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Swan Lake, the ballet!
Swan Lake is one of the most famous and
critically-acclaimed ballets, with music by Tchaikovsky.
The original ballet was first performed at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia
on February 20, 1877 and remained in the repertoire until 1883. After
Tchaikovsky's death, the ballet was revised by his brother Modest and the
conductor Riccardo Drigo. This revised version received its premiere at the
Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg on January 15, 1895 with choreography by
Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and many later stagings have followed their work
more or less closely.
A single dancer dances the twin roles of Odette and Odile, which is one of the
most taxing of all roles because it requires acting two entirely contrasting
characters, as well as the strenuous showpiece dancing itself, including
thirty-two fouettés en tournant. This feat was put into the choreography because
it was a party piece of Pierina Legnani, first prima ballerina assoluta of the
Maryinsky ballet. Pavel Gerdt played Prince Siegfried.
The ballet's premiere in Moscow was very poorly received. It had lackluster
costumes and scenery, unusual choreography, and a mediocre orchestra. It also
departed from the traditional Russian format of ballet, which used a story with
just enough plot to sustain the virtuoso dancing; Tchaikovsky's ballet, on the
other hand, included a well-unified storyline which lost much of the audience.
The 1895 revival was acclaimed as a masterpiece, however.
Synopsis
Swan Lake concerns a prince named Siegfried who falls in love with a swan -- or
rather, he falls in love with princess named Odette, who takes human form at
night but each morning is turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart.
A retinue of other swan-maidens attend her in the environs of Swan Lake, which
was formed by the tears of Odette's parents when Von Rothbart kidnapped her. The
prince, while out hunting, sees her dancing in a moonlit glade by the lake and
falls in love with her, and she with him.
Von Rothbart appears and Siegfried threatens to kill him. Odette intercedes,
because if Von Rothbart dies before the spell is broken, it can never be broken.
The spell may only be broken if a prince pledges eternal fidelity to her.
Moreover, Von Rothbart's overall power may only be destroyed if someone gave his
or her life for the Swan Queen.
The Prince returns to the castle to attend a ball. Von Rothbart appears in
disguise at this party with his own daughter Odile, making her seem identical to
Odette in all respects except that she wears black while Odette wore white. The
prince mistakes her for Odette, dances with her, and proclaims to the court that
he intends to make her his wife. Only a moment too late, Siegfried sees the real
Odette (in some versions she arrives at the castle; in other versions, Rothbart
shows him a magical vision of her) and realizes his mistake.
At this point different versions of the ballet diverge. Many different versions
exist, among them the following:
The true love between Siegfried and Odette overcomes and defeats Von Rothbart,
and Odette resumes her human form to unite happily with the prince. This version
has been used in the former Soviet Union and China.
Siegfried journeys to the lake to beg forgiveness from Odette and takes her in
his arms, but she dies. The lake's waters consume the lovers.
In the version currently (2006) danced by New York City Ballet (with
choreography by Peter Martins after Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, and George
Balanchine), the Prince's declaration that he wishes to marry Odile constitutes
a betrayal that condemns Odette to remain a swan forever. Odette is called away
into swan form, and Siegfried is left alone in grief as the curtain falls.
In the version currently (2005) danced by American Ballet Theatre, Siegfried's
mistaken pledge of fidelity to Odile consigns Odette to eternal swanhood.
Realizing that her last moment of humanity is at hand, Odette commits suicide by
throwing herself into the lake. The Prince does so as well. This act of
sacrifice and love breaks Von Rothbart's power, and he is destroyed. In the
final tableau, the lovers are seen rising together to heaven in apotheosis.
The source of this article is
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this
article is licensed under the
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