Swan Lake Wikipedia

Leo Migdal

-Nov 24, 2025, 4:59 AM

Swan Lake (Russian: Лебеди́ное о́зеро, romanized: Lebedínoje ózero, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}Russian pronunciation: [lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə]), Opus 20, is a ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between 1875 and 1876. The original production premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on 4 March 1877 (20 February Old Style), with choreography by Julius Reisinger. The ballet, initially conceived in two acts, is based on Russian and German folk tales and tells the story of Princess Odette, who is transformed into a swan by the sorcerer Von Rothbart.[1][2][3][4] The initial reception was lukewarm, with criticism directed at various elements of the production. Despite this, Swan Lake has become one of the most frequently performed ballets worldwide.[5] Most modern productions derive their choreography and music from the 1895 revival, which was staged by the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St.

Petersburg on 15 January 1895. This revival was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. The musical score was revised by Riccardo Drigo, the chief conductor of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre. The 1895 version extended the ballet to four acts and restructured the storyline, establishing a framework that has shaped subsequent stagings.[6] The ballet’s narrative centers on the relationship between Prince Siegfried and Odette, the Swan Queen, and includes iconic sequences such as the Dance of the Little Swans and the Black Swan pas de deux.

Swan Lake’s themes of transformation, love, and redemption are set against Tchaikovsky’s symphonic score, noted for its complexity and emotional depth.[7] The authorship of the original libretto remains uncertain, and the precise origins of the narrative are likewise obscure. Russian and German folk traditions have been suggested as possible sources, among them Johann Karl August Musäus’s 1784 tale The Stolen Veil, from the collection Volksmärchen der Deutschen and based on the Swan maiden... These accounts, however, bear only limited resemblance to the storyline of the ballet.[8] Swan Lake is a romantic ballet in four acts. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the music.

In 1871 he wrote a little ballet about swans for his nieces and nephews. He used some of the music from this ballet for Swan Lake. The story of the ballet is based on a German fairy tale. This tale was probably tweaked by Tchaikovsky and his friends during the ballet's early discussion stages. Swan Lake is about a prince named Siegfried. He falls in love with the Swan princess, Odette.

She is a swan by day, but a young woman at night. She is under a magic spell that can only be broken by a man who will make a promise to love her for all time. Siegfried makes the promise. He is tricked though by the magician who cast the spell. The ballet ends with the deaths of Siegfried and Odette. The ballet was first performed on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia.

Critics looked upon it as a failure for many reasons. In 1895 some changes were made to the ballet. It was then performed at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. This time the critics thought Swan Lake a great success. Most performances today are based on this 1895 version.[3]

Act 1: 1. Scène—The curtain rises on Prince Siegfried's birthday party. He is 21. On the next evening a grand ball will be held. He is to select a bride from six visiting princesses. Wolfgang, his tutor, introduces a band of peasants to the merrymakers.

2. Valse. 3. Scène. The Queen Mother enters. She thinks Siegfried is frivolous.

The Queen Mother leaves. Benno encourages the Prince to continue the fun. 4. Pas de trois.—Dances for the peasants. 5. Pas de deux.—Dances for the merrymakers.

6. Pas d'action.—Wolfgang is drunk and collapses. 7. Sujet.—The sun sets. Siegfried suggests a final dance. 8.

Danse des coupes.—The merrymakers dance a polonaise holding their goblets. 9. Finale.—A flock of swans flies overhead. Benno suggests a hunt. The Prince agrees. They set off.

Act 2: 10. Scène.—A lake shimmering in the moonlight is seen. Siegfried and his friends watch a flock of swans glide across the lake's surface. 11. Scène.—The hunters take aim. The birds are transformed into maidens.

Their leader asks Siegfried why he troubles them. She says that she is the Princess Odette. She and her companions have all been changed into swans by her wicked stepmother. They are watched by her stepmother's companion Von Rothbart in the guise of an owl. Only a marriage vow can break the spell that keeps her a swan by day and a maiden by night. 12.

Scène.—Siegfried says he loves Odette. She promises to attend tomorrow's ball. She warns him that her stepmother is very dangerous. 13. Danse des cygnes. 14 Scène.— Dawn breaks.

Odette and her friends return to the lake as swans. The 1895 Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo revival of Swan Lake is a famous version of the ballet Swan Lake, (ru. Лебединое Озеро), (fr. Le Lac des Cygnes). This is a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky based on an ancient German legend, presented in either four acts, four scenes (primarily outside Russia and Eastern Europe), three acts, four scenes (primarily in Russia... Originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (opus 20), it was first presented as The Lake of the Swans by the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre on...

Although the ballet is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies today base their stagings both choreographically and musically on this revival by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, staged for the Imperial Ballet,... Petersburg, Russia instead of the original version. [1] In the 1880s Tchaikovsky was commissioned by Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, to score what would become two of his greatest works: the operas The Enchantress (1886) and The Queen of Spades (1890). In 1887 Vsevolozhsky commissioned Tchaikovsky to score music for Marius Petipa's The Sleeping Beauty, a ballet which would prove to be one of both Tchaikovsky and Petipa's greatest masterworks. The first performance on 15 January 1890 by the Imperial Ballet was a great success and soon Vsevolozhsky commissioned a second score for a ballet and an opera from the composer, The Nutcracker and...

Prior to commissioning The Sleeping Beauty, Vsevolozhsky had considered reviving one act of Swan Lake for the 1886–1887 season and had even written a letter requesting the music from Tchaikovsky's publisher Jurgenson, who recommended... However, Tchaikovsky suggested that the second scene be staged instead, which he considered to be " ... the best in all respects." Though this production never materialized, Vsevolozhsky continued showing interest in Swan Lake, and even as The Nutcracker was being readied for production in 1892 he was designing costumes for... Tchaikovsky was delighted at the prospect of Swan Lake being revived by Petipa, of whom he had the greatest respect, asserting that "never with anyone but Petipa would I produce ballets." According to the... Even with this statement from Drigo (which is from his memoirs written some thirty years after Tchaikovsky's death), it is not known for certain if Tchaikovsky was even going to revise the music for... At some point before his death, Tchaikovsky approved of three numbers orchestrated by Drigo from his Op.

Swan Lake Wikipedia

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Swan Lake (Russian: Лебеди́ное О́зеро, Romanized: Lebedínoje Ózero, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output

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She Is A Swan By Day, But A Young Woman