Lake plot, via Ludwig’s fascination with swans. Much of the original score was used with additional Tchaikovsky material and the choreography combined the familiar Petipa/Ivanov material with new dances and scenes by Neumeier. The ballet finishes with Ludwig’s death by drowning while confined to an asylum, set to the dramatic music for the act 3 conclusion. With the theme of the unhappy royal being forced into heterosexual marriage for reasons of state and also the cross reference to the personal lives of actual royalty, this work anticipated both Bourne’s and Murphy’s interpretation. Illusions Like «Swan Lake» remains in the repertoire of major German ballet companies.
• Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake departed from the traditional ballet by replacing the female corps de ballet with male dancers and a plot focused on the psychological pressures of modern royalty on a prince struggling with his sexuality and a distant mother. It has been performed on extended tours in Greece, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Ireland in addition to the United Kingdom, and has won over 30 international awards to date.^[20]
• The 2000 American Ballet Theatre version (taped for television in 2005), rather than having the curtain down as the slow introduction is played, used this music to accompany a new prologue in which the audience is shown how Rothbart first transforms Odette into a swan. This prologue is similar to Vladimir Burmeister’s production of «Swan Lake» (firstly staged in Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow, 1953) but has some differences. Rothbart in this production is played by two dancers; one appears as a handsome young man who is easily able to lure Odette in the new prologue, and the other dancer is covered in sinister «monster makeup» which reveals the magician’s true self. (in the film Black Swan, Natalie Portman, as Nina, dreams this in the film’s opening sequence). About half-an-hour of the complete score is omitted from this production.^{[citation needed]}
• Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake was first performed in 2002, and was loosely based on the breakdown of the marriage of Lady Diana to Prince Charles and his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles. It combined the rôles of Rothbart and Odile into that of a Baroness, and the focus of the story is a love triangle.^[21]
• In 2010, Black Swan, a film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, contained sequences from Swan Lake.^[22]
• In 2010, South African choreographer and ballet dancer Dada Masilo, remade Tchaikovsky’s classic.^[23] Her version was a mix of classic ballet and African dance. She also made a plot twist by presenting Odile (the black swan) as a gay male swan rather than a female swan.^[24][25]
• A Swan Lake, choreographed by Alexander Ekman and composed by Mikael Karlsson, was created for the Norwegian National Ballet. The first act is part dance part theatre, about the original production of Swan Lake, which features two stage actors and a soprano. In the second act, the stage is filled in 5000 litres of water, and features the conflict between White Swan and Black Swan.^[26][27]

Instrumentation[edit]

Swan Lake is scored for the typical late 19th-century large orchestra:

• Strings: violins I and II; violas, violoncellos; double basses, harp
• Woodwinds: piccolo; 2 flutes; 2 oboes; 2 clarinets in B♭, A and C; 2 bassoons
• Brass: 4 French horns in F; 2 cornets in A and B♭; 2 trumpets in F, D, and E; 3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass); tuba
• Percussion: timpani; snare drum; cymbals; bass drum; triangle; tambourine; castanets; tam-tam; glockenspiel; chimes

Roles[edit]

• Princess Odette (the Swan Queen, the White Swan, the Swan Princess), a beautiful princess, who has been transformed into a white swan
• Prince Siegfried, a handsome Prince who falls in love with Odette
• Baron Von Rothbart, an evil sorcerer, who has enchanted Odette
• Odile (the Black Swan), Rothbart’s daughter
• Benno von Sommerstern, the Prince’s friend
• The Queen, Prince Siegfried’s mother
• Wolfgang, his tutor
• Baron von Stein
• The Baroness, his wife
• Freiherr von Schwarzfels
• His wife
• A herald
• A footman
• Court gentlemen and ladies, friends of the prince, heralds, guests, pages, villagers, servants, swans, cygnets

Variations to characters[edit]

By 1895, Benno von Sommerstern had become just «Benno», and Odette «Queen of the Swans.» Also Baron von Stein, his wife, and Freiherr von Schwarzfels and his wife were no longer identified on the program. The sovereign or ruling Princess is often rendered «Queen Mother.»

The character of Rothbart (sometimes spelled Rotbart) has been open to many interpretations. The reason for his curse upon Odette is unknown; several versions, including two feature films, have suggested reasons, but none is typically explained by the ballet. He is rarely portrayed in human form, except in act 3. He is usually shown as an owl-like creature. In most productions, the couple’s sacrifice results in his destruction. However, there are versions in which he is triumphant. Yury Grigorovich’s version, which has been danced for several decades by the Bolshoi Ballet, is noted for including both endings: Rothbart was defeated in the original 1969 version, in line with Soviet-era expectations of an upbeat conclusion,^[28] but in the 2001 revision, Rothbart plays a wicked game of fate with Siegfried, which he wins at the end, causing Siegfried to lose everything. In the second American Ballet Theatre production of Swan Lake, he is portrayed by two dancers: a young, handsome one who lures Odette to her doom in the prologue, and a reptilian creature. In this version, the lovers’ suicide inspires the rest of Rothbart’s imprisoned swans to turn on him and overcome his spell.

Odile, Rothbart’s daughter usually wears jet black (though in the 1895 production, she did not), and appears only in act 3. In most modern productions, she is portrayed as Odette’s exact double (though the resemblance is because of Rothbart’s magic), and therefore Siegfried cannot be blamed for believing her to be Odette. There is a suggestion that in the original production, Odette and Odile were danced by two different ballerinas. This is also the case in some avant garde productions.

Synopsis[edit]

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). The biggest difference of productions all over the world is that the ending, originally tragic, is now sometimes altered to a happy ending.

Prologue[edit]

Some productions include a prologue that shows how Odette first meets Rothbart, who turns Odette into a swan.

Act 1[edit]

A magnificent park before a palace

[Scène: Allegro giusto] Prince Siegfried is celebrating his birthday with his tutor, friends, and peasants [Waltz]. The revelries are interrupted by his mother, the Queen [Scène: Allegro moderato], who is concerned about his carefree lifestyle. She tells him that he must choose a bride at the royal ball the following evening (some productions include the presentation of some possible candidates). He is upset that he can’t marry for love. His friend, Benno, and the tutor try to lift his troubled mood. As evening falls [Sujet], Benno sees a flock of swans flying overhead and suggests they go on a hunt [Finale I]. Siegfried and his friends take their crossbows and set off in pursuit of the swans.

Act 2[edit]

A lakeside clearing in a forest by the ruins of a chapel. A moonlit night.

Siegfried has become separated from his friends. He arrives at the lakeside clearing, just as a flock of swans land [Scène. Moderato]. He aims his crossbow [Scène. Allegro moderato], but freezes when one of them transforms into a beautiful maiden named Odette [Scène. Moderato]. At first, she is terrified of him. When he promises not to harm her, she explains that she and her companions are victims of a spell cast by the evil owl-like sorcerer named Rothbart. 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. The spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before swears to love Odette forever. Rothbart suddenly appears [Scène. Allegro vivo]. Siegfried threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes – if he dies before the spell is broken, it can never be undone.

As Rothbart disappears, the swan maidens fill the clearing [Scène: Allegro, Moderato assai quasi andante]. Siegfried breaks his crossbow, and sets about winning Odette’s trust as they fall in love. But as dawn arrives, the evil spell draws Odette and her companions back to the lake and they are turned into swans again.

Act 3[edit]

An opulent hall in the palace

Guests arrive at the palace for a costume ball. Six princesses are presented to the prince [Entrance of the Guests and Waltz], as candidates for marriage. Rothbart arrives in disguise [Scène: Allegro, Allegro giusto] with his daughter, Odile, who is transformed to look like Odette. Though the princesses try to attract Siegfried with their dances [Pas de six], he has eyes only for Odile. [Scène: Allegro, Tempo di valse, Allegro vivo] Odette appears at the castle window and attempts to warn him, but he does not see her. He then proclaims to the court that he will marry Odile before Rothbart shows him a magical vision of Odette. Grief-stricken and realizing his mistake (he vowed only to love Odette), he hurries back to the lake.

Act 4[edit]

By the lakeside

Odette is distraught. The swan maidens try to comfort her. Siegfried returns to the lake and makes a passionate apology. She forgives him, but his betrayal can’t be undone. Rather than remain a swan forever, she chooses to die. He chooses to die with her and they leap into the lake, where they will stay together forever. This breaks Rothbart’s spell over the swan maidens, causing him to lose his power over them and he dies. In an apotheosis, they, who transform back into regular maidens, watch as Siegfried and Odette ascend into the Heavens together, forever united in love.

1877 libretto synopsis[edit]

Act 1

Prince Siegfried, his friends, and a group of peasants are celebrating his coming of age. His mother arrives to inform him she wishes for him to marry soon so she may make sure he does not disgrace their family line by his marriage. She has organized a ball where he is to choose his bride from among the daughters of the nobility. After the celebration, he and his friend, Benno, spot a flock of flying swans and decide to hunt them.

Act 2

Siegfried and Benno track the swans to a lake, but they vanish. A woman wearing a crown appears and meets them. She tells them her name is Odette and she was one of the swans they were hunting. She tells them her story: her mother, a good fairy, had married a knight, but she died and he remarried. Odette’s stepmother is a witch who wanted to kill her, but her grandfather saved her. He had cried so much over her mother’s death, he created the lake with his tears. She and her companions live in it with him, and can transform themselves into swans whenever they wish. Her stepmother still wants to kill her and stalks her in the form of an owl, but she has a crown which protects her from harm. When she gets married, her stepmother will lose the power to harm her. Siegfried falls in love with her but she fears her stepmother will ruin their happiness.

Act 3

Several young noblewomen dance at Siegfried’s ball, but he refuses to marry any of them. Baron von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile, arrive. Siegfried thinks Odile looks like Odette, but Benno doesn’t agree. He dances with her as he grows more and more enamored of her, and eventually agrees to marry her. At that moment, Rothbart transforms into a demon, Odile laughs, and a white swan wearing a crown appears in the window. Siegfried runs out of the castle.

Act 4

In tears, Odette tells her friends Siegfried did not keep his vow of love. Seeing him coming, they leave and urge her to go with them, but she wants to see him one last time. A storm begins. He enters and begs her for forgiveness. She refuses and attempts to leave. He snatches the crown from her head and throws it in the lake, saying, «Willing or unwilling, you will always remain with me!» The owl flies overhead, carrying the crown away. «What have you done? I am dying!» Odette says, and falls into his arms. The lake rises from the storm and drowns them. The storm quiets, and a group of swans appears on the lake.^[29]

Alternative endings[edit]

Many different endings exist, ranging from romantic to tragic.

• In 1950, Konstantin Sergeyev staged a new Swan Lake for the Mariinsky Ballet (then the Kirov) after Petipa and Ivanov, but included some bits of Vaganova and Gorsky. Under the Soviet regime, the tragic ending was replaced with a happy one, so in the Mariinsky and Bolshoi versions, Odette and Siegfried lived happily ever after.
• In the version danced today by the Mariinsky Ballet, the ending is one of a «happily ever after» in which Siegfried fights Rothbart and tears off his wing, killing him. Odette is restored to human form and she and Siegfried are happily united. This version has often been used by Russian and Chinese ballet companies. A similar ending was used in The Swan Princess.
• In the 1986 version Rudolf Nureyev choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet, Rothbart fights with Siegfried, who is overcome and dies, leaving Rothbart to take Odette triumphantly up to the Heavens.
• In the 1988 Dutch National Ballet production, choreographed by Rudi van Dantzig, Siegfried realized he can’t save Odette from the curse, so he drowns himself. His friend, Alexander, finds his body and carries him.^[30]
• Although the 1969 Bolshoi Ballet production by Yuri Grigorovich contained a happy ending similar to the Mariinsky Ballet version, the 2001 revision changed the ending to a tragic one. Siegfried is defeated in a confrontation with the Evil Genius, who seizes Odette and takes her away to parts unknown before the lovers can unite, and Siegfried is left by himself at the lake. The major-key rendition of the main leitmotif and the remainder of the Apotheosis (retained in the 1969 production) are replaced with a modified, transposed repeat of the Introduction followed by the final few bars of No. 10/No. 14, closing the ballet on a downer.
• In a version which has an ending very close to the 1895 Mariinsky revival, danced by American Ballet Theatre starting in 2000 (with a video recording published in 2005), Siegfried’s mistaken pledge of fidelity to Odile consigns Odette to remain a swan forever. After realizing her last moment of humanity is at hand, Odette commits suicide by throwing herself into the lake. Siegfried follows her to his death. This act of sacrifice and love breaks Rothbart’s power, and he is destroyed. In the final tableau, the lovers are seen rising together to Heaven in apotheosis.
• In a version danced by New York City Ballet in 2006 (with choreography by Peter Martins after Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, and George Balanchine), Siegfried’s declaration he wishes to marry Odile constitutes a betrayal that condemns Odette to remain a swan forever. She is called away into swan form, and Siegfried is left alone in grief as the curtain falls.
• In the 2006 version by Stanton Welch for Houston Ballet, also based upon Petipa and Ivanov, the last scene has Siegfried attempting to kill Rothbart with his crossbow, but he misses and hits Odette instead. She falls, Rothbart’s spell now broken, and regains human form. Siegfried embraces her as she dies, then carries her body into the lake, where he also drowns himself.^[31][32][33]
• 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 Rothbart is destroyed. Two swans, implied to be the lovers, are then seen flying past the Moon.
• 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. He and Siegfried struggle. When the storm subsides, Odette is left alone to mourn the dead Siegfried.
• In the 2012 version performed at Blackpool Grand Theatre^[34] by the Russian State Ballet of Siberia Siegfried drags Rothbart into the lake and they both drown. Odette is left as a swan.
• In the 2015 English National Ballet version My First Swan Lake,^[35] specifically recreated for young children, the power of Siegfried and Odette’s love enables the other swans to rise up and defeat Rothbart, who falls to his death. This breaks the curse, and Siegfried and Odette live happily ever after. This is like the Mariinsky Ballet’s «Happily ever after» endings. In a new production in 2018, Odile helps Siegfried and Odette in the end. Rothbart, who is Odile’s brother in this production, is forgiven and he gives up his evil power. Odette and Siegfried live happily ever after and stay friends with Rothbart and Odile. This is actually the only production that grants a peaceful solution and a happily ever after even for Odile and Rothbart.
• In Hübbe and Schandorff’s 2015 and 2016 Royal Danish Ballet production, Siegfried is forced by Rothbart to marry Odile, after condemning Odette to her curse as a swan forever by mistakenly professing his love to Odile.
• In the 2018 Royal Ballet version, Siegfried rescued Odette from the lake, but she turns out to be dead, even though the spell is broken.^[36]

Structure[edit]

Tchaikovsky’s original score (including additions for the original 1877 production),^[37] which differs from the score as revised by Riccardo Drigo for the revival of Petipa and Ivanov that is still used by most ballet companies. The titles for each number are from the original published score. Some of the numbers are titled simply as musical indications, those that are not are translated from their original French titles.

Act 1[edit]

Introduction: Moderato assai – Allegro non-troppo – Tempo I

No. 1 Scène: Allegro giusto

No. 2 Waltz: Tempo di valse

No. 3 Scène: Allegro moderato

No. 4 Pas de trois

1. Intrada (or Entrée): Allegro

2. Andante sostenuto

3. Allegro semplice, Presto

4. Moderato

5. Allegro

6. Coda: Allegro vivace

No. 5 Pas de deux for Two Merry-makers (later fashioned into the Black Swan Pas de Deux)

1. Tempo di valse ma non troppo vivo, quasi moderato

2. Andante – Allegro

3. Tempo di valse

4. Coda: Allegro molto vivace

No. 6 Pas d’action: Andantino quasi moderato – Allegro

No. 7 Sujet (Introduction to the Dance with Goblets)

No. 8 Dance with Goblets: Tempo di polacca

No. 9 Finale: Sujet, Andante

Act 2[edit]

No. 10 Scène: Moderato

No. 11 Scène: Allegro moderato, Moderato, Allegro vivo

No. 12 Scène: Allegro, Moderato assai quasi andante

No. 13 Dances of the Swans

1. Tempo di valse

2. Moderato assai

3. Tempo di valse

4. Allegro moderato (later the famous Dance of the Little Swans)

5. Pas d’action: Andante, Andante non-troppo, Allegro (material borrowed from Undina)

6. Tempo di valse

7. Coda: Allegro vivo

No. 14 Scène: Moderato

Act 3[edit]

No. 15 Scène: March – Allegro giusto

No. 16 Ballabile: Dance of the Corps de Ballet and the Dwarves: Moderato assai, Allegro vivo

No. 17 Entrance of the Guests and Waltz: Allegro, Tempo di valse

No. 18 Scène: Allegro, Allegro giusto

No. 19 Pas de six

1. Intrada (or Entrée): Moderato assai

2. Variation 1: Allegro

3. Variation 2: Andante con moto (likely used as an adage after the Intrada but either composed inadvertently or published after the first variation)

4. Variation 3: Moderato

5. Variation 4: Allegro

6. Variation 5: Moderato, Allegro semplice

7. Grand Coda: Allegro molto

Appendix I – Pas de deux pour Mme. Anna Sobeshchanskaya (from the original music by Ludwig Minkus and later choreographed by George Balanchine as the Tchaikovsky Pas de deux)

# Intrada: Moderato – Andante

# Variation 1: Allegro moderato

# Variation 2: Allegro

# Coda: Allegro molto vivace

No. 20 Hungarian Dance: Czardas – Moderato assai, Allegro moderato, Vivace

Appendix II – No. 20a Danse russe pour Mlle. Pelageya Karpakova: Moderato, Andante semplice, Allegro vivo, Presto

No. 21 Danse Espagnole: Allegro non-troppo (Tempo di bolero)

No. 22 Danse Napolitaine: Allegro moderato, Andantino quasi moderato, Presto

No. 23 Mazurka: Tempo di mazurka

No. 24 Scène: Allegro, Tempo di valse, Allegro vivo

Act 4[edit]

No. 25 Entr’acte: Moderato

No. 26 Scène: Allegro non-troppo

No. 27 Dance of the Little Swans: Moderato

No. 28 Scène: Allegro agitato, Molto meno mosso, Allegro vivace

No. 29 Scène finale: Andante, Allegro, Alla breve, Moderato e maestoso, Moderato

Adaptations and references[edit]

Live-action film[edit]

• The opening credits for the first sound version of Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi includes a modified version of the Swan Theme from act 2. The same piece was later used for the credits of The Mummy (1932) as well as Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) and is often used as a backing track for the silent film, Phantom of the Opera (1925).
• The film I Was an Adventuress (1940) includes a long sequence from the ballet.
• The plot of the 1965 British comedy film The Intelligence Men reaches its climax at a performance of the ballet, with an assassination attempt on the ballerina portraying Odette.
• The 1966 American political thriller film Torn Curtain directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Paul Newman and Julie Andrews contains a scene from the ballet Swan Lake. The lead couple of the film, played by Newman and Andrews, are escaping from East Berlin during the Cold War and attend a performance of the ballet as part of their escape plan. They are spotted and reported to the police by the lead ballerina (Tamara Toumanova) during the ballet performance. Their dramatic escape from the theatre during the ballet is a high point of the film.
• In 1968–69, the Kirov Ballet along with Lenfilm studios produced a filmed version of the ballet starring Yelena Yevteyeva as Odette.^[38]
• In the film Funny Girl (1968), Barbra Streisand, playing Fanny Brice, dances in a comedic spoof of Swan Lake.
• The ballet is central to the plot of Étoile (1989).
• John Williams’ famous theme «The Imperial March» from the Music of Star Wars is notably reminiscent in harmonic progression, orchestration, and some melodic constructs to certain presentations of the Swan Theme.
• In Brain Donors (1992), the three main characters try and succeed in sabotaging a fictional production of the ballet.
• Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan (2010) focuses on two characters from Swan Lake—the Princess Odette, sometimes called the White Swan, and her evil duplicate, the witch Odile (the Black Swan), and takes its inspiration from the ballet’s story, although it does not literally follow it. Clint Mansell’s score contains music from the ballet, with more elaborate restructuring to fit the horror tone of the film.
• In Of Gods and Men (2011), the climactic Swan Lake music is played at the monks’ Last Supper-reminiscent dinner.
• In the film T-34, music from Swan Lake could be heard while the main characters test-drive a captured T-34 for the Germans and pulling off ballet-style moves with the tank.
• As of August 2020, a live-action adaptation of the ballet is being produced by Universal Pictures, written by Olivier Award-winning playwright Jessica Swale and starring Felicity Jones.^[39]
• The end of the ballet is in the film The Courier (2020).

Animated theatrical and direct-to-video productions[edit]

• Swan Lake (1981) is a feature-length anime produced by the Japanese company Toei Animation and directed by Koro Yabuki. The adaptation uses Tchaikovsky’s score and remains relatively faithful to the story. Two separate English dubs were made, one featuring regular voice actors, and one using celebrities as the main principals (Pam Dawber as Odette, Christopher Atkins as Siegfried, David Hemmings as Rothbart, and Kay Lenz as Odille). The second dub was recorded at Golden Sync Studios and aired on American Movie Classics in December 1990 and The Disney Channel in January 1994.^[40] It was presently distributed in the United States by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. It was also distributed in France and the United Kingdom by Rouge Citron Production.^[41]
• Swan Lake (1994) is a 28-minute traditional two-dimensional animation narrated by Dudley Moore. It is one of five animations in the Storyteller’s Classics series. Like the 1981 version, it also uses Tchaikovsky’s music throughout and is quite faithful to the original story. What sets it apart is the climactic scene, in which the prince swims across the lagoon towards Rothbart’s castle to rescue Odette, who is being held prisoner there. Rothbart points his finger at the prince and zaps him to turn him into a duck – but then, the narrator declares, «Sometimes, even magic can go very, very wrong.» After a moment, the duck turns into an eagle and flies into Rothbart’s castle, where the prince resumes his human form and engages Rothbart in battle. This animation was produced by Madman Movies for Castle Communications. The director was Chris Randall, the producer was Bob Burrows, the production co-ordinator was Lesley Evans and the executive producers were Terry Shand and Geoff Kempin. The music was performed by the Moscow State Orchestra. It was shown on TVOntario in December 1997 and was distributed on home video in North America by Castle Vision International, Orion Home Video and J.L. Bowerbank & Associates.
• The Swan Princess (1994) is a Nest Entertainment film based on the Swan Lake story. It stays fairly close to the original story, but does contain many differences. For example, instead of the Swan Maidens, we have the addition of sidekicks Puffin the puffin, Speed the tortoise, and Jean-Bob the frog. Several of the characters are renamed – Prince Derek instead of Siegfried, his friend Bromley instead of Benno and his tutor Rogers instead of Wolfgang; Derek’s mother is named Queen Uberta. Another difference is Odette and Derek knowing each other from when they were children, which introduces us to Odette’s father, King William and explains how and why Odette is kidnapped by Rothbart. The character Odile is replaced by an old hag (unnamed in this movie, but known as Bridget in the sequels), as Rothbart’s sidekick until the end. Also, this version contains a happy ending, allowing both Odette and Derek to survive as humans once Rothbart is defeated. It has nine sequels, The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (1997), The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom (1998), The Swan Princess Christmas (2012), The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale (2014), The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today (2016), The Swan Princess: Royally Undercover (2017), The Swan Princess: A Royal Myztery (2018), The Swan Princess: Kingdom of Music (2019), and The Swan Princess: A Royal Wedding (2020), which deviate even further from the ballet. None of the films contain Tchaikovsky’s music.
• Barbie of Swan Lake (2003) is a direct-to-video children’s movie featuring Tchaikovsky’s music and motion capture from the New York City Ballet and based on the Swan Lake story. The story deviates more from the original than The Swan Princess, although it does consist of similarities to the plot from The Swan Princess. In this version, Odette is not a princess by birth, but a baker’s daughter and instead of being kidnapped by Rothbart and taken to the lake against her will, she discovers the Enchanted Forest when she willingly follows a unicorn there. She is also made into a more dominant heroine in this version, as she is declared as being the one who is destined to save the forest from Rothbart’s clutches when she frees a magic crystal. Another difference is the addition of new characters, such as Rothbart’s cousin the Fairy Queen, Lila the unicorn, Erasmus the troll and the Fairy Queen’s fairies and elves, who have also been turned into animals by Rothbart. These fairies and elves replace the Swan Maidens from the ballet. Also, it is the Fairy Queen’s magic that allows Odette to return to her human form at night, not Rothbart’s spell, which until the Fairy Queen counters, appears to be permanent. Other changes include renaming the Prince Daniel and a happy ending, instead of the ballet’s tragic ending.
• Barbie in the Pink Shoes (2013) features an adaptation of Swan Lake amongst its many fairytales.

Computer/video games[edit]

• The 1988 NES video game Final Fantasy II used a minor portion of Swan Lake just before fighting the Lamia Queen boss. In the WonderSwan Color and later versions the portion is longer.
• The 1990 LucasArts adventure game Loom used a major portion of the Swan Lake suite for its audio track, as well as incorporating a major swan theme into the storyline. It otherwise bore no resemblance to the original ballet.
• The 1991 DMA Design puzzle game Lemmings used «Dance of the Little Swans» in its soundtrack.
• The 1993 Treasure platform game McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure uses a portion of Swan Lake as background music for one of its levels.^{[42][better source needed]}
• The 2008 Nintendo DS game Imagine Ballet Star contains a shortened version of Swan Lake. The main character, who is directly controlled by the player of the game, dances to three shortened musical pieces from Swan Lake. Two of the pieces are solos and the third piece is a pas de deux.
• The 2009 SEGA video game Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games includes Swan Lake in its figure skating competition.
• The 2015 game FNAF 3 contains a music box version of a piece from Swan Lake.
• The 2016 Blizzard Entertainment game Overwatch contains two unlockable costumes for the character Widowmaker based on Odette and Odile.
• The 2020 Nintendo Switch game Paper Mario: The Origami King features a comedic ballet production of the song, as well as a punk remix.

Dance[edit]

• The Swedish dancer/choreographer Fredrik Rydman has produced a modern dance/street dance interpretation of the ballet entitled Swan Lake Reloaded. It depicts the «swans» as heroin addict prostitutes who are kept in place by Rothbart, their pimp. The production’s music uses themes and melodies from Tchaikovsky’s score and incorporates them into hip-hop and techno tunes.^[43]

Literature[edit]

• Amiri & Odette (2009) is a verse retelling by Walter Dean Myers with illustrations by Javaka Steptoe.^[44] Myers sets the story in the Swan Lake Projects of a large city. Amiri is a basketball-playing «Prince of the Night», a champion of the asphalt courts in the park. Odette belongs to Big Red, a dealer, a power on the streets.
• The Black Swan (1999) is a fantasy novel written by Mercedes Lackey that re-imagines the original story and focuses heavily on Odile. Rothbart’s daughter is a sorceress in her own right who comes to sympathise with Odette.
• The Sorcerer’s Daughter (2003) is a fantasy novel by Irina Izmailova, a retelling of the ballet’s plot. The boyish and careless Siegfried consciously prefers the gentle, equally childlike Odile, while the stern and proud Odette is from the very beginning attracted to Rothbart (who later turns out to be the kingdom’s rightful monarch in hiding).
• Swan Lake (1989) is a children’s novel written by Mark Helprin and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg, which re-creates the original story as a tale about political strife in an unnamed Eastern European country. In it, Odette becomes a princess hidden from birth by the puppetmaster (and eventually usurper) behind the throne, with the story being retold to her child.

Music[edit]

• Japanese instrumental rock group Takeshi Terauchi & Bunnys recorded this on their 1967 album, Let’s Go Unmei.
• Belgian band Wallace Collection quote from Act 2 Scene 10 in their track «Daydream» (1969).
• British ska band Madness featured a ska version in 1979 on their debut album One Step Beyond…
• South Korean group Shinhwa re-imagines the main theme into a hip-hop k-pop song “T.O.P. (Twinkling of Paradise)” (1999)
• Los Angeles group Sweetbox uses the main theme for the chorus of their song «Superstar» from the 2001 album Classified.
• German singer Jeanette Biedermann uses the Swan Lake melody structure for her 2001 single release «How It’s Got To Be».
• Spanish symphonic metal band Dark Moor borrows elements on the song “Swan Lake”, the first track of their 2009 album Autumnal.
• A reggae version of the Swan Lake ballet appears on the 2017 album Classical Made Modern 3.^[45]
• Canadian metal band The Agonist has made an a cappella version of act 2’s «Scène. Moderato», which is included in their second studio album, Lullabies for the Dormant Mind.
• Beyoncé uses the ballet’s famous theme in her «visual album» Lemonade, a reference that underscores the film’s meditation on infidelity.
• Scott Hamilton — Tenor Saxophone. Jazz interpretation — Scott Hamilton CLASSICS^[46]

Musicals[edit]

• Odette – The Dark Side of Swan Lake, a musical written by Alexander S. Bermange and Murray Woodfield, was staged at the Bridewell Theatre, London in October 2007.
• In Radio City Christmas Spectacular, The Rockettes do a short homage to Swan Lake during the performance of the «Twelve Days of Christmas (Rock and Dance Version)», with the line «Seven Swans A-Swimming».
• Billy Elliot the Musical incorporates the most famous section of Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake in a dance number, in which the main character dances while shadowed by his future, adult self.
• The musical Anastasia includes a scene in which several of the main characters attend a performance of Swan Lake in Paris near the show’s climax. The four characters sing about their inner conflicts and desires as Tchaikovsky’s score blends into the musical’s melodies, the dancers onstage representing both the ballet’s characters and the thoughts of each singer in turn.

Television[edit]

• During the era of the Soviet Union, Soviet state television preempted large announcements with video recordings of Swan Lake on four infamous occasions. In 1982 state television broadcast recordings following the death of Leonid Brezhnev. In 1984 recordings preempted the announcement of the death of Yuri Andropov. In 1985, recordings preempted the announcement of the death of General Secretary Konstantin Chernenko.^[47] The final and most oft-cited instance of the use of Swan Lake in this context was during the August 1991 Soviet coup attempt leading up to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.^[48]
• When independent Russian news channel Dozhd (also known as «TV Rain») was forced to shut down due to censorship laws caused by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the station chose to end its final newscast with Swan Lake in a reference to its use in 1991.^[49][50]
• Princess Tutu (2002) is an anime television series whose heroine, Duck, wears a costume reminiscent of Odette’s. She is a duck transformed by a writer into a girl (rather than the other way around), while her antagonist, Rue, dressed as Odile, is a girl who had been raised to believe she is a raven. Other characters include Mytho in the role of Siegfried, who is even referred to by this name towards the end of the second act, and Drosselmeyer playing in the role of Rothbart. The score of Swan Lake, along with that of The Nutcracker, is used throughout, as is, occasionally, the Petipa choreography, most notably in episode 13, where Duck dances the climactic pas de deux alone, complete with failed lifts and catches.
• In the second season of the anime Kaleido Star, a circus adaptation of Swan Lake becomes one of the Kaleido Stage’s most important and successful shows. Main character Sora Naegino plays Princess Odette, with characters Leon Oswald as Prince Siegfried and May Wong as Odile.
• In episode 213 of The Muppet Show, Rudolf Nureyev performs Swine Lake with a giant ballerina pig.
• In episode 105 of Cagney and Lacey, Det. Chris Cagney went to this with her boyfriend and hated it so that she fell asleep in the second act.
• Swan Lake was heard in two episodes of the Playhouse Disney series Little Einsteins: «Quincy and the Magic Instruments» and «The Blue Footed Boobey Bird Ballet».
• In the Tiny Toon Adventures episode Loon Lake, Babs Bunny helps out Shirley the Loon after she was ridiculed by a group of snobbish swans in ballet class while preparing for a performance of Swan Lake.
• In Dexter’s Laboratory episode, Deedeemensional, Dexter, in order to deliver an important message to his future self, was forced to dance Swan Lake with Dee Dee and her future self.
• The Beavis and Butt-Head episode «A Very Special Episode» uses the same arrangement used in Dracula and The Mummy while Beavis is feeding the bird he saved.
• In the animated children’s show Wonder Pets, Linny, Tuck and Ming-Ming help encourage a baby swan to dance in his own way. The music of Swan Lake is used.
• A close arrangement of the waltz from act 1 appears in episodes 16, 23 and 78 of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, «Sonic Rainboom» , «The Cutie Mark Chronicles» and «Simple Ways».

Selected discography[edit]

Audio[edit]

Year	Conductor	Orchestra
1954	Antal Doráti	Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra	first complete recording, late 1953, mastered originally in mono only; some mock-stereo issues released on LP
1959	Ernest Ansermet	Orchestre de la Suisse Romande	taped in stereo Oct–Nov. 1958, abridged
1974	Anatole Fistoulari	Radio Filharmonisch Orkest	with Ruggiero Ricci, violin
1976	André Previn	London Symphony Orchestra	with Ida Haendel, violin
1977	Richard Bonynge	National Philharmonic Orchestra	with Mincho Minchev, violin
1979	Seiji Ozawa	Boston Symphony Orchestra	with Joseph Silverstein, violin
1982	John Lanchbery	Philharmonia Orchestra
1988	Yevgeny Svetlanov	Russian State Symphony Orchestra
1990	Michael Tilson Thomas	London Symphony Orchestra
1992	Charles Dutoit	Montreal Symphony Orchestra
2006	Valery Gergiev	Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre
2013	Neeme Järvi	Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra	with James Ehnes, violin: a multi-channel SACD recording
2018	Vladimir Jurowski	State Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Federation	1877 version

Video[edit]

Year	Conductor	Ballet	Siegfried	Odette / Odile
1957	Yuri Fayer	Bolshoi Ballet	Nikolai Fadeyechev	Maya Plisetskaya
1966	John Lanchbery	Vienna State Ballet	Rudolf Nureyev	Margot Fonteyn
1968	Viktor Fedotov	Kirov Ballet	John Markovsky	Yelena Yevteyeva
1976	Algis Zhuraitis	Bolshoi Ballet	Alexander Bogatirev	Maya Plisetskaya
1980	Ashley Lawrence	The Royal Ballet	Anthony Dowell	Natalia Makarova
1984	Algis Zhuraitis	Bolshoi Ballet	Alexander Bogatirev	Natalia Bessmertnova
1986	Viktor Fedotov	Kirov Ballet	Konstantin Zaklinsky	Galina Mezentseva
1988	Graham Bond	English National Ballet	Peter Schaufuss	Evelyn Hart
1989	Algis Zhuraitis	Bolshoi Ballet	Yuri Vasyuchenko	Alla Mikhalchenko
1990	Viktor Fedotov	Kirov Ballet	Igor Zelensky	Yulia Makhalina
1992	Alexander Sotnikov	Perm Theatre Ballet	Alexei Fadeyechev	Nina Ananiashvili
1992	Jonathan Darlington	Paris Opera Ballet	Patrick Dupond	Marie-Claude Pietragalla
1996	Michel Quéval [fr]	Royal Swedish Ballet	Anders Nordström	Nathalie Nordquist
1998	Daniel Barenboim	Berlin State Ballet	Oliver Matz	Steffi Scherzer
2004	James Tuggle	La Scala Theatre Ballet	Roberto Bolle	Svetlana Zakharova
2005	Ormsby Wilkins	American Ballet Theatre	Ángel Corella	Gillian Murphy
2006	Vello Pähn	Paris Opera Ballet	Jose Martinez	Agnès Letestu
2007	Valery Gergiev	Mariinsky Ballet	Danila Korsuntsev	Ulyana Lopatkina
2009	Valeriy Ovsyanikov	The Royal Ballet	Thiago Soares	Marianela Núñez
2009	Vladimir Fedoseyev	Zurich Ballet	Stanislav Jermakov	Polina Semionova
2014	Alexander Ingram	Vienna State Ballet	Vladimir Shishov	Olga Esina
2015	Pavel Sorokin	Bolshoi Ballet	Denis Rodkin	Svetlana Zakharova
2015	Boris Gruzin	The Royal Ballet	Matthew Golding	Natalia Osipova
2018	Koen Kessels	The Royal Ballet	Vadim Muntagirov	Marianela Núñez

References[edit]

Sources

• Wiley, Roland John (1991). Tchaikovsky’s Ballets: Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 0-19-315314-9.

Further reading[edit]

• G. Abraham, ed. Tchaikovsky: a Symposium (London, 1945/R, R 1970 as The Music of Tchaikovsky. London: W. W. Norton, 1974)
• C. W. Beaumont. The Ballet called Swan Lake (London, 1952)
• Brown, David. Tchaikovsky: The Man and His Music. London: Faber & Faber, 2006. 108–119
• Brown, David. «Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa.» The Musical Times 125.1702 (1984): 696–698.
• Norris, George. Stanford, the Cambridge Jubilee and Tchaikovsky (London, 1980)
• Nuzzo, Nancy B. «Swan Lake: a chronology; The sleeping beauty: a chronology; other Tchaikovsky ballets.» Dance Magazine, 55 (June 1981), 57–58.
• Pudelek, Janina (1990–1991). «Swan Lake in Warsaw, 1900″. Dance Chronicle. 13 (3): 359–367. doi:10.1080/01472529008569046. JSTOR 1567690.
• Robinson, Harlow. «Review: Untitled.» Slavic and East European Journal, 31 (1987): 639–640

External links[edit]

• Listening guide with excerpts from The Australian Ballet’s production of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake
• The Kirov Ballet on YouTube

Background

• Swan Lake: From Planning to Performance at the Royal Opera House, about the Royal Ballet’s production
• Swan Lake choreography by Rudolf Nureyev
• Tchaikovsky Research

Video recordings

• Swan Lake (2005) Murphy and Corella (ABT) at IMDb
• Lebedinoe ozero (Swan Lake) at IMDb (1957)
• Schwanensee at IMDb (1967)
• Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake at IMDb (1996)
• The Ballet Soloist (aka Russian Ballerina) – 1947 Soviet musical film with scenes from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. With subtitles in Esperanto.

Scores

• Swan Lake: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Free sheet music of Danse Napolitaine from Cantorion.org

П.И. Чайковский балет «Лебединое озеро»

Балет «Лебединое озеро» вот уже более века пленяет сердца поклонников классической музыки. Он по праву считается эталоном высокого искусства, а многие танцоры с мировым именем гордились тем, что им выпала такая удача – исполнить партию в этом спектакле. «Лебединое озеро» без доли преувеличения можно назвать жемчужиной русской классики, а П.И. Чайковского – великим композитором. В основу балета легла сказка рыцарской эпохи. Это трепетная и прекрасная история любви, наполненная множеством препятствий и испытаний, подстерегающих юных влюбленных.

Краткое содержание балета Чайковского «Лебединое озеро» и множество интересных фактов об этом произведении читайте на нашей странице.

 

Действующие лица	Описание
Одетта	принцесса, превращенная в белого лебедя
Зигфрид	молодой принц
Одиллия	дочь Ротбарта, черный лебедь
Владетельная Княгиня	мать Зигфрида
Ротбарт	злой волшебник
Бенно	друг принца Зигфрида
Вольфганг	наставник Зигфрида

 

Краткое содержание «Лебединого озера»

Действие балета начинается в старинном замке, во время празднования совершеннолетия наследника престола Зигфрида. Сюжет пропитан духом эпохи, этому во многом способствует обряд посвящения в рыцари, означающий, что наследник вступает во взрослую жизнь. Но он жаждет любви, и конечно среди гостей достаточное количество красоток, каждая из которых была бы счастлива оказаться рядом с ним. Принц же мечтает о светлом чувстве и как самый настоящий романтик, лелеет в душе образ идеальной возлюбленной.

Юный Зигфрид, благодаря вмешательству самой Судьбы, переносится на берег волшебного озера и знакомится с очаровательной девушкой, образ которой так долго преследовал его во снах и наяву. Ею оказывается Прекрасная Лебедь Одетта и пылкий юноша тотчас признается ей в своих чувствах и обещает хранить верность.

Но напрасно радуется наследник престола такой удаче, Судьба готовит для него настоящие преграды, препятствуя их взаимной любви и испытывает прекрасную пару ревностью и изменой. Обернувшись загадочным рыцарем и представ в замке принца с двойником Одетты, она заставляет влюбленного юношу, ослепленного эмоциями, нарушить все клятвы данные своей избраннице. Но даже пройдя через все преграды, влюбленным не суждено оказаться вместе, никто не в силах нарушить планы Судьбы, которая скрывает от Зигфрида его возлюбленную, оставляя его одного на берегу прекрасного волшебного озера.

Продолжительность спектакля
I — II Акт	III — IV Акт
60 мин.	55 мин.

 Фото:

 

 

Интересные факты

• Этот сказочный балет, невероятно популярный в наши дни, буквально провалился на первой премьере. Глубоко расстроенный автор заявил, что его оценят, но позже и время этого произведения еще впереди. Это «позже» наступило уже через 18 лет с блистательными постановками Льва Иванова и Мариуса Петипа. 
• Кстати, вы слышали поговорку про «девятого лебедя в пятом ряду»? Она обозначает артиста, не добившегося успеха в карьере, который вынужден постоянно довольствоваться второстепенными ролями и массовкой.
• Роли Одетты и Одиллии исполняются одной балериной.
• Майя Плисецкая в течение 30 лет исполняла партию Одетты-Одиллии на сцене Большого театра.

• В 1968г. новый сорт белой розы был назван «Лебединое озеро»
• В своей версии известного балета, Мэттью Борн впервые заменил всех действующих балерин танцорами-мужчинами, что также принесло огромный успех и интерес публики. Данная версия снискала бурные овации на сценах США, Греции, Израиля, Турции, России, Нидерландов, Австралии, Италии, Кореи, Японии, Франции, Германии и Ирландии, а также была удостоена более 30 международных наград.
• Американской публике балет «Лебединое озеро» впервые предстал в Театре Балета Сан-Франциско.

• Британская постановка «Лебединого озера» Грэма Мёрфи в 2002 году основывалась на скандальном разрыве между Принцем Чарльзом и Принцессой Дианой.
• Выход постановки Иванова и Петипа в 1894 году был отложен на длительное время по причине смерти императора Александра III и последующего официального траура.
• Буквально за четыре года до того, как Чайковский получил этот заказ, он уже сочинил небольшой балет «Озеро лебедей» для детей, который был исполнен под чутким руководством композитора в 1871 году, в имении Каменка.

• Работа над спектаклем длилась около года, причем с небольшими перерывами из-за того, что композитор также сочинял еще и Третью симфонию в этот период.
• Многие почитатели творчества Чайковского гадают, что же могло вдохновить его на написание такой проникновенной и красивой музыки? Есть мнение, что это заслуга озера в Черкасской области, где обитают лебеди. Там как раз несколько дней отдыхал композитор, любуясь местной природой. А вот в Германии уверены, что в балете рассказывается именно о Лебедином озере, которое располагается поблизости города Фоссен.
• Первоначально для премьеры в 1876 году была выбрана прима Анна Собещанская, но она сильно поссорилась с композитором, поэтому эту роль предложили Полине Карпаковой. Как оказалось, причина возникшего конфликта в том, что приму не устраивало отсутствие в 3 акте хоть одного сольного танцевального номера. Есть сведения, что Собещанская даже отправилась специально к М. Петипа и попросила вставить соло на его музыку в это действие. Если балетмейстер выполнил ее просьбу, то композитор наотрез отказался вставлять фрагмент не своей музыки. Вскоре Чайковский предложил уладить конфликт и написал все же ей соло, чуть позже к нему добавились и вариации.

• Смета на премьерный показ «Лебединого озера» была очень мала и составила около 6.800 рублей.
• Известный критик Герман Ларош отметил после премьеры музыку балета, но все, что касалось танцевальной стороны он назвал «скучным и бедным».
• В прессе похвалу журналистов получила лишь работа художника Карла Вальца, который специально разработал технологию, обеспечивающую иллюзию тумана с помощью пара.
• Исследователи предполагают, что в основе литературного первоисточника могут лежать: сказка «Лебединый пруд», «Похищенная вуаль» Мазуеса, а также немецкая старинная легенда.
• Лев Иванов во время работы над постановкой балета переосмыслил костюмы танцовщиц, убрал лебединые крылья, чтобы освободить их руки, предоставив им возможность двигаться. Также ему принадлежит уже легендарный «Танец маленьких лебедей» из второго акта.

• Лавры лучшей исполнительницы партии Одетты принадлежат Пьерине Леньяни, которая выполняла все танцевальные движения особо изящно, даже 32 фуэте. Впервые в этой роли она выступила на сцене Мариинского театра.
• Многие жители бывшего СССР запомнили этот балет с весьма тревожными событиями в жизни страны, ведь во время августовского путча, произошедшего в 1991 году именно этот спектакль транслировали все телеканалы.
• Во всеми любимом мультфильме «Ну, погоди!» (15 выпуск) показана пародия на Танец маленьких лебедей. Вообще, классическую музыку можно довольно часто услышать в мультфильмах. Более подробно можно познакомиться с этим в специальном разделе.

Популярные номера из балета «Лебединое озеро»

Танец маленьких лебедей — слушать

Испанский танец — слушать

Тема Одетты — слушать

Неаполитанский танец — слушать

Большой вальс — слушать

История создания «Лебединого озера»

В 1875 году П.И. Чайковский получил очень неожиданный заказ от дирекции императорских театров. Они предложили ему взяться за «Озеро лебедей», вот только, как правило, оперные композиторы в то время почти не работали в жанре балета, не считая Адана. Однако Петр Ильич не стал отклонять этот заказ и решил попробовать свои силы. Композитору предложили для работы сценарий В. Бегичева и В. Гельцера. Примечательно, что в его основе преимущественно были различные сказки и легенды, в которых встречаются девушки, превращенные в лебедей. К слову, несколько десятилетий назад императорская труппа уже обращала внимание именно на этот сюжет и даже было создано на заказ «Озеро волшебниц».

Чайковский окунулся в работу с головой и очень ответственно подошел к каждому шагу. Композитору пришлось изучать полностью танцы, их очередность, а также какая именно музыка должна быть написана для них. Ему даже пришлось подробно изучить несколько балетов, чтобы отчетливо понимать композицию и структуру. Лишь после всего этого он смог приступить к написанию музыки. Что касается партитуры, в балете «Лебединое озеро» раскрываются два образных мира – фантастический и реальный, однако, подчас границы между ними стерты. Красной нитью через все произведение проходит нежнейшая тема Одетты.

Буквально за год была готова партитура балета и он приступил к оркестровке. Таким образом, к осени 1876 года уже началась работа над постановкой спектакля, которую поручили В. Рейзингеру. К тому времени он уже несколько лет трудился на должности балетмейстера Большого театра. Вот только многие его работы, начиная с 1873 года потерпели фиаско.

Постановки

Долгожданная премьера «Лебединого озера» в феврале 1877 года была встречена публикой довольно прохладно, несмотря на огромную проделанную работу всей труппы. Знатоки того времени и вовсе признали это произведение неудачным и вскоре его сняли со сцены. Главными виновниками такой неудачной постановки были признаны в основном балетмейстер Венцель Рейзингер и Полина Карпакова, исполнявшая партию Одетты.

Спустя почти двадцать лет дирекция императорских театров вновь обратила свое внимание на произведение Чайковского, чтобы поставить его в новом сезоне 1893-1894 годов. Таким образом уже новый сценарий спектакля разработал знаменитый Мариус Петипа, и буквально сразу же началась работа над ним, совместно с Чайковским. Но внезапная смерть композитора прервала эту работу, а сам балетмейстер был глубоко потрясен этим. Ученик и помощник Петипа поставил через год одну картину из балета, которая была очень восторженно встречена публикой. После такого успеха и высочайшей оценки критики, балетмейстер поручил Иванову работу над другими сценами, а сам Петипа вскоре смог вернуться к работе над «Лебединым озером». Бесспорно, благодаря стараниям двух постановщиков, сюжет спектакля невероятно обогатился. Иванов решил ввести Белую королеву лебедей, а Петипа предложил противопоставить ей Одиллию. Таким образом возникло «черное» па-де-де из второго акта.

Новая премьера состоялась в январе 1895 года в Санкт-Петербурге. Именно с этого момента, балет получил заслуженное признание как среди публики, так и среди музыкальных критиков, а эта версия была признана лучшей.

Невероятный восторг у публики вызвала постановка на сцене Венской оперы, состоявшаяся в 1964 году. Исполнителей партии Одетты – Марго Фонтейн и Зигфрида – Рудольфа Нуриева вызывали на «бис» восемьдесят девять раз! Любопытно, что режиссером спектакля выступил сам Нуриев. В его варианте все действие было сосредоточенно именно на принце.

Стоит отметить, что в основном все академические постановки балета брали за основу версию Л. Иванова и М. Петипа. Среди последующих работ стоит отметить постановку В.П. Бурмейстера в 1953 году. Он ввел в новых действующих лиц и немного изменил сюжетную линию. Также балетмейстер задумал изменить трагический финал и сделать его светлым. Вот только вопреки ожиданиям, такое новшество не сразу понравилось публике. Считалось, что именно трагический финал придает углубленность трактовки всего произведения.

Среди необычных трактовок следует отметить работу Джона Нормайера, для постановки в Гамбургском балете. Это уже Иллюзия, как Лебединое озеро, где главные герой превращается в Людвига II. Нет ничего, что напоминает о первоисточнике – озера, лебедей. Все что происходит вокруг – это не более, чем разыгравшаяся фантазия больного разума главного героя.

Также, достаточно смелой и оригинальной версией принято считать работу британского хореографа Мэтью Борна, поставленную в ноябре 1995 года. Если первоначально идея заменить всех балерин на мужчин вызвала неодобрение публики, со временем, эта версия получила огромный успех. Как признается сам Мэтью Борн, первое время мужчины выходили из зала, когда начинался танец Лебедя и Принца, но вскоре зрители поняли, что такое современная хореография и чем она отличается от классического балета. Удивительно, что именно эта версия попала в школьную программу Великобритании.

В постановке австралийского балетмейстера Грэма Мерфи, Одетта – это пациентка психиатрической клиники, а лебеди – плод ее фантазии.

Поражает работа китайского режиссера Чжао Мин. В его «Лебедином озере» танец приобретает иной смысл. Это уже ближе к акробатике, а некоторые па и вовсе кажутся просто нереальными, за гранью человеческих возможностей. Еще одна интересная постановка была исполнена во время открытия саммита мировых лидеров G20 в Китае. Там, балерины танцевали на глади озера Сиху, а все движения тут же были воспроизведены их голографическими копиями. Зрелище получилось захватывающим.

Среди экранизаций спектакля следует отметить фильм Герберта Раппопорта «Мастера русского балета», куда вошли фрагменты из постановки в Мариинском театре. Любопытно, что в картине «Мост Ватерлоо» некоторые номера спектакля были использованы, чтобы показать главную героиню – балерину Майру Лестер. Это легендарное произведение вдохновил и Даррена Аронофски, который снял психологический триллер «Черный лебедь». В нем показаны все интриги, которые происходят в театре вокруг распределения ролей.

Несмотря на первоначальную жесткую критику и оглушительный успех после, многочисленные изменения в сюжетах и сценах, одно остается в этом балете неизменно – прекрасная, очаровывающая с первых звуков вечная музыка П.И. Чайковского. Не случайно, именно «Лебединое озеро» признан самым известным балетом мира и является неким эталоном. Предлагаем вам насладиться этим шедевром прямо сейчас и посмотреть «Лебединое озеро» П.И. Чайковского.

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Пётр Ильич Чайковский «Лебединое озеро»

Лебединое озеро
Сцена из II акта в постановке 1877 года
Композитор	Пётр Чайковский
Хореограф	Юлиус Резингер
Последующие редакции	Мариус Петипа и Лев Иванов
Год создания	1877
Первая постановка	4 марта 1877
Место первой постановки	Большой театр, Москва

«Лебединое озеро» — балет Петра Чайковского в четырёх актах. Либретто Владимира Бегичева и, возможно, Василия Гельцера.

В основу сюжета положены многие фольклорные мотивы, в том числе старинная немецкая легенда, повествующая о прекрасной принцессе Одетте, превращённой в лебедя проклятием злого колдуна — рыцаря Ротбарта.

Действующие лица

• Одетта – королева девушек-лебедей
• Принц Зигфрид – юноша ищущий девушку, которую он мог бы полюбить
• Бенно – его друг
• Королева – мать принца
• Ротбард – злой волшебник, превративший девушек в лебедей.
• Одиллия – его дочь, похожая на Одетту
• Наставник
• Церемониймейстер, герольд, друзья принца, придворные кавалеры, лакеи, придворные дамы и пажи в свите принцессы, невесты, поселяне, поселянки, лебеди.

Сюжет

Сюжет по мотивам старинной немецкой легенды о прекрасной девушке, превращённой в белого лебедя. В четырёх актах балета чередуются реальные и фантастические картины. Празднуя свое совершеннолетие в дворцовом парке, принц Зигфрид (нем. Siegfried) веселится среди друзей, однако пролетевшая над парком стая лебедей манит его за собой. В лесу, на берегу озера среди девушек-лебедей принц находит Одетту, королеву лебедей с короной на голове. Покоренный её красотой и потрясенный её рассказом о преследованиях злым хозяином озера Ротбартом (нем. Von Rothbart), Зигфрид клянется Одетте в вечной любви. На балу в замке, по велению матери Зигфрида, он должен выбрать себе невесту. Однако принц равнодушен, пока не появляется Одиллия, в которой Зигфриду видится Одетта, ей он и оказывает предпочтение. Поняв, что совершил роковую ошибку, Зигфрид бежит к озеру и молит Одетту о прощении, но не получает его. Срывая с головы Одетты корону, Зигфрид бросает вызов Ротбарту, олицетворяющему в балете образ фатума (хозяина озера)(корона спасала Одетту от преследования). Принц надеется, что девушка-Лебедь уйдет с ним в мир людей. В сказке бурные волны разбушевавшейся на озере стихии поглощают Одетту и Зигфрида.^{[источник не указан 531 день]} В другом варианте сюжета это Ротбарт вздымает волны. Но также есть советская версия, где Зигфрид вступает в бой с Ротбартом и побеждает его. Проклятье снято, лебеди превращаются в прекрасных девушек, а Зигфрид и Одетта обретают счастье. Есть также версия, где Одилия и Зигфрид прыгают в озеро.

История постановок

Сценическая история спектакля складывалась трудно. Премьера прошла 4 марта 1877 года на сцене Большого театра в Москве. Оригинальная хореография была создана Юлиусом Резингером. Дирижер-постановщик Рябов, Степан Яковлевич. Балет делился на четыре акта — по одной картине в каждом. Первой исполнительницей партий Одетты и Одилии стала Полина Карпакова. На четвёртом представлении главную партию впервые исполнила Анна Собещанская, и в третьем акте появилось новое Pas de deux принца Зигфрида и Одиллии, поставленное специально для неё М. И. Петипа.

Постановка Резингера была признана неудачной и не имела успеха. В 1882 году балетмейстер И. Гансен возобновил и частично отредактировал старый спектакль. В 1894 году в концерте, посвященном памяти П. И. Чайковского был показан второй акт балета в постановке Льва Иванова. В главных партиях были задействованы итальянская танцовщица П. Леньяни и Солист Его Императорского Величества П. А. Гердт.

15 января 1895 года в Мариинском театре спектакль был поставлен целиком. Либретто заново пересматривалось Мариусом Петипа и М. И. Чайковским. Партитура — Мариусом Петипа и Рикардо Дриго. Хореография принадлежала (первая картина первого акта, второй акт, за исключением венецианского и венгерского танцев и апофеоз) Петлдосaович|Льву Иванову]] (вторая картина первого акта, венецианский и венгерский танцы — во втором и третий акт).

Версия Петипа — Иванова стала классической. Она лежит в основе большинства последующих постановок «Лебединого Озера», кроме крайне модернистских. Чаще всего используется каноническая хореография белого акта и «чёрный» Pas d’action Мариуса Петипа. Однако влияние петербургской постановки на всю последующую судьбу балета гораздо шире механического воспроизведения отдельных её элементов. По сути, в ней были заложены основные традиции, определяющие подход новых балетмейстеров к авторскому тексту П. И. Чайковского. Свободный пересмотр либретто и столь же свободная перекомпоновка партитуры с пополнением её фрагментами небалетной музыки П. И. Чайковского прочно вошли в театральный обиход. На сегодняшний день из всех существующих редакций балета едва ли найдутся хотя бы две, имеющие полностью одинаковые театральные партитуры. Наиболее радикальными в этом отношении версиями считаются венская постановка Рудольфа Нуреева и версия В. Бурмейстера, а наиболее распространенные замены заключаются в возвращении в третий акт вариаций главных героев, написанных П. И. Чайковским для Pas de six и Pas de deux Собещанской и включение в четвертую картину дуэта на музыку второй вариации из Pas de six.

Постановки

1. 20 февраля 1877 года — балетмейстер В. Рейзингер , Большой театр, Одетта и Одиллия — П. М. Карпакова
2. 17 февраля 1894 года — балетмейстер Л. И. Ива́нов, Мариинский театр, Одетта — П. Леньяни
3. 24 января 1901 года — балетмейстер А. А. Горский, художники А. Я. Головин, К. А. Коровин, Одетта и Одиллия — А. А. Джури, Зигфрид — М. М. Мордкин
4. 29 февраля 1920 года, Большой театр, балетмейстер А. А. Горский, режиссёр В. И. Немирович-Данченко, художник К. А. Коровин (второй акт), дирижёр А. Ф. Арендс. Одетта — Е. М. Ильющенко, Одиллия — М. Р. Рейзен
5. 13 апреля 1933 года, Театр им. Кирова, балетмейстер А. Я. Ваганова, возобновление по Л. И. Ива́нову и М. И. Петипа, дирижёр Е. А. Мравинский. Одетта — Г. С. Уланова, Одиллия — О. Г. Иордан, Зигфрид — К. М. Сергеев
6. 1937 год, Большой театр, балетмейстер А. М. Мессерер (новая постановка 4-го акта) и Е. И. Долинская (восстановление 1-3-го актов), дирижёр Ю. Ф. Файер. Одетта — Одиллия — М. Т. Семёнова, Зигфрид — М. М. Габович, Ротбарт — П. А. Гусев
7. 25 апреля 1953 года — балетмейстер В. П. Бурмейстер (1-й, 3-й и 4-й акты) и П. А. Гусев (2-й акт, по Л. И. Ива́нову). Одетта и Одиллия — В. Т. Бовт
8. 1945 год, Театр им. Кирова — Ф. В. Лопухов (новая редакция по Л. И. Иванову и М. И. Петипа), декорации — Б. И. Волкова, костюмы Т. Г. Бруни. Одетта и Одиллия — Н. М. Дудинская, Зигфрид — К. М. Сергеев, Ротбарт — Р. И. Гербек
9. 19 июля 1958 года, Ленинградский Малый театр, Ф. В. Лопухов и К. Ф. Боярский (восстановление подлинника сочинения Л. И. Иванова и М. И. Петипа). Одетта — В. М. Станкевич, Одиллия — Т. Г. Боровикова
10. 25 декабря 1969 года — балетмейстер Ю. Н. Григорович, художник С. Б. Вирсаладзе, дирижёр Альгис Жюрайтис. Одетта и Одиллия — Н. И. Бессмертнова, Зигфрид — Н. Б. Фадеечев.

Редакция балета была поставлена в других городах среди которых: Тбилиси (в 1928 году балетмейстером Р. Баланотти, а также в 1945 и 1954 годах, балетмейстером Вахтангом Чабукиани); Ереван (в 1940 году балетмейстером Леонидом Лавровским).

В мире балет «Лебединое озеро» многократно ставился на музыку П. И. Чайковского. Среди постановок:

• 1911, Нью-Йорк — балетмейстер Михаил Мордкин (исполнитель партии Зигфрида), Одетта и Одиллия — Екатерина Гельцер
• 1925, Белград — балетмейстер А. Фортунато
• 1934, Лондон — балетмейстер Николай Сергеев
• 1951, Нью-Йорк — балетмейстер Джордж Баланчин
• 1951, Будапешт — балетмейстер Асаф Мессерер
• 1957, Хельсинки — балетмейстер Асаф Мессерер
• 1953, 1963, Буэнос-Айрес — балетмейстер Дж. Картер
• 1969, Берлин — балетмейстер Кеннет Макмиллан
• 1960, 1965, Париж — балетмейстер Владимир Бурмейстер
• 1962, Сантьяго — балетмейстер А. Р. Томский (2-й акт)
• 1962, Загреб — балетмейстер Ростислав Захаров
• 1964, Штутгарт — балетмейстер Джон Крэ́нко
• 1964, Копенгаген — балетмейстер Н. А. Анисимова
• 1965, Гавана — балетмейстер Альберто Алонсо
• 1965, Нидерланды — балетмейстер Игорь Бельский
• 1971, Гётеборг — балетмейстер Эльза-Марианна фон Розен
• 1976, Гамбург — балетмейстер Джон Ноймайер

Библиография

• И. Глебов Лебединое озеро. — Л.: ЛГАТОБ, 1934. — 34 с.
• Лебединое озеро / Анисимов А. (редактор). — М.: Искусство, 1951. — 24 с. — 10 000 экз.
• Богданов-Березовский В. М. Лебединое озеро. — Л.: МУЗГИЗ, 1953. — 32 с. — 5000 экз.
• Слонимский Ю. Лебединое озеро П. Чайковского. — Л: Государственное музыкальное издательство (МУЗГИЗ), 1962. — 80 с. — (Сокровища Советского Балетного Театра). — 15 000 экз.
• Демидов А. Лебединое озеро. — М.: Искусство, 1985. — 368 с. — (Шедевры балета). — 25 000 экз.

• Житомирский Д. Балеты Чайковского. Москва, 1957
• Балет. Энциклопедия, СЭ, 1981, 1997

Интересные факты

• В Германии широко распространено мнение о том, что на идею написания музыки к балету повлияло впечатление от Лебединого озера, находящегося в предгорьях Альп в окрестностях города Фюссена. На фото, сделанном со смотровой площадки около известного замка Нойшванштайн, это озеро видно справа, за замком Хоэншвангау.^{[источник не указан 339 дней]}
• Прообразом для лебединого озера стал Воткинский заводской пруд, центральная часть которого находилась напротив дома Чайковского.^{[источник не указан 339 дней]}
• Но наиболее вероятной является версия об озере в Лебедевой экономии Давыдовых (ныне — Черкасская область, Украина), которую автор посетил незадолго до написания балета. Отдыхая там, автор провел не один день на его берегу, наблюдая за белоснежными птицами.^{[источник не указан 339 дней]}
• Балет «Лебединое озеро» ассоциируется с Августовским путчем — его демонстрировали по советскому телевидению 19 августа 1991 года, отменив все запланированные передачи.
• Композиция «Swan Lake» (музыкальная тема из балета аранжированная в жанре ска) присутствует на альбоме One Step Beyond…, британской группы Madness.
• Испанской метал-группой Dark Moor была написана композиция Swan Lake («Лебединое озеро»), в основу которой легли сюжет одноимённого балета и музыка Петра Ильича Чайковского, дополненная электро-гитарными партиями, ударными и клавишными.
• Музыка балета также стала саундтреком к игре Loom.
• Балет и страсти вокруг распределения ролей для него являются основой сюжета фильма «Чёрный лебедь».
• Одна из последних сцен фильма Леонида Гайдая «Кавказская пленница» — сцена «Кровавой мести» — происходит под аккомпанемент музыки из балета «Лебединое озеро», который товарищ Саахов смотрел по телевизору.
• В фильме Дракула была использована музыка Чайковского. Её можно услышать особенно в начальных титрах. Также была использована и в испанской версии фильма.

См. также

• Лебединое озеро (аниме) (en:Swan Lake (1981 film)) — экранизация балета в виде полнометражного аниме
• Принцесса-лебедь (мультфильм)
• Лебединое озеро — набор памятных монет Банка России

Ссылки

	Лебединое озеро на Викискладе?

• «Лебединое озеро» — о балете на сайте, посвященном творчеству композитора.
• Либретто и описание музыкальных номеров
• Описания различных постановок балета
• Лебединое озеро — либретто и фотографии балета в постановке Театра классического балета п/р Н. Касаткиной и В. Василёва
• Лебединое озеро Лебединое озеро Рудольф Нуриев
• Телевизионная запись балета, белое адажио//- на YouTube в исполнении Галины Мезенцевой, Кировский
• Телевизионная запись балета, чёрное адажио//- на YouTube в исполнении Натальи Макаровой, ABT
• Сюжет об истории постановки балета

Балеты Петра Ильича Чайковского
Лебединое озеро, Op. 20 · Спящая красавица, Op. 66 · Щелкунчик, Op. 71 Список произведений Петра Чайковского

Произведения П. И. Чайковского
Оперы	Воевода | Ундина | Опричник | Евгений Онегин | Орлеанская дева | Мазепа | Черевички | Чародейка | Пиковая дама | Иоланта
Балеты	Лебединое озеро | Спящая красавица | Щелкунчик
Симфонии	№ 1 g-moll «Зимние грёзы» | № 2 c-moll | № 3 D-dur | № 4 f-moll |«Манфред» h-moll | № 5 e-moll) | № 6 h-moll «Патетическая» | № 7 Es-dur «Жизнь», неоконченная | Серенада для струнного оркестра
Концерты и концертные пьесы	для фортепиано с оркестром Концерт № 1 b-moll | Концерт № 2 G-dur | Концерт № 3 Es-dur для скрипки с оркестром Концерт D-dur | Меланхолическая серенада b-moll | Вальс-скерцо C-dur для виолончели с оркестром Вариации на тему рококо A-dur | Pezzo capricciozo h-moll
Струнные квартеты	№ 1 D-dur | № 2 F-dur | № 3 es-moll
Для фортепиано	2 сонаты (cis-moll | Большая соната G-dur | Времена года | Детский альбом)

Балеты Мариуса Петипа
Баядерка • Дон Кихот • Жизель • Корсар • Лебединое озеро • Пробуждение Флоры • Раймонда • Спящая красавица • Щелкунчик • Дочь фараона • Арлекинада • Дева Дуная • Конёк-Горбунок • Коппелия • Титания

Балет на музыку Петра Чайковского в четырех актах. Либретто В. Бегичева и В. Гельцера.

Действующие лица:

• Одетта, королева лебедей (добрая фея)
• Одиллия, дочь злого гения, похожая на Одетту
• Владетельная принцесса
• Принц Зигфрид, ее сын
• Бенно фон Зоммерштерн, друг принца
• Вольфганг, наставник принца
• Рыцарь Ротбарт, злой гений под видом гостя
• Барон фон Штейн
• Баронесса, его жена
• Барон фон Шварцфельс
• Баронесса, его жена
• Церемониймейстер
• Герольд
• Скороход
• Друзья принца, придворные кавалеры, дамы и пажи в свите принцессы, лакеи, поселяне, поселянки, слуги, лебеди и лебедята

Действие происходит в сказочной стране в сказочные времена.

История создания

В 1875 году дирекция императорских театров обратилась к Чайковскому с необычным заказом. Ему предлагалось написать балет «Озеро лебедей». Необычным этот заказ являлся потому, что ранее «серьезные» композиторы балетной музыки не писали. Исключение составляли лишь произведения в этом жанре Адана и Делиба. Против ожидания многих, Чайковский заказ принял. Предложенный ему сценарий В. Бегичева (1838—1891) и В. Гельцера (1840—1908) был основан на мотивах встречающихся у разных народов сказок о заколдованных девушках, превращенных в лебедей. Любопытно, что за четыре года до этого, в 1871 году, композитор написал для детей одноактный балет под названием «Озеро лебедей», так что, возможно, ему принадлежала идея использования именно этого сюжета в большом балете. Тема всепобеждающей любви, торжествующей даже над смертью, была ему близка: в его творческом портфеле к тому времени появилась уже симфоническая увертюра-фантазия «Ромео и Джульетта», а в следующем году, после обращения к «Лебединому озеру» (так стал называться балет в окончательном варианте), но еще до его окончания, была создана «Франческа да Римини».

Композитор подошел к заказу очень ответственно. По воспоминаниям современников, он «перед написанием балета долго добивался, к кому можно обратиться, чтобы получить точные данные о необходимой для танцев музыке. Он даже спрашивал… что ему делать с танцами, какова должна быть их длина, счет и т. д.». Чайковский внимательно изучал различные балетные партитуры, чтобы понять «этот род композиции в деталях». Только после этого он приступил к сочинению. В конце лета 1875 года были написаны первые два акта, в начале зимы — два последних. Весной следующего года композитор оркестровал написанное и закончил работу над партитурой. Осенью в театре уже шла работа над постановкой балета. Ее начал осуществлять приглашенный в Москву в 1873 году на должность балетмейстера московского Большого театра В. Рейзингер (1827—1892). К сожалению, он оказался неважным постановщиком. Его балеты на протяжении 1873—1875 годов неизменно проваливались, и когда в 1877 году на сцене Большого театра появился еще один его спектакль — премьера «Лебединого озера» состоялась 20 февраля (4 марта по новому стилю), — это событие осталось незамеченным. Собственно, с точки зрения балетоманов это и не было событием: спектакль оказался неудачным и через восемь лет сошел со сцены.

Подлинное рождение первого балета Чайковского состоялось более двадцати лет спустя, уже после смерти композитора. Дирекция императорских театров собиралась поставить «Лебединое озеро» в сезоне 1893—1894 годов. В распоряжении дирекции были два прекрасных балетмейстера — маститый Мариус Петипа (1818—1910), работавший в Петербурге с 1847 года (он дебютировал одновременно как танцовщик и балетмейстер и создал целую эпоху в русском балете), и Лев Иванов (1834—1901), помощник Петипа, ставивший, в основном, небольшие балеты и дивертисменты на сценах Мариинского, Каменноостровского и Красносельского театров. Иванов отличался удивительной музыкальностью и блестящей памятью. Он был настоящим самородком, некоторые исследователи называют его «душой русского балета». Ученик Петипа, Иванов придал творчеству своего учителя еще большую глубину и чисто русский характер. Однако создавать свои хореографические композиции он мог только на прекрасную музыку. К его лучшим достижениям относятся, кроме сцен «Лебединого озера», «Половецкие пляски» в «Князе Игоре» и «Венгерская рапсодия» на музыку Листа.

Сценарий новой постановки балета был разработан самим Петипа. Весной 1893 года началась его совместная работа с Чайковским, прервавшаяся безвременной кончиной композитора. Потрясенный как смертью Чайковского, так и своими личными потерями, Петипа заболел. На вечере, посвященном памяти Чайковского и состоявшемся 17 февраля 1894 года, в числе других номеров была исполнена 2-я картина «Лебединого озера» в постановке Иванова.

Этой постановкой Иванов открыл новую страницу в истории русской хореографии и приобрел славу великого художника. До сих пор некоторые труппы ставят ее как отдельное самостоятельное произведение. «…Открытия Льва Иванова в «Лебедином озере» являются гениальным «прорывом» в XX век», — пишет В. Красовская. Высоко оценив хореографические находки Иванова, Петипа поручил ему лебединые сцены. Кроме того, Иванов поставил Чардаш и Венецианский танец на музыку Неаполитанского (впоследствии выпускаемый). После выздоровления Петипа со свойственным ему мастерством закончил постановку. К сожалению, новый поворот сюжета, — счастливый конец вместо первоначально задуманного трагического, — предложенный Модестом Чайковским, братом и либреттистом некоторых опер композитора, обусловил относительную неудачу финала.

15 января 1895 года в Мариинском театре, в Петербурге, состоялась, наконец, премьера, давшая долгую жизнь «Лебединому озеру». Балет на протяжении XX века шел на многих сценах в различных вариантах. Хореография его впитала идеи А. Горского (1871—1924), А. Вагановой (1879—1951), К. Сергеева (1910—1992), Ф. Лопухова (1886—1973).

Сюжет

(первоначальная версия)

В парке замка Владетельной принцессы друзья ожидают принца Зигфрида. Начинается праздник его совершеннолетия. Под звуки фанфар появляется принцесса и напоминает Зигфриду, что завтра на балу он должен будет выбрать невесту. Зигфрид опечален: он не хочет себя связывать, пока его сердце свободно. В сумерках видна пролетающая стая лебедей. Принц и его друзья решают закончить день охотой.

По озеру плывут лебеди. На берег к развалинам часовни приходят охотники с Зигфридом и Бенно. Они видят лебедей, у одного из которых на голове золотая корона. Охотники стреляют, но лебеди уплывают невредимыми и в волшебном свете обращаются в прекрасных девушек. Зигфрид, плененный красотой королевы лебедей Одетты, слушает ее печальный рассказ о том, как злой гений заколдовал их. Лишь ночью они принимают свой настоящий облик, а с восходом солнца снова становятся птицами. Колдовство потеряет силу, если ее полюбит юноша, никому еще не клявшийся в любви, и сохранит ей верность. При первых лучах зари девушки исчезают в развалинах, и вот уже по озеру плывут лебеди, а за ними летит огромный филин — их злой гений.

В замке бал. Принц и принцесса приветствуют гостей. Зигфрид полон мыслями о королеве лебедей, никто из присутствующих девушек не трогает его сердца. Дважды звучат трубы, возвещающие прибытие новых гостей. Но вот трубы прозвучали в третий раз; это приехал рыцарь Ротбарт с дочерью Одиллией, удивительно похожей на Одетту. Принц, уверенный, что Одиллия и есть таинственная королева лебедей, радостно устремляется к ней. Принцесса, видя увлечение принца прекрасной гостьей, объявляет ее невестой Зигфрида и соединяет их руки. В одном из окон бальной залы появляется лебедь-Одетта. Увидев ее, принц понимает страшный обман, но непоправимое свершилось. Охваченный ужасом принц бежит к озеру.

Берег озера. Девушки-лебеди ожидают королеву. Одетта вбегает в отчаянии от измены принца. Она пытается броситься в воды озера, подруги стараются ее утешить. Появляется принц. Он клянется, что в Одиллии видел Одетту и только поэтому произнес роковые слова. Он готов умереть вместе с ней. Это слышит злой гений в облике филина. Смерть юноши во имя любви к Одетте принесет ему гибель! Одетта бежит к озеру. Злой гений пытается превратить ее в лебедя, чтобы не дать утонуть, но Зигфрид борется с ним, а затем бросается вслед за любимой в воду. Филин падает мертвым.

Музыка

В «Лебедином озере» Чайковский еще остается в рамках жанров и форм балетной музыки, сложившейся к тому времени по определенным законам, хотя наполняет их новым содержанием. Его музыка трансформирует балет «изнутри»: традиционные вальсы становятся поэтическими поэмами огромного художественного значения; адажио являются моментом наибольшей концентрации чувства, насыщаются прекрасными мелодиями; вся музыкальная ткань «Лебединого озера» живет и развивается симфонически, а не становится, как в большинстве современных ему балетов, просто аккомпанементом тем или иным танцам. В центре — образ Одетты, охарактеризованной трепетной, взволнованной темой. Связанная с ней проникновенная лирика распространяется на все произведение, пронизывая его прекрасными мелодиями. Характерные танцы, как и картинно-изобразительные эпизоды, занимают в балете сравнительно небольшое место.

Л. Михеева

На фото: «Лебединое озеро» в Мариинском театре

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«Лебединое озеро» сочинялось молодым Чайковским в один из его активнейших творческих периодов. Уже были созданы три симфонии и знаменитый ныне концерт для фортепиано с оркестром (1875), чуть позднее — четвертая симфония (1878) и опера «Евгений Онегин» (1881). Обращение композитора такого уровня к сочинению балетной музыки не было обычным для того времени. В императорских театрах для подобного вида творчества существовали штатные композиторы — Цезарь Пуни, Людвиг Минкус, позже Риккардо Дриго. Чайковский не ставил перед собой задачу «революции» в балете. Со свойственной ему скромностью он скрупулезно изучал балетные партитуры, стремясь, не порывая с установившимися формами и традициями балетных спектаклей, изнутри насытить их музыкальную основу высокой содержательностью.

Теперь общепризнанно, что именно «Лебединое озеро» открыло отечественному балету невиданные музыкальные горизонты, развитые впоследствии и самим Чайковским и его последователями в этой сфере. Однако прав и Борис Асафьев: «В сравнении с роскошным барокко „Спящей красавицы» и мастерским симфоническим действием „Щелкунчика», „Лебединое озеро» — альбом задушевных „песен без слов». Оно напевнее и простодушнее других балетов». Вряд ли можно требовать от «первенца» совершенства музыкальной драматургии. В постановках «Лебединого озера» и по сей день не найдено идеального соответствия между музыкальными замыслами композитора и сценическим действием.

Музыка сочинялась с мая 1875 по апрель 1876 года по заказу московского Большого театра. В основе балета — сказочный сюжет «из рыцарских времен». Существует немало мнений о его литературных источниках: называют Гейне, немецкого сказочника Музеуса, русские сказки о девушке-лебеди и даже Пушкина, но сама история вполне самостоятельна. Идея, вероятно, принадлежит композитору, но авторами либретто считаются инспектор московских театров Владимир Бегичев и артист балета Василий Гельцер. Премьера спектакля состоялась 20 февраля 1877 года. Его, увы, крайне неудачным хореографом был Вацлав Рейзингер. К сожалению, неуспех этой постановки надолго бросил тень на сам балет. Когда же, почти сразу после смерти Чайковского, в 1893 году встал вопрос о постановке «Лебединого озера» в Мариинском театре, то ответственнейшую доводку до полноценной сценической реализации пришлось делать уже без автора.

В видоизменениях сюжетной основы приняли участие брат композитора Модест Чайковский (либреттист «Пиковой дамы» и «Иоланты»), директор Императорских театров Иван Всеволожский и Мариус Петипа. По указаниям последнего, дирижер Дриго, благоговевший перед музыкой Чайковского, внес в партитуру балета значительные коррективы. Так первые два акта стали двумя картинами начального акта. Дуэт Принца и поселянки из первой картины стал ныне знаменитым па-де-де Одиллии и Принца, заменив на балу секстет с участием главных героев. Из финального акта изъята сцена бури, которая по замыслу композитора завершала балет. Мало того, Дриго оркестровал и вставил в балет три фортепианные пьесы Чайковского: «Шалунья» стала вариацией Одиллии в па-де-де, «Искорка» и «Немножко Шопена» вошли в третий акт.

Именно на эту видоизмененную партитуру и была создана знаменитая постановка 1895 года, давшая бессмертие балету. Петипа, помимо общего руководства постановкой, сочинил хореографию первой картины и ряд танцев на балу. Льву Иванову принадлежит честь сочинения лебединых картин и некоторых танцев на балу. Главную партию Одетты-Одиллии танцевала итальянская балерина Пьерина Леньяни, а роль Зигфрида исполнил Павел Гердт. Знаменитому артисту шел 51-й год, и балетмейстерам пришлось пойти на компромисс: в лиричном белом адажио Одетта танцевала не с Принцем, а с его другом Бенно, а Зигфрид лишь мимировал неподалеку. В па-де-де мужская вариация была купирована.

Тогдашние балетоманы не сразу оценили достоинства премьеры. Однако зритель, ранее полюбивший «Спящую красавицу», «Пиковую даму» и «Щелкунчика», горячо принял новый балет Чайковского, в котором искренний лиризм музыки удачно сочетался с проникновенной хореографией лебединых сцен Льва Иванова, а праздничные картины включали такие шедевры Мариуса Петипа, как па-де-труа и па-де-де. Именно эта постановка постепенно (и с неизбежными изменениями) завоевала весь мир.

В России первые изменения начались уже через 6 лет. Первым «редактором» стал Александр Горский — один из исполнителей роли Бенно в Петербурге. В первой картине появился Шут, зато во второй исчез Бенно. Сочиненный Горским испанский танец на балу ныне исполняется повсеместно. В Мариинском театре «Лебединое озеро» Иванова-Петипа с незначительными коррективами шло до 1933 года.

В балете в разные годы блистали Матильда Кшесинская, Тамара Карсавина, Ольга Спесивцева. В 1927 году юная Марина Семенова поразила всех своей гордой Одеттой и демонически властной Одиллией.

Замысел решительного переосмысления классического балета принадлежал Агриппине Вагановой и ее соавторам: музыковеду Борису Асафьеву, режиссеру Сергею Радлову и художнику Владимиру Дмитриеву. Вместо «фантастического балета» перед зрителями возникла романтическая новелла. Действие перенесли в начало XIX века, Принц стал Графом, увлеченным старинными легендами, Ротбардт — его соседом-герцогом, желающим выдать замуж свою дочь. Лебедь лишь в мечтах графа представала в образе девушки. Подстреленная герцогом птица умирала на руках Графа, который в тоске закалывался кинжалом. В обновленном «Лебедином озере» двух героинь танцевала не одна, как ранее, а две балерины: Лебедя — Галина Уланова, Одиллию — Ольга Иордан. Любопытная перелицовка балета просуществовала менее десяти лет, но от нее осталась трепетная хореографическая сцена «Птица и охотник», заменившая в начале второй картины малопонятный рассказ Одетты о своей судьбе.

В 1937 году в московском Большом театре Асаф Мессеpep также обновил «Лебединое озеро». Именно тогда трагическая гибель героев, столь важная для замысла Чайковского, была заменена прямолинейным «хэппи-эндом». Думается, что не случайна и дата этой коррекции, ставшей обязательной для постановок советского периода. С 1945 года и в Ленинграде Принц стал в рукопашной схватке одолевать злодея Ротбардта. Справедливость требует отметить, что балетмейстеру Федору Лопухову принадлежит не только это новшество. Вся картина бала у него трактовалась как развернутое колдовство — танцующие и гости появлялись по приказам Ротбардта.

Более полувека на сцене Мариинского театра сохраняется «сценическая и хореографическая редакция» «Лебединого озера» Констатина Сергеева (1950). И хотя от хореографии 1895 года в ней осталось немного (вторая картина, дополненная танцем больших лебедей, мазурка, венгерский, а также частично па-де-де— в сцене бала), она сама за более чем полвека стала «классической», благодаря гастролям театра ею любовались зрители всех континентов. В ней аккумулировалось танцевальное и артистическое мастерство десятков превосходных исполнителей главных партий: от Натальи Дудинской до Ульяны Лопаткиной, от Константина Сергеева до Фаруха Рузиматова.

Две постановки, обогатившие сценическую историю «Лебединого озера», были реализованы в Москве во второй половине XX века. В почти диаметральных по стилю и замыслу спектаклях общим было одно — декларативный возврат к оригинальной партитуре Чайковского (правда, не в полном объеме) и соответственный отказ от постановки 1895 года: сохранялась лишь вторая картина Иванова, да и то с поправками Горского.

Владимир Бурмейстер осуществил свою версию на сцене Музыкального театра имени Станиславского и Немировича-Данченко (1953). На интродукцию к балету была сочинена сцена, объясняющая зрителям, как и почему Ротбардт превратил Одетту и ее подруг в лебедей. Во втором акте, развивая идею Лопухова, хореограф трактовал сюиту характерных танцев как ряд соблазнов Принца, в каждом из которых демонстрировался еще один лик коварной Одиллии и ее мира. В последнем акте впечатляла танцевально решенная сцена разбушевавшейся стихии, созвучная апогею чувств героев. В финале торжествовала любовь, и лебеди, почти на глазах зрителя, трансформировались в девушек.

«Лебединое озеро» Юрия Григоровича (Большой театр, 1969) — философская поэма о вечной борьбе добра с коварством и злом, причем эта борьба ведется, прежде всего, внутри человека. Главное в этом спектакле — судьба Принца, а не участь Одетты. Злой гений предстает черным двойником героя, обе партии хореографически обогащены. Такой дуализм личности сродни музыкальным темам безжалостного фатума, преследующего человека, в симфонических сочинениях Чайковского. По существу, спектакль Григоровича не связан с замыслом классического спектакля 1895 года, хотя, как уже говорилось, использует хореографию второй картины.

Новаторское и талантливое решение «Лебединого озера» вызвало немалые споры. В каждом из «национальных» танцев второго акта солирует участница танца невест. Стоило ли ради этого приема решать эти танцы средствами классического танца, а не традиционно, давая простор танцу характерному? Ведь наличие в спектакле характерного танца, оттеняющего танец классический, одна из примет балетов эпохи Петипа. Другой спорный вопрос — финал спектакля. Проблема личной ответственности героя за свои поступки неминуемо приводила к неизбежной гибели героев. Однако эта мизансцена была категорически запрещена после генеральной репетиции лично тогдашним министром культуры СССР Екатериной Фурцевой. В постсоветское время хореограф обновил свою постановку на сцене Большого театра, выстроив финал по-новому: гибнет лишь Одетта.

Впервые вне России балет был показан 30 октября 1911 года в Лондоне труппой «Русские сезоны Сергея Дягилева». По его указаниям балет был сокращен Михаилом Фокиным до двух актов. Сцена у озера стала первым актом, второй разворачивался во дворце. Использовались декорации и костюмы Константина Коровина и Александра Головина, одолженные Дягилеву московским Большим театром.

Наибольший интерес у зрителей вызвало выступление в главной женской партии знаменитой Матильды Кшесинской. Огромный успех имело поэтичное белое адажио с Вацлавом Нижинским и виртуозный блеск техники балерины в фуэте. Чуть позднее известный московский танцовщик Михаил Мордкин в рамках гастролей своей труппы «Все звезды России» впервые в США показал «Лебединое озеро» в Вашингтоне.

Первой иностранной труппой, решившейся на полную реализацию русского шедевра, стал лондонский Vic Wells Ballet (1934). Постановку, ставшую одним из эталонов для мирового балета, осуществил Николай Сергеев. Он попытался, по возможности дотошно, воспроизвести спектакль Петипа и Иванова 1895 года. Честь «внедрения» «Лебединого озера» во французский балет принадлежит другому знаменитому эмигранту Сержу Лифарю (1936, Гранд-Опера). Призвав на помощь бывших петербургских балерин, он дополнил балет своими композициями. В 1960 году этот театр пригласил Бурмейстера перенести его московский спектакль на парижскую сцену.

«Лебединое озеро» сегодня исполняется повсеместно в мире. Большинство постановок сохраняют в том или ином виде хореографию Иванова и Петипа. Однако существуют оригинальные спектакли Джона Ноймайера, Мэтью Борна, Матса Эка, использующие лишь партитуру Чайковского.

А. Деген, И. Ступников

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Обращаясь к сказочным сюжетам, Чайковский вкладывал в них глубокое и значительное жизненное содержание. Простая и непритязательная немецкая сказочка о девушке-лебеде, положенная в основу «Лебединого озера» (Источником либретто, как устанавливает Ю. О. Слонимский, послужила сказка немецкого писателя XVIII века И. К. А. Музеуса «Пруд лебедей», входящая в состав восьмитомного собрания «Народные сказки немцев». Извлечение из собрания Музеуса издано в русском переводе под названием «Волшебные сказки». В составлении балетного сценария принимало участие, по-видимому, несколько лиц, причастных к московскому театру.), была им превращена в волнующую лирическую поэму верной любви, торжествующей над злом и коварством. Созданный в счастливую пору творческой молодости композитора, незадолго до «Евгения Онегина», «Франчески да Римини» и Четвертой симфонии, этот балет носит на себе печать той непосредственности лирического вдохновения, которой отмечены лучшие произведения данного периода. Мелодическое богатство и выразительность музыки «Лебединого озера» в соединении с широтой и напряженностью симфонического развития сглаживают недостатки сценарного плана, покоряя зрителя и слушателя неотразимой силой своего поэтического обаяния.

В балете показаны два мира — реальный и фантастический, между которыми, однако, нет непереходимой грани. Королева лебедей Одетта, заколдованная злым волшебником, томится в неволе и жаждет человеческого тепла и любви, но только по ночам ей дозволено принимать свой настоящий облик юной красавицы. Увидев ее однажды, принц Зигфрид влюбляется в нее, но невольно нарушает клятву верности, и Одетта должна погибнуть, а Зигфрид бросается в пучину разбушевавшихся вод, чтобы умереть вместе с ней.

Такова несложная и довольно банальная сказочная фабула, на основе которой Чайковскому удалось создать произведение с развернутым, напряженно развивающимся действием, целостное и законченное по своей драматургической композиции. Сквозь всю партитуру проходит нежная элегическая тема томления Одетты, большей частью сохраняя свою тембровую (гобой с его мягким теплым звучанием) и тональную (си минор) окраску.

Впервые она появляется в конце первого действия, картины веселого пиршества, танцев и забав в парке возле замка Зигфрида, празднующего с друзьями свое совершеннолетие. Тема Одетты, пролетающей вместе с подругами мимо веселящейся компании, приносит с собой дыхание иного, влекущего к себе поэтического мира.

Второе действие у озера, куда приходит Зигфрид, следуя за лебединой стаей, проникнуто глубоким трепетным лиризмом, контрастируя блеску и пышности предыдущего. Взволнованный рассказ Одетты о своей судьбе, а затем ее танцевальный дуэт (Pas d’action) с Зигфридом (В Adagio этого танцевального номера Чайковский использовал материал любовного дуэта из своей уничтоженной оперы «Ундина». Солирующие скрипка и виолончель передают звучание женского и мужского голосов.) окружены рядом изящных танцев кордебалета, создающих красивый поэтичный фон для этих драматургически центральных эпизодов. Все действие обрамляется двумя проведениями темы Одетты, которая получает здесь более широкое развитие и достигает патетического звучания в оркестровом tutti, предвещая трагический исход любви двух молодых существ.

В третьем действии перед зрителем возникает картина пышного бала в замке принцессы, матери Зигфрида, устраивающей смотр невест для своего сына. Но над этим блестящим торжеством словно нависла зловещая тень. Именно здесь злой волшебник Ротбарт осуществляет коварный замысел, приходя с своей дочерью, как две капли похожей на пленившую сердце юного принца царицу лебедей. Что-то отравленное, какой-то колдовской дурман ощущается в музыке этого действия начиная со сцены выхода гостей, построенной на чередовании трубных фанфар, возвещающих о прибытии знатных персон, с фрагментами вальса. Последними приходят Ротбарт с Одиллией, и завершается сцена большим общим вальсом. Но в отличие от плавных лирических вальсов двух предшествующих действий этот динамичный энергично ритмованный вальс проникнут жгучей страстностью выражения. За ним следует цикл групповых танцев (Pas de six), который Н. В. Туманина характеризует как «сцену обольщения». В отдельных частях этого цикла слышится то чувственное томление (вторая вариация с ее ориентальной окраской), то что-то повелительное и угрожающее (грозные «стучащие» ритмы четвертой вариации). Завершается цикл стремительной «вакхической» кодой с острыми синкопированными ритмами. Еще один цикл национальных танцев приводит к заключительной сцене, где Зигфрид, не подозревающий обмана, танцует с Одиллией все тот же вальс и Ротбарт, торжествуя, передает ему руку дочери, но в этот момент в окне появляется лебедь с короной и драматично звучащая тема Одетты передает ее ужас и отчаяние.

Последнее, четвертое действие переносит нас снова на берег озера. Слышится грустная мелодия танца маленьких лебедей, тоскующих без Одетты, затем стремительно вбегает она сама, рассказывая о своем несчастье в драматическом взволнованном танце. Появление Зигфрида и его гибель вместе с Одеттой составляют содержание финальной сцены балета, который завершается торжественным патетическим звучанием темы Одетты в ритмическом увеличении и мощном оркестровом tutti как апофеоз верной и стойкой любви.

Глубокая психологическая содержательность, богатство красок и симфонический размах музыки Чайковского оказались не по плечу балетному театру 70-х годов. Постановка «Лебединого озера» в московском Большом театре в 1877 году была серой, бесцветной и ни в какой степени не отвечала новизне и художественной значительности партитуры. «По музыке „Лебединое озеро“ — лучший балет, который я когда-нибудь слышал… По танцам „Лебединое озеро“ едва ли не самый казенный, скучный и бедный балет из тех, что даются в России», — писал Ларош после премьеры. Только немногие из современников сумели оценить значение того, что было сделано Чайковским, большинством же его новаторство осталось не понято. Удержавшись на сцене Большого театра в течение шести сезонов, «Лебединое озеро» было забыто и не возобновлялось при жизни композитора.

Ю. Келдыш

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