Swan Lake

One of ballets most famous love stories, Swan Lake was composed in just 12 months by

Russian composer, Pyotr IIyick Tchaikovsky. This was his first ballet score.

Back in the 19 th century, ballet scores were written by specialist composers who knew ballet music. At the time, Tchaikovsky was an opera and music composer and did not appreciate this specialist style until after he studied it.

Swan Lake premiered on 4 March 1877 by the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow, but received a lot

of criticism, mainly by critics who were not familiar with music or ballet. The score was

considered too noisy and far too complicated for ballet. The choreography was also criticised as was Polina Karpakova who was a “secondary soloist” playing the lead role of Odette.

Despite this criticism, the production continued for 41 performances over the next six years.

Many choreographers and ballet masters discussed how they could revive the production.

After Tchaikovsky’s death in 1893, permission was received by his brother to revise the

score, which was done by Italian ballet composer, Riccardo Drigo. The finale was changed

from the original hopeless tragedy where both Odette and the Prince drown by the power of

Von Rothbart, to an ending where the lovers choose death in order to break a curse which

then sees their spirits reunited.

The new rendition of Swan Lake premiered on January 27 th , 1895, to a positive reception

and this version has been what most Ballet Companies have based their performances on.

With beautiful costumes and defined classical movement, Swan Lake tells the story of

Prince Siegfried who is celebrating his birthday. His mother tells him he must choose a bride at the royal ball the following evening. He is upset as he wants to marry for love. After seeing a flock of swans flying overhead, Siegfried and his friends decide to take their crossbows and go on a hunt. He sees a flock of swans on a lake and aims his crossbow.

Suddenly one of them transforms into a beautiful maiden called Odette. He promises not to harm her, and she tells him that her and her friends have had a spell cast over them by a sorcerer named Rothbart, where they become swans during the day and return to humans at night. The only way the spell can be broken is if a person who has never been in love before, promises to love Odette forever.

The following night six princesses are presented to the prince as candidates for marriage.

Rothbart arrives in disguise with his daughter, Odile, who has been transformed to look like

Odette. The prince tells everyone that he will marry Odile but then he realises he has made

a big mistake and upset, he hurries back to the lake to apologise to Odette. She forgives him but sadly the betrayal cannot be undone. Odette does not want to be a swan forever and chooses to die. Siegfried chooses to die with her, and they leap into the lake, where they will stay forever, their spirits forever united in love.

Swan Lake as we know it today, remains one of the world's most popular ballets.