Classical Ballet Music Milestone: March 4
Swan Lake, Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875-76. It is one of his three famous ballets of all-time, despite its initial failure. The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Initially in two acts, the plot was fashioned from Russian and German folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a curse of an evil sorcerer. The choreographer of the original production was Václav Reisinger. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their choreograph and music on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Russian Imperial Ballet on 15th January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersurg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor Riccardo Drigo.
Tchaikovsky ballet Swan Lake premieres this day, 4th March, 1877.
Swan Lake, Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875-76. It is one of his three famous ballets of all-time, despite its initial failure. The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
Initially in two acts, the plot was fashioned from Russian and German folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by a curse of an evil sorcerer. The choreographer of the original production was Václav Reisinger. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their choreograph and music on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Russian Imperial Ballet on 15th January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersurg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor Riccardo Drigo.
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake - The Kirov Ballet
Video Credit:
Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake - The Kirov Ballet. Uploaded by Warner Classics. Accessed December 4, 2023.
Note: The city of St. Petersburg renamed Petrograd in 1914, at the beginning of World War I, because it sounded less German. It was then named Leningrad after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, and again became St. Petersburg in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Confusingly, the surrounding region (oblast) is still known as Leningrad.
Resources:
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet. Accessed January 15, 2019.
Swan Lake. Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Accessed March 4, 2015.
Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake - The Kirov Ballet. Uploaded by Warner Classics. Accessed December 4, 2023.
Note: The city of St. Petersburg renamed Petrograd in 1914, at the beginning of World War I, because it sounded less German. It was then named Leningrad after the death of Vladimir Lenin in 1924, and again became St. Petersburg in 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. Confusingly, the surrounding region (oblast) is still known as Leningrad.
Resources:
A Synopsis of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake ballet. Accessed January 15, 2019.
Swan Lake. Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Accessed March 4, 2015.
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