Information AboutSwan Lake |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SWAN LAKE | |
| swan lake | |
| balletsswan lake | |
| ballets | |
| ballets | |
| compositions by pyotr tchaikovsky | |
|
''Swan Lake'' ( Ru . Лебединое Озеро), Tchaikovsky 's 20th opus, is one of the most famous and critically-acclaimed Ballets of all time. 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 St. 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 Mariinsky 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 a 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:
SCORE The Orchestra for ''Swan Lake'' consits of 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 , a Harp , and the String Instruments . Because interpolations, cuts, and rearrangements of the music occurred during and after Tchaikovsky's lifetime, any list of the musical numbers is a subjective enterprise that depends on what era of performance is being examined. The positions of some pieces (such as the Pas de deux) are hotly debated. The list below represents one arrangement: Act I :Introduction : Moderato assai - Allegro non troppo - Tempo I :No. 1 Scène : Allegro guisto :No. 2 Valse : Tempo di valse :No. 3 Scène : Allegro moderato :No. 4 Pas de trois ::I. Intrada : Allegro ::II. Andante sostenuto ::III. Allegro simplice - Presto ::IV. Moderato ::V. Allegro ::VI. Coda : Allegro vivace :No. 5 Pas de deux ::I. Tempo di valse ma non troppo vivo, quasi moderato ::II. Andante - Allegro ::III. Tempo di valse ::IV. Coda : Allegro molto vivace :No. 6 Pas d'action : Andantino quasi moderato - Allegro :No. 7 Sujet :No. 8 Danse des coupes : 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 Danses des cygnes ::I. Tempo di valse ::II. Moderato assai ::III. Tempo di valse ::IV. Allegro moderato ::V. Pas d'action : Andante - Andante non troppo - Tempo I - Allegro ::VI. Tempo di valse ::VII. Coda : Allegro vivo :No. 14 Scène : Moderato Act III :No. 15 Scène : Allegro giusto :No. 16 Danses du corps de ballet et des nains : Moderato assai - Allegro vivo :No. 17 La sortie des invités et la valse : Allegro - Tempo di valse :No. 18 Scène : Allegro - Allegro giusto :No. 19 Pas de six. Intrada : Moderato assai ::Var. I. Allegro ::Var. II. Andante con moto ::Var. III. Moderato ::Var. IV. Allegro ::Var. V. Moderato - Allegro simplice ::Coda : Allegro molto :Appendix I. Pas de deux :No. 20 Danse hongroise. Czardas : Moderato assai - Allegro moderato - Vivace :Appendix II. Danse russe : Moderato - Andante simplice - Allegro vivo - Presto :No. 21 Danse espagnole : Allegro non troppo (Tempo di bolero) :No. 22 Danse napolitaine : Allegro moderato - Andantino quasi moderato - Presto :No. 23 Mazurka : Tempo di mazurka :No. 24 Scène : Allegro - Valse - Allegro vivo Act IV :No. 25 Entr'acte : Moderato :No. 26 Scène : Allegro non troppo :No. 27 Danses des petits cygnes : Moderato :No. 28 Scène : Allegro agitato - Molto meno mosso - Allegro vivace :No. 29 Scène finale : Andante - Allegro agitato - Alla breve. Moderato e maestoso - Moderato Translated titles The titles of the various compositions from ''Swan Lake'' are traditionally given in French . The following is a list of common English translations: No. 8 Dance of the Cups/Goblets No. 13 Dance of the Swans No. 16 Dance of the Corps de Ballet and the Dwarves No. 17 Entrance of the Guests and Waltz No. 20 Hungarian Dance Appendix II: Russian Dance No. 21 Spanish Dance No. 22 Neapolitan Dance No. 27 Dance of the Cygnets/Little Swans ADAPTATIONS Dance
Film
Literary
EXTERNAL LINKS Images ( JPEG s):
QuickTime videos from the 1967 film '' Schwanensee '':
Video recordings of the ballet:
|
|
|