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Ballets by Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake (1876)
Sleeping Beauty (1889)
The Nutcracker (1892)

List of all compositions

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Swan Lake (Russian: Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a ballet, first presented in four acts, Opus 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The Sleeping Beauty ( Спящая Красавица, Spyashchaya Krasavitsa) is a Ballet in a prologue and three acts Opus 66 by Pyotr The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик Shchelkunchik) Op 71 is a Fairy tale - Ballet in two acts three scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote several works well known among the general classical public— Romeo and Juliet, the 1812 Overture, his Nutcracker Russian ( transliteration:,) is the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance Opus, from the Latin word opus meaning "work" is usually used in the sense of "a Work of art " The scenario was worked out by Vladimir Begichev and Vasiliy Geltser, fashioned from Russican folk tales[1] and an ancient German legend, which 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 to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (opus 20), composed 1875-1876. Vaclav (Wentsel or Jules or Julius Wentsel Reisinger (1828 &ndash 1892 is paradoxical figure in the history of Ballet. Year 1875 ( MDCCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Year 1876 ( MDCCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year The ballet received its premiere on February 27, 1877 at the Bolshoy Theatre in Moscow as The Lake of the Swans. Events 1560 - The Treaty of Berwick, which would expel the French from Scotland, is signed by England and the Congregation Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of 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 January 15, 1895 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. See also A ballet company is a group of Dancers who perform Ballets. See also Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Мариус Иванович Петипа (born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa on 11 March 1818 in Marseille, Kingdom See also Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (1834 &ndash 1901 was a Russian Ballet Dancer and Choreographer and later Second Balletmaster The Mariinsky Ballet, is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 1895 ( MDCCCXCV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The Mariinsky Theatre ( Мариинский театр, also spelled Maryinsky Theatre is a historic theatre of Opera and Ballet in Saint Petersburg ( tr: Sankt-Peterburg,) is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo. Riccardo Eugenio Drigo ( ru Риккардо Эудженьо Дриго a

Contents

History

Origins

Many critics have disputed the original source of the Swan Lake story. The Russian ballet patriarch Fyodor Lopukhov has called Swan Lake a "national ballet" due to its swans who originate from Russian lyrically romantic sources, while many of the movements of the corps de ballet originated from Slavonic ring-dances. [2] According to Lopukhov, "both the plot of Swan Lake (despite the fact that it is based on German source), the image of the Swan and the very idea of a faithful love are essentially Russian"[2]. The libretto is based on a story by the German author Johann Karl August Musäus Der geraubte Schleier "The Stolen Veil"[3], however this story provides only the general outline of the plot of Swan Lake. The Russian folktale The White Duck also bears some resemblance to the story of the ballet and might have been another possible source. The White Duck is a Russian Fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. The contemporaries of Tchaikovsky recalled the composer taking great interest in the life story of Ludwig II, the Bavarian King and Count of Rheinland–Pfalz, the tragic life of whom had allegedly been marked by the sign of Swan and who – either consciously or not - was chosen as the prototype of the dreamer Prince Siegfried[2]. Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm II King of Bavaria ( August 25, 1845 &ndash June 13, 1886) was king of Bavaria from 1864 until shortly

Composition History

Design by F. Gaanen for the décor of Act II of Swan Lake, Moscow, 1877
Design by F. Gaanen for the décor of Act II of Swan Lake, Moscow, 1877

The origins of the ballet Swan Lake are rather obscured, and since there are very few records concerning the first production of the work to have survived, there can be only speculation about who was the author of the original libretto. The most authoritative theory appears to be that it was written by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres during the time that the ballet was originally produced, and possibly Vasily Geltser, Danseur of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre. The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect However, Geltser was in all probability merely the first person to copy the scenario for publication, as a surviving copy bears his name. Since the first published libretto of the ballet and the actual music composed by Tchaikovsky do not correspond in many places, we may conjecture that the first actual published libretto was possibly crafted by a newspaper writer who had viewed the initial rehearsals, as new productions of operas and ballets were always reported in the newspapers of Imperial Russia, along with their respective scenarios.

According to two of Tchaikovsky's relatives - his nephew Yuri Lvovich Davydov and his niece Anna Meck-Davydov - the composer had earlier created a little ballet called The Lake of the Swans at their home in 1871. This ballet featured the famous leitmotif known as the Swan's Theme (or Song of the Swans ). A leitmotif (ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf (also leitmotiv; lit "leading motif" is a recurring Musical theme, associated with a particular person place Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky in 1875 for a rather modest fee of 800 rubles, and soon Begichev began to choose artists that would participate in the creation of the ballet. The ruble or rouble (рубль rublʹ, plural ru рубли́ rubli; see note on English spelling and Russian plurals with numbers The choreographer assigned to the production was the Czech Julius Reisinger (1827-1892), who had been engaged as balletmaster to the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (today known as the Bolshoi Ballet) since 1873. Vaclav (Wentsel or Jules or Julius Wentsel Reisinger (1828 &ndash 1892 is paradoxical figure in the history of Ballet. The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect It is not known what sort of collaborative processes were involved between Tchaikovsky and Reisinger. Tchaikovsky likely had some form of instruction in composing Swan Lake, as he had to know what sort of dances would be required. But unlike the instructions that Tchaikovsky received for the scores of The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, no such written instruction is known to have survived.

Swan Lake was the first ballet set to the score of a symphonic composer. 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" - composers 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 these "specialists", such as the Italian Cesare Pugni and the Czechoslovakian Léon Minkus, before setting to work on Swan Lake. Cesare Pugni (Цезарь Пуни (31 May 1802&ndash was an Italian composer of Ballet music a pianist and a virtuoso Violinist. Ludwig Minkus (Людвиг Минкус aka Léon Fyodorovich Minkus (born Aloisius Ludwig Minkus on March 23, 1826 in Velké Meziříčí 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. (Clément Philibert Léo Delibes (21 February 1836 &ndash 16 January 1891 was a French Composer of Ballets operas, and other works for the stage WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Adolphe Charles Adam ( July 24, 1803 &ndash May 3, Riccardo Eugenio Drigo ( ru Риккардо Эудженьо Дриго a He would later write to his protégé, the composer Sergei Taneyev - "I listened to the Delibes ballet 'Sylvia'. Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev (Pronounced Ta-'ñe-jəv (also Taneev or Taneiev, Russian: Сергей Иванович Танеев Sergej Ivanovič . . 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 featured the use of the technique known as leitmotif - associating certain themes with certain characters or moods, a technique he would use in Swan Lake, and later, The Sleeping Beauty. Giselle is a Ballet by Adolphe Adam. It has 2 acts 2 scenes with a libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile A leitmotif (ˌlaɪtmoʊˈtiːf (also leitmotiv; lit "leading motif" is a recurring Musical theme, associated with a particular person place The Sleeping Beauty ( Спящая Красавица, Spyashchaya Krasavitsa) is a Ballet in a prologue and three acts Opus 66 by Pyotr

Tchaikovsky drew on previous compositions in for his Swan Lake score. He made use of material from The Voyevoda, an opera that he had abandoned in 1868. Voyevoda ( Воевода, The Voyevoda) is an Opera, Opus 3 in 3 acts 4 scenes by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840 – 1893 The Grand Adagio (AKA the Love Duet) from the second scene of Swan Lake was fashioned from an aria from that opera, as was the Waltz of the Prospective Fiancées from the third scene. This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. Another number which included a theme from The Voyevoda was the Entr'acte of the fourth scene. By April of 1876 the score was complete, and rehearsals began. Soon Reisinger began setting certain numbers aside that he dubbed "unsuitable for ballet. " Reisinger even began choreographing dances to other composers' music, but Tchaikovsky protested, and his pieces were reinstated.

Tchaikovsky's score for Swan Lake is orchestrated for a full complement of strings, piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four French horns, two cornets, two trumpets, three trombones, a tuba, a set of timpani drums, a triangle, a tambourine, castanets, a snare drum, cymbals, a bass drum, a gong, a glockenspiel, and a harp. A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a Musical instrument that produces Sound by means of Vibrating strings In the Hornbostel-Sachs The piccolo is a small Flute. Like the flute the piccolo is normally pitched in the key of C one octave above the concert flute (making it effectively a sopranino The flute is a Musical instrument of the Woodwind family Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is a Reedless wind instrument that produces its "Hautbois" redirects here for the strawberry variety see Hautbois strawberry. The clarinet is a Musical instrument in the Woodwind family The name derives from adding the suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word The bassoon is a Woodwind instrument in the Double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and Tenor registers and occasionally The cornet is a Brass instrument very similar to the Trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape and mellower tone quality The trombone is a Musical instrument in the brass family Like all brass instruments it is a lip-reed Aerophone: sound is produced when the player’s Mediatubaogg -->The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched Brass instrument. Timpani (also known colloquially as kettledrums or kettle drums) are Musical instruments in the percussion family The triangle is an Idiophone type of Musical instrument in the percussion family The tambourine or Marine is a Musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles Castanets are Percussion instrument ( Idiophone) much used in Moorish, Ottoman, Ancient Roman, Italian, Spanish The snare drum is a Drum with strands of snares made of curled metal wire metal cable plastic cable or gut cords stretched across the a drumhead typically Cymbals are a modern percussion instrument Cymbals consist of thin normally round plates of various Cymbal alloys; see Cymbal making for a discussion of their A bass drum is a large Drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. This article is about the Internet Protocol Television channel The glockenspiel ( German, "set of bells quot or "play-bells" also known as orchestra bells and in its portable The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard.

Performance history

Adelaide Giuri as Odette and Mikhail Mordkin as Prince Siegfried in Aleksandr Gorsky's staging of the Petipa/Ivanov Swan Lake for the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow, 1901. A young Vera Karalli is seen kneeling.
Adelaide Giuri as Odette and Mikhail Mordkin as Prince Siegfried in Aleksandr Gorsky's staging of the Petipa/Ivanov Swan Lake for the Bolshoy Theatre, Moscow, 1901. A young Vera Karalli is seen kneeling. Vera Alexeyevna Karalli ( Вера Алексеевна Каралли) ( July 27, 1889 - November 16, 1972) was a notable Russian

Moscow Premiere (World Premiere)

St. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Old Style (or OS) and New Style (or NS) are used in English language historical studies either to indicate that the start of the Julian year Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect Vaclav (Wentsel or Jules or Julius Wentsel Reisinger (1828 &ndash 1892 is paradoxical figure in the history of Ballet. Petersburg Premiere

Other Notable Productions

Original Interpreters

Role Moscow 1877 Moscow 1880 St. See also Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, The Ballets Russes ( French for The Russian Ballets) was a Ballet company established Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (Серге́й Па́влович Дя́гилев / Sergei Pavlovich Dyagilev) also referred to as Serge, ( March 31, See also Michel Fokine (a French transliteration English transliteration Mikhail Fokin; from Михаил Михайлович Фокин, Mikhaíl Mikháylovich Petersburg 1895 Moscow 1901 London 1911
Princess Nikolayeva Giuseppina Cecchetti
Siegfried A. Gillert Alfred Bekefi Pavel Gerdt Mikhail Mordkin Vatslav Nizhinsky
Benno Nikitin Aleksandr Oblakov
Wolfgang Gillert
Odette Pelageya Karpakova Yevdokiya Kalmїkova Pierina Legnani Adelaide Giuri Matilda Kshesinskaya
Von Rothbart S. Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt, also known as Paul Gerdt (near St Peterburg, Russia, 22 November 1844 — Vamaloki, Finland Mikhail Mordkin (1880-1944 graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet School in 1899 and in the same year was appointed ballet master Nijinsky redirects here For other uses of the name see Nijinsky (disambiguation. Pierina Legnani (1863 Italy – 1923 Italy was an Italian Ballerina. Mathilde Kschessinskaya (Матильда Феликсовна Кшесинская family origin Matylda Krzesińska ( 19 August 1872 (O Sokolov Aleksey Bulgakov K. Kubakin
Odile
***
Pierina Legnani Matilda Kshesinskaya

Original Production of 1877

The premiere of Swan Lake on March 4, 1877, was given as a benefit performance for the ballerina Pelageya Karpakova (also known as Polina Karpakova), who created the role of Odette, with the Bolshoy Theatre's Premiere Danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Karpakova likely also danced the part Odile, although it is not known for certain.

The Russian ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya - for whom the original (1877) role of Odette was intended - was pulled from the premiere performance when a governing official in Moscow complained about her, stating that she had accepted several pieces of expensive jewelry from him, only to then marry a fellow danseur and sell the pieces for cash. Sobeshchanskaya was replaced by Pelageya Karpakova who danced the role of the Swan Queen until the former was reinstated by Petipa.

The premiere was not well-received, with near unanimous criticism concerning the dancers, orchestra, and décor. Unfortunately Tchaikovsky's masterful score was lost in the debacle of the poor production, and though there were a few critics who recognized its virtues, most considered it to be far too complicated for ballet. Most of the critics were not themselves familiar with ballet or music but rather with spoken melodrama. Critics considered Tchaikovsky's music "too noisy, too 'Wagnerian' and too symphonic"[4]. The critics also found fault with Reisinger's choreography which they thought was "unimaginative and altogether unmemorable"[4].

The production was unsuccessful due to several reasons. The German origins of the story of Swan Lake were "treated with suspicion while the tale itself was regarded as 'stupid' with unpronouncable surnames for its characters"[4]. The dancer of Odette (and probably Odile though this has never been proved for certain) was a secondary soloist and "not particularly convincing"[4].

"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. "

Modest Tchaikovsky, brother of the composer

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux 1877

Anna Sobeshchanskaya as Odette in Julius Reisinger's original production of Swan Lake, Moscow, 1877
Anna Sobeshchanskaya as Odette in Julius Reisinger's original production of Swan Lake, Moscow, 1877

In spite of the poor reaction to the premiere, the ballet nevertheless continued being performed. Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( Russian: Модест Ильич Чайковский, May 13 May 1 1850 Alapaevsk – January 15 January On April 26, 1877 the prima ballerina of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre Anna Sobeshchanskaya made her début as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and from the start she was completely dissatisfied with the production of the ballet, but most of all with Reisinger's choreography and Tchaikovsky's music. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Sobeshchanskaya travelled to St. Petersburg to have Marius Petipa, Maître de Ballet en Chef of the Imperial Ballet, choreograph a new Pas de Deux to replace the Grand Pas de Six, which functioned as the ballet's Grand Pas. See also Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Мариус Иванович Петипа (born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa on 11 March 1818 in Marseille, Kingdom The Mariinsky Ballet, is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. A significant part of Ballet terminology is in the French language. For a Ballerina to request from a Balletmaster a supplemental Grand Pas or additional variation was standard practice in 19th century ballet, and often these "custom-made" dances quite literally became the legal property of the Ballerina they were created for. Petipa fashioned Sobeshchanskaya's Pas de Deux to the specially composed music of Léon Minkus - a standard Pas de Deux Classique which consisted of a short Entrée, the Grand Adagio, a variation for the Danseur, a variation for the Ballerina, and a Coda. Ludwig Minkus (Людвиг Минкус aka Léon Fyodorovich Minkus (born Aloisius Ludwig Minkus on March 23, 1826 in Velké Meziříčí A significant part of Ballet terminology is in the French language. A significant part of Ballet terminology is in the French language. A significant part of Ballet terminology is in the French language.

Word of this change soon found its way to Tchaikovsky, who became very angry. Eventually, Tchaikovsky agreed to compose a Pas that would correspond precisely to Minkus' music, fitting the new choreography. In doing so, Tchaikovsky merely re-scored most of Minkus' music, with slight melodic and harmonic modifications. Sobeshchanskaya was so pleased with Tchaikovsky's new version of the Minkus music that she requested he compose for her an additional variation, which he did.

Until 1953 this Pas de Deux was thought to be lost, until an accidentally discovered repétitéur was found in the archives of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre among the orchestral parts used for Alexander Gorsky's 1912 revival of Le Corsaire. Le Corsaire is a Ballet typically presented in three acts with a scenario originally created by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, loosely based In 1960 George Balanchine choreographed a Pas de Deux to this music for the Ballerina Violette Verdy, and the Danseur Conrad Ludlow under the title Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux,[5] as it is still known and performed today. See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze Violette Verdy (born Nelly Guillerm in 1933 is a French Ballerina who has worked as a director of dance companies and in other related capacities Conrad Ludlow is a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet under George Balanchine. See also List of New York City Ballet repertory, NYCB 2008 Winter Repertory The Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux is a ballet made by

Subsequent productions 1879-1894

Julius Reisinger left Moscow in 1879, and his successor as Balletmaster was Joseph Peter Hansen. Hansen, made considerable efforts throughout the late 1870s/early 1880s to salvage Swan Lake, and on January 13, 1880 he presented a new production of the ballet for his own benefit performance. Events 532 - Nika riots in Constantinople. 888 - Odo Count of Paris becomes King of the Franks Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. The Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Московская государственная академия хореографии - abbreviated as МГАХ and formally known This production was far more well-received than the original, though it was by no means a great success. Hansen presented another version of Swan Lake on October 28, 1882, again with Kalmykova as Odette/Odile. Events 306 - Maxentius is proclaimed Roman Emperor. 312 - Battle of Milvian Bridge: Constantine Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common For this production Hansen arranged a Grand Pas for the ballroom scene which he titled La Cosmopolitana. A significant part of Ballet terminology is in the French language. 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. Les Brigands ( The Bandits) is a "Grand Ballet " in 2 acts/5 scenes with prologue with choreography was by Marius Petipa, and the music by Ludwig Minkus (Людвиг Минкус aka Léon Fyodorovich Minkus (born Aloisius Ludwig Minkus on March 23, 1826 in Velké Meziříčí Hansen's version of Swan Lake was given only four times, the final performance being on January 2, 1883, and soon the ballet was dropped from the repertory altogether. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common

In all, Swan Lake was given a total of forty-one performances between its premiere and the final performance of 1883 - a rather lengthy run for a ballet that was so poorly received upon its premiere. Hansen would go on to become Balletmaster to the Alhambra Theatre in London, and on December 1, 1884 he presented a one-act ballet titled The Swans, which was inspired by the second scene of Swan Lake. This article is about the former theatre in London Alhambra Theatres were located throughout the British Empire significant examples were located in London Bradford, Events 800 - Charlemagne judges the accusations against Pope Leo III in the Vatican Year 1884 ( MDCCCLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year The music was composed by the Alhambra Theatre's chef d'orchestre Georges Jacoby.

The second scene of Swan Lake was then presented on February 21, 1888 in Prague by the Ballet of the National Theatre in a version mounted by the Balletmaster August Berger. Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland Year 1888 ( MDCCCLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Prague (ˈprɑːg Praha (ˈpraɦa see also other names) is the Capital and Largest city of the Czech Republic. The Národní Divadlo or the National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech Opera, and as the national 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 Zdenek, with the role of Benno danced by a female dancer en travestie. The role 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 materialized.

Petipa-Ivanov-Drigo revival of 1895

Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried (Mariinsky Theatre, 1895).
Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried (Mariinsky Theatre, 1895).
Pierina Legnani as Odette (1895).
Pierina Legnani as Odette (1895).
Ivanov's 1895 choreography for the Dance of the Little Swans.
Ivanov's 1895 choreography for the Dance of the Little Swans.

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Pepita and Vsevolozhsky considered reviving Swan Lake and were in talks with Tchaikovsky about doing so. However, Tchaikovsky died on November 6, 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common It remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was even going to revise the music for the prospected revival of Swan Lake. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky's death, Drigo was forced to revise the score himself, but not before receiving approval from Modeste. There are major differences between Drigo's Swan Lake score and Tchaikovsky's score. (Today, it is Riccardo Drigo's revision of Tchaikovsky's score as done for Petipa and Ivanov's 1895 revival, and not Tchaikovsky's original score of 1877, that many - though by no means all - ballet companies use when performing Swan Lake. )

In February 1894, two memorial concerts planned by Vsevolozhsky were given in honor of Tchaikovsky. The production included the second scene of Swan Lake, choreographed Lev Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the Imperial Ballet. See also Lev Ivanovich Ivanov (1834 &ndash 1901 was a Russian Ballet Dancer and Choreographer and later Second Balletmaster Ivanov's choreography for the memorial concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful.

The Ballerina who danced Odette was the Italian virtuosa Pierina Legnani, and it was because of her great talent that the prospected revival of Swan Lake was planned for her benefit performance in the 1894-1895 season. Pierina Legnani (1863 Italy – 1923 Italy was an Italian Ballerina. Her performance demonstrated her phenomenal technique, climaxing in no less than thirty two fouettés en tournant (the most ever performed) during the grand pas. 32 fouettés en tournant ( fr. 32 "turning fouettés" is a movement in classical ballet The dazzled public roared with demands for an encore, and the Ballerina repeated her variation, this time performing twenty eight fouettés en tournant.

However, the death of Tsar Alexander III on November 1, 1894 and the period of official mourning which followed it brought all ballet performances and rehearsals to a close for some time, and as a result all efforts were able to be concentrated on the pre-production of the revival of Swan Lake. Alexander III Alexandrovich ( 10 March 1845 – 1 November 1894) (Александр III Александрович reigned as Emperor Events 996 - Emperor Otto III issues a deed to Gottschalk Bishop of Freising which is the oldest known document using the name Ostarrîchi Year 1894 ( MDCCCXCIV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Ivanov and Petipa chose to collaborate on the production, with Ivanov retaining his dances for the second scene while choreographing the fourth, and with Petipa staging the first and third scenes.

Tchaikovsky's brother Modeste was called upon to make the required changes to the ballet's libretto, the most prominent being his revision of the ballet's finale - instead of the lovers simply drowning at the hand of the wicked Von Rothbart 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. Aside from the revision of the libretto the ballet was changed from four acts to three - with Act II becoming Act I-Scene 2, Act III becoming Act II, and Act IV becoming Act III.

All was ready by the beginning of 1895, and the ballet had its premiere on January 15. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as Von Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno. Pavel Andreyevich Gerdt, also known as Paul Gerdt (near St Peterburg, Russia, 22 November 1844 — Vamaloki, Finland

The premiere of the Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo was quite a success, though not as much of one as it has been in modern times. Most of the reviews in the St. Petersburg newspapers were positive.

Unlike the premiere 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 premiere 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 role as was her Italian predecessor. Mathilde Kschessinskaya (Матильда Феликсовна Кшесинская family origin Matylda Krzesińska ( 19 August 1872 (O

Later productions

Zenaida Yanowsky as Odette in a 2007 production of Swan Lake at London's Royal Opera House
Zenaida Yanowsky as Odette in a 2007 production of Swan Lake at London's Royal Opera House
See also: List of major productions of Swan Lake derived from its 1895 revival

Throughout the long and complex performance history of Swan Lake the 1895 edition of Petipa, Ivanov, and Drigo has served as the version from which many stagings have been based. Zenaida Yanowsky is a Principal Dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing Throughout the long and complex performance history of Swan Lake the 1895 edition of Petipa Ivanov and Drigo has served as the definitive version from which nearly every staging Nearly every balletmaster or choreographer who has re-staged Swan Lake has sought to make modifications to the ballet's scenario, while still maintaining to a considerable extent the traditional choreography for the dances, which is regarded as virtually sacrosanct. Likewise, over time the role of Siegfried has become far more prominent, due largely to the evolution of ballet technique.

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

Instrumentation

Roles

Swan Lake, Oil on Canvas, Mexico, D.F., 1986 by Veronica Ruiz de Velasco
Swan Lake, Oil on Canvas, Mexico, D. F. , 1986 by Veronica Ruiz de Velasco

Note: By 1895 Benno von Sommerstern became 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". Rothbart ("Redbeard") may also be spelled Rotbart.

Synopsis

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).

Act 1 - A magnificent park before a castle.

Swan Lake begins at a royal court. Prince Siegfried, heir to the kingdom, must declare a wife at his birthday ball. Upset that he cannot marry for love, Siegfried escapes into the forest at night. As he sees a flock of swans flying overhead, he sets off in pursuit.

Act 2 - A mountainous wild place, surrounded by forest. In the distance a lake, on the right side of which are ruins. A moonlit night.

The Valse des cygnes from Act II of the Ivanov/Petipa edition of Swan Lake.
The Valse des cygnes from Act II of the Ivanov/Petipa edition of Swan Lake.

Siegfried aims his crossbow at the swans and readies himself for their landing by the lakeside. When one comes into view, however, he stops. Before him is a beautiful creature dressed in white feathers, more woman than swan. Enamoured, the two dance and Siegfried learns that the swan maiden is the princess Odette. An evil sorcerer, von Rothbart, captured her and used his magic to turn Odette into a swan by day and woman by night.

A retinue of other captured swan-maidens attend Odette in the environs of Swan Lake, which was formed by the tears of her parents when she was kidnapped by von Rothbart. Once Siegfried knows her story, he takes great pity on her and falls in love. As he begins to swear his love to her - an act that will render the sorcerer's spell powerless - von Rothbart appears. Siegfried threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes. If von Rothbart dies before the spell is broken, it can never be undone.

Act 3 - An opulent hall in the castle.

Scene from Act 4 of Swan Lake.Vienna Staatsoper, 2004
Scene from Act 4 of Swan Lake.
Vienna Staatsoper, 2004

The Prince returns to the castle to attend the ball. The Vienna State Opera ( Wiener Staatsoper) located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important Opera houses - and opera companies - in Von Rothbart arrives in disguise with his own daughter Odile, making her seem identical to Odette in all respects except that she wears black while Odette wears 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 and realizes his mistake. The method in which Odette appears varies: in some versions she arrives at the castle, while in other versions von Rothbart shows Siegfried a magical vision of her.

Act 4 - Same scene by the lake as in Act 2.

Realizing that the spell can never be broken, Odette and Siegfried drown themselves by leaping into the lake. This causes von Rothbart to lose his power over them, and he dies as a result.

Note: Many different endings exist, ranging from romantic to tragic:

Structure

The score used in this comparison is Tchaikovsky's score,[7] which may be different from Drigo's score, which is commonly performed today. The titles for each number are taken 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.

Introduction: Moderato assai, Allegro non troppo

Act 1

No. 1 Scène: Allegro giusto
No. 2 Waltz: Tempo di valse
No. 3 Scène: Allegro moderato
No. 4 Pas de trois
I. Intrada (or Entrée): Allegro
II. Andante sostenuto
III. Variation: Allegro semplice, Presto
IV. Variation: Moderato
V. Variation: Allegro
VI. Coda: Allegro vivace
No. 5 Pas de deux for Two Merry-makers (this number was later fashioned into the Black Swan Pas de Deux)
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 II

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
I. Tempo di valse
II. Moderato assai
III. Tempo di valse
IV. Allegro moderato (this number later became the famous Dance of the Little Swans)
V. Danse des petits cygnes is a famous dance from the ballet Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, from the ballet’s second or fourth act but has become synonymous Pas d'action: Andante, Andante non troppo, Allegro (material borrowed from Undina)
VI. Undina (sometimes Undine or Ondine) ( Ундина) is an Opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Tempo di valse
VII. Coda: Allegro vivo
No. 14 Scène: Moderato

Act III

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 Grand Pas de six.
I. Intrada (or Entrée): Moderato assai
II. Variation 1: Allegro
III. Variation 2: Andante con moto
IV. Variation 3: Moderato
V. Variation 4: Allegro
VI. Variation 5: Moderato, Allegro semplice
VII. Grand Coda: Allegro molto
No. Ludwig Minkus (Людвиг Минкус aka Léon Fyodorovich Minkus (born Aloisius Ludwig Minkus on March 23, 1826 in Velké Meziříčí 20 Hungarian Dance: Czardas – Moderato assai, Allegro moderato, Vivace
No. 21 Spanish Dance: Allegro non troppo (Tempo di bolero)
No. 22 Neopolitan/Venetian Dance: Allegro moderato, Andantino quasi moderato, Presto
No. 23 Mazurka: Tempo di mazurka
No. 24 Scène: Allegro, Tempo di valse, Allegro vivo

Act IV

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

Animation

Film

Games

Ice Shows

Literature

Musicals

Television

Discography

Audio

Video

References

  1. ^ such as The White Duck collected by Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki
  2. ^ a b c Latvian National Opera (2002). Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( Tatar: Rudolf Xämät ulı Nuriev, Russian: Рудольф Хаметович Нуриев "Dame Margot" redirects here For the medieval trouvère see Dames Margot and Maroie. The White Duck is a Russian Fairy tale collected by Alexander Afanasyev in Narodnye russkie skazki. Alexander Nikolayevich Afanasyev (Александр Николаевич Афанасьев ( 11 July, 1826 — 23 October, 1871) was a Narodnye russkie skazki (Народне Русские Сказки variously translated English titles include Russian Fairy Tales and Russian Folk Tales) is a "Synopsis". Press release. A news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded Communication directed at members of the News Retrieved on 2008-06-03. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering
  3. ^ Der geraubte Schleier at Projekt Gutenberg-DE
  4. ^ a b c d Rosen, Gary (1998). Projekt Gutenberg-DE is a collection of German language literary texts distributed via the web and on CD-ROM "Swan Lake: An Historical Appreciation". Swan Lake programme. Cape Town: Cape Town City Ballet. The Cape Town City Ballet Company, formerly known as CAPAB is based in Cape Town, South Africa.  
  5. ^ http://www.nycballet.com/company/rep.html It is New York City Ballet practice since Balanchine's day to spell the Russian composer's name as "Tschaikovsky. New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by "
  6. ^ interview, David McAllister and Graeme Murphy, Ballet. David Graeme McAllister AM (born 25 November 1963 is a former Australian Ballet dancer and current artistic director of The Australian Ballet. Graeme Murphy (born 2 November 1950 is regarded as one of Australia 's best dance Choreographers Together with his wife the fellow dancer Janet Vernon, co magazine, July, 2005
  7. ^ The correspondence is drawn from http://www.rohedswanlake.org.uk/pgs/main/news_story.asp?id=2, which describes a four-act play. Drigo's version of the ballet is in three acts.
  8. ^ Anime Swan Lake
  9. ^ Imperial Ice - promo videos

External links

Background

Video recordings of the ballet:


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