Scene from the ballet Swan Lake" Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theater
“Swan Lake”.Ballet-symphony
First premiere
In the 60s and 70s of the 19th century, music for ballet was considered a secondary thing and only accompanied the dancers’ dance.
And when in 1875 symphonist Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky began composing the score for a new Moscow production, a new era began for the art of ballet.
For the first time, dance began to obey music, requiring a new approach to the means of choreographic expression
The libretto (plot) is based on the German legend about Princess Odette, who was turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. Only at night does Odette become a girl.
Only a person who loves Odette and is faithful to her can break the spell cast by the Evil Genius. But if the vow of love is broken, she will forever remain a bird.
Prince Siegfried, who is just about to get married, falls in love with Odette. However dark forces in the person of the Evil Genius and his daughter Odile do not intend to allow the heroes to be together
In 1877, it took place at the Bolshoi Theater. Czech choreographer Vaclav Reisinger was responsible for the choreography. Critics received the ballet coolly, calling the dances boring and institutional, and the plot overloaded.
The production was not a success, but the play remained in the theater's repertoire for quite a long time - six years, and was staged 39 times.
The main characters of the ballet “Swan Lake” Heyday
The real triumph of “Swan Lake” happened after Tchaikovsky’s death. In 1895, St. Petersburg choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov presented the public with a new edition of the play. Petipa worked on the first and third paintings, Ivanov - on the second and fourth. Modest Tchaikovsky, Peter's younger brother, edited the libretto.
This is how ballet acquired the dramaturgy and choreography that are considered the standard today. The main party Italian virtuoso Pierina Legnani danced. The production was a huge success with both the public and critics.
In 1901, “Swan Lake” was again staged in Moscow in the edition of the young choreographer Alexander Gorsky. While preserving Ivanov-Petipa's choreography, Gorsky introduced several new scenes and details.
Since then, Swan Lake has become one of the most performed ballets in the world, and many editions have been created.
However, the best discoveries of Petipa, Ivanov, Gorsky invariably migrate from production to production: the adagio of Odette and Siegfried, the dances of Odette and the swans, the duet of Siegfried and Odile.
The classical version of the ballet “Swan Lake” consists of two acts and four scenes “Swan Lake”.Act I, Scene II
"White" Adagio
Siegfried, Odette, corps de ballet
“Swan Lake”. Bolshoi Theater, 1961 Adagio (Italian adagio, “slowly”, “calmly”) - dance composition, performed at a slow tempo, is one of the most important in the plot of the ballet.
This dance is the lyrical culmination of the first act: the prince and Odette develop feelings for each other.
Lev Ivanov, who worked on this part of the production, used an innovative way of interaction between the ballerina and the corps de ballet. The plot of the second film is centered around Odette, including during her duet with Siegfried.
The corps de ballet emphasizes the heroine's emotions with the design of their dance.
“Swan Lake”. “White” Adagio” In addition to choreographic innovations, Lev Ivanov reformed the ballet costume itself, ridding all the “swans” of the decorative wings attached to their backs, with which they performed in the first version of the ballet. Since then, the swan's grace has been expressed exclusively in dance and only resembles the movements of birds, without copying them.
Odette. Artist – Valery Kosorukov At the beginning of the adagio, Odette bows before Siegfried - she sits on the floor, bowing her body and arms. In this pose, the ballerina shows her heroine's trust in the prince and begins to tell her story.
The ballet figure most often found in this adagio is the arabesque (French arabesque, “Arabic”).
This is the basic pose classical ballet, in which the supporting leg stands on the whole foot or on the toes (pointe shoes), and the other leg is raised 30°, 45°, 90° or 120° up with the knee extended.
“Swan Lake”.Act I, Scene II
Swans Dance and Odette Variation
Odette, corps de ballet
The adagio of the main characters gives way to the dancing of swans.
“Swan Lake”. Swans Dance and Odette Variation Ballet scholar Poel Karp called the dances of the entire second film “dances of states” with one artistic task: both in the adagio and in subsequent compositions the theme of Odette’s story about her “swan” world develops.
Moreover, each dance can exist on its own.
Swans small and large
One of the most famous ballet dances is the dance of the little swans. He introduces Siegfried to the cheerful and carefree side of Odette's world. Little swans personify childhood with its cheerfulness; at the same time, the clasped hands of the dancers speak of friendship and loyalty.
Dance of the little swans from Act 2 of the ballet “Swan Lake”. Bolshoi Theater, 1970 Key movements: ambuate - successive transitions from foot to foot; jete - a movement performed with a leg throw; pas de cha - jumping movement: the bent legs are thrown back one by one, the body bends.
Dancers for the roles of little swans are selected very carefully: as a rule, these are miniature ballerinas without a significant difference in height.
The synchronization in the dance must be perfect - because of the tutu, the ballerinas cannot follow each other's feet.
Scene from P. I. Tchaikovsky’s ballet “Swan Lake”. Three swans - ballet dancers Natalya Bessmertnova (in the center), L. Ivanova and Natalya Ryzhenko. Bolshoi Theatre, 1965. Photo – Alexander Makarov The “small” swans are immediately replaced by a trio of “big” ones: a contrast is created with the childish, naive mood of the previous dance.
Their movements are swift and airy - the dance embodies the dream of Odette and the entire swan flock of freedom.
Odette
Maya Plisetskaya - Odette. Bolshoi Theater, 1972 The chain of dances before the overall ending is crowned by the Odette variation.
In it, the whole composition comes together, resulting in a lyrical dance - an anticipation of love and freedom.
Key movements: tour en déor - turn 360° “outward”, that is, in the direction from the supporting leg; Sison - jumping movement from two legs to one.
“Swan Lake”. Act two, scene III
"Black" pas de deux
Siegfried and Odile
Pas de deux (French pas de dois, “dance for two”) is a choreographic composition, complex in technique, designed to reveal the depth of the characters of the duet.
Odile – Svetlana Adyrkhaeva, Bolshoi Theatre, 1967 Marius Petipa, composing the third scene of the ballet, made the pas de deux both the dance and the semantic center of the act. The dance is preceded by a scene in the castle: the brides' ball is over, and they are all rejected by Siegfried, who is faithful to Odette. Suddenly a stranger in black appears - Odile, the daughter of the Evil Genius, who has amazing external resemblance with Odette.
With each step of the dance, the prince succumbs more and more to her charms and in the end makes the tragic mistake of swearing his love to her.
Before Swan Lake, the pas de deux was simply spectacular dance number, but thanks to Petipa it acquired a plot and dramatic function.
“Swan Lake”. “Black” pas de deux Most often, Odette and Odile are danced by one ballerina. Odile was conceived as the mystical antipode of Odette: the queen of the ball, a beautiful seductress, shrouded in mystery.
Her plasticity is reminiscent of the Odette swan, but in a demonic variation - a striking change of poses, swift, imperious movements.
32 fouettes of Odile
Fouette is a quick rotation in one place, while the leg in the air is thrown to the side by 45-90° and brought to the knee of the other leg with each rotation.
In classical pas de deux (in “Swan Lake”, “Corsair”, etc.) the ballerina performs 32 fouettés in a row. For the first time, such a number of revolutions was performed by the Italian dancer Pierina Legnani in the ballet Cinderella in 1893.
In 1895, Legnani repeated the virtuoso number at the premiere of the new edition of Swan Lake.
In the context of Odile's role, the virtuoso fouetté symbolizes ominous jubilation: the prince is finally conquered.
“Swan Lake”.Ballet symbol
By 2017 stage history“Swan Lake” dates back 140 years. The best traditions of the choreographic school are preserved, although each choreographer tries to find his own approach to production.
Images of swan girls have become one of the most recognizable symbols of our culture, and history tragic love, told through dance, continues to amaze audiences around the world. 
Editor Anastasia Troyanova
Designer Denis Zaporozhan
Illustrator Lera Bazankova
Animation Alexey Drozdov
Programmer Andrey Bogachev
Supervisor Alexander Vershinin
Art director Anton Stepanov
"Swan Lake", a ballet to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is the most famous in the world theatrical production. The masterpiece of choreography was created more than 130 years ago and is still considered an unsurpassed achievement of Russian culture. "Swan Lake" - a ballet for all times, a standard high art. The greatest ballerinas in the world considered it an honor to perform in the role of Odette. The White Swan, a symbol of the greatness and beauty of Russian ballet, is at an unattainable height and is one of the largest “pearls” in the “crown” of world culture.
Performance at the Bolshoi Theater
The plot of the ballet "Swan Lake" is revealed fairy tale story about a Princess (swan) named Odette and Prince Siegfried.
Each performance of "Swan Lake" at the Bolshoi Theater is a celebration, accompanied by Tchaikovsky's immortal music and magnificent original choreography. Colorful costumes and scenery, impeccable dance of soloists and corps de ballet create big picture high art. Hall Bolshoi Theater Moscow is always full when the stage is on - the best thing that has happened in the world of ballet art over the past 150 years. The performance takes place with two intermissions and lasts two and a half hours. Symphony orchestra and during the intermission continues to play quietly for some time musical theme. The plot of the ballet "Swan Lake" leaves no one indifferent, the audience empathizes with the characters from the very beginning, and by the end of the performance the drama reaches its climax. After the end of the ballet, the audience does not leave for a long time. One of the spectators, who came to Moscow and visited the Bolshoi Theater, figuratively expressed his admiration: “I regret that it is impossible to bring so many flowers to the performance to give gifts to all the artists; several trucks would be needed.” This best words gratitude that the walls of the Bolshoi Theater have ever heard.
"Swan Lake": history
The beginning of the legendary ballet performance was started in 1875, when the management of the Bolshoi Theater ordered to the young composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky music for a new play called "Swan Lake". Creative project suggested updating the repertoire. For this purpose they decided to create the production “Swan Lake”. Tchaikovsky at that time was not yet widely famous composer, although he wrote four symphonies and the opera "Eugene Onegin". He set to work enthusiastically. For the play "Swan Lake" the music was written within one year. The composer presented the notes to the management of the Bolshoi Theater in April 1876.
Libretto
The libretto of the play was written by the famous theater figure of the time, Vladimir Begichev, in collaboration with ballet dancer Vasily Geltser. It is still unclear which literary source served as the basis for the production. Some believe that the plot of the work was borrowed from Heinrich Heine, others believe that the prototype was " Belaya Sergeevich Pushkin, but then it is not clear what to do with the main actor fairy tales, Prince Guidon, since he, as a character, is closely connected with the image of a noble bird. Be that as it may, the libretto turned out to be successful, and work began on the play “Swan Lake”. Tchaikovsky was present at the rehearsals and received live participation in the production.
Failure
The Bolshoi Theater troupe worked with inspiration on the performance. The plot of the ballet "Swan Lake" seemed original to everyone, with elements of something new. Rehearsals continued until late at night, no one was in a hurry to leave. It never occurred to anyone that disappointment might soon set in. The play "Swan Lake", whose history was quite complicated, was preparing for its premiere. The theater audience was looking forward to this event.
The premiere of Swan Lake took place in February 1877 and, unfortunately, was unsuccessful. Essentially, it was a failure. First of all, the choreographer of the performance, Wenzel Reisinger, was declared the culprit of the fiasco, then the ballerina who played the role of Odette, Polina Karpakova, also got it. "Swan Lake" was abandoned, and all the scores were temporarily "put on the shelf."
Return of the performance
Tchaikovsky died in 1893. And suddenly, in the theatrical environment, it was decided to return to the play "Swan Lake", the music for which was simply wonderful. All that remained was to restore the performance in a new edition and update the choreography. It was decided to do this in memory of the untimely departed composer. Modest Tchaikovsky, brother of Pyotr Ilyich, and Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the Imperial Theater, volunteered to create a new libretto. The musical part was handled by the famous bandmaster Ricardo Drigo, who short time it was possible to re-arrange the entire composition and compose an updated work. The choreographic part was reworked by the famous choreographer, Marius Petipa, and his student, Lev Ivanov.
New reading
It is believed that Petipa recreated the choreography of the ballet “Swan Lake”, but Lev Ivanov gave the performance a truly Russian flavor, who managed to combine free-spirited melodiousness and the unique charm of the Russian open spaces. All this is present on stage during the performance. Ivanov composed enchanted girls with crossed arms and a special tilt of the head, dancing in four. The touching and elusively attractive charm of the lake of swans is also the merit of the talented assistant Marius Petipa. The play "Swan Lake", the content and artistic color of which in the new reading had significantly improved, was ready to go on stage in a new edition, but before Petipa decided to raise the bar for the aesthetic level of the production even higher and re-enacted all the scenes of the balls in the palace of the Sovereign Princess, and also court festivities with Polish, Spanish and Hungarian dances. Marius Petipa contrasted Odile with the white swan queen invented by Ivanov, creating an amazing “black” pas de deux in the second act. The effect was amazing.
The plot of the ballet "Swan Lake" in new production enriched, became more interesting. The maestro and his assistants continued to improve the solo parts and their interaction with the corps de ballet. Thus, the play "Swan Lake", the content and artistic color of which in the new interpretation was significantly improved, was soon finally ready to go on stage.
New solution
In 1950, choreographer Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg proposed new version"Swan Lake". According to his plan tragic ending the performance was cancelled, white swan didn’t die, everything ended with a “happy ending”. Similar changes in the theatrical sphere often occurred, in Soviet era was considered in good form embellish events. However, the performance did not benefit from such a change; on the contrary, it became less interesting, although part of the audience welcomed the new edition of the production.
Self-respecting groups adhered to the previous edition. In favor classic version It also says that the tragic ending was originally intended as an in-depth interpretation of the entire work, and its replacement with a happy ending looked somewhat unexpected.
Act one. Scene one
On the stage there is a huge park, centuries-old trees are green. In the distance you can see the castle where the Sovereign Princess lives. On the lawn between the trees, Prince Siegfried, with his friends, celebrates his coming of age. Young people raise cups of wine, drink to their friend’s health, the fun is overflowing, everyone wants to dance. The jester sets the tone by dancing. Suddenly Siegfried's mother, the Sovereign Princess, appears in the park. Everyone present tries to hide traces of the feast, but the jester accidentally knocks over the cups. The princess frowns with displeasure, she is ready to express her indignation. Here she is presented with a bouquet of roses, and the severity softens. The princess turns and leaves, and the fun flares up with renewed vigor. Then darkness falls and the guests disperse. Siegfried is left alone, but he does not want to go home. A flock of swans flies high in the sky. The prince takes a crossbow and goes hunting.
Scene two
Dense forest. Spread among the thickets big lake. White swans swim across the water surface. Although their movements are smooth, some kind of elusive anxiety is felt. The birds are rushing about as if something is disturbing their peace. These are enchanted girls, only after midnight they will be able to take on human form. The evil wizard Rothbart, the owner of the lake, rules over defenseless beauties. And then Siegfried appears on the shore with a crossbow in his hands, deciding to hunt. He is about to shoot an arrow at the white swan. Another moment, and the arrow will pierce the noble bird to death. But suddenly the swan turns into a girl of indescribable beauty and grace. This is the swan queen, Odette. Siegfried is enchanted; he has never seen such a beautiful face. The prince tries to meet the beauty, but she slips away. After several unsuccessful attempts, Siegfried finds Odette in a round dance of his girlfriends and confesses his love to her. The prince’s words touch the girl’s heart, she hopes to find in him a savior from Rothbart’s power. Dawn is coming soon, and all the beauties will turn into birds again with the first rays of the sun. Odette tenderly says goodbye to Siegfried, swans slowly swim away along the water surface. There remains an understatement between the young people, but they are forced to part because the evil sorcerer Rothbart is closely monitoring what is happening, and he will not allow anyone to escape his witchcraft. All girls, without exception, must become birds and remain enchanted until nightfall. Siegfried remains to leave so as not to endanger the white swans.
Act two. Scene three
There is a ball in the castle of the Sovereign Princess. There are many girls among those present noble birth, one of them should become Siegfried's chosen one. However, the prince does not honor anyone with his attention. Odette is in his thoughts. Meanwhile, Siegfried's mother is trying in every possible way to force one of her favorites on him, but to no avail. However, in accordance with etiquette, the prince is obliged to make a choice and give his chosen one beautiful bouquet flowers. Fanfares sound to announce the arrival of new guests. The evil wizard Rothbart appears. Next to the sorcerer is his daughter, Odile. She is like two peas in a pod and looks like Odette. Rothbart hopes that the prince will be fascinated by his daughter, forget Odette, and she will forever remain in the power of the evil wizard.
Odile manages to seduce Siegfried, he is infatuated with her. The prince announces to his mother that his choice is Odile, and immediately confesses his love to the insidious girl. Suddenly Siegfried sees a beautiful white swan in the window, he throws off the witchcraft spell and runs to the lake, but it’s too late - Odette is lost forever, she is exhausted, there are faithful swans around her, but they are no longer able to help.
Act three. Scene four
Deep quiet night. There are drooping girls standing on the shore. They know about the grief that befell Odette. However, all is not lost - Siegfried comes running and on his knees begs his beloved to forgive him. And then a flock of black swans, led by the sorcerer Rothbart, arrives. Siegfried fights him and wins, breaking evil wizard wing. The black swan dies, and with it the witchcraft disappears. The rising sun illuminates Odette, Siegfried and dancing girls, who will no longer have to turn into swans.
History of creation
Presentation abroad
Production today
Libretto of "Swan Lake"
Swan Lake, “the most Russian of all ballets,” as the British critic Clement Crisp once described it, is a work recognized as a symbol national school classical dance. The symbiosis of clearly calibrated and unique choreography combined with deep and refined sound made the production a masterpiece of world ballet mastery, which is known even to audiences far from the world of culture.
History of creation
His life began 142 years ago, when the Moscow Directorate of Imperial Theaters invited Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose “Lake of Swans.” The proposal was unusual for those times, since major composers did not write such opuses. However, Tchaikovsky agrees. He would later share the motives that prompted him to do this with Rimsky-Korsakov: “... partly for the sake of the money I need, partly because I have long wanted to try myself in this kind of music.”
The author approached his work extremely responsibly, scrupulously finding out the details and features of the future brainchild. He was interested in everything that could be useful in his work: what length of essays is required, what is the score, what will be the mise-en-scène? He began direct creativity only in the summer of 1875.
In the center of the score is the image of Odette, who is distinguished by lyricism, reverence and drama. This tenderness stretches like a red thread through the entire symphonic outline. Without even thinking about a “revolution” in the genre, the talented composer nevertheless significantly expands the musical horizon. He worked on the orchestration throughout the spring of 1876.
Work on the score was carried out skillfully and quickly, and therefore already in September preparations for the show began on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The libretto, the plot of which, according to various opinions, could be numerous legends, poems by Heinrich Heine or Alexander Pushkin, was written by Vasily Geltser with the participation of Vladimir Begichev. The choreographer at that time was V. Reisinger, whose version of “Swan Lake” turned out to be very unsuccessful - the premiere, which took place on March 4, 1877, was not noticed, and the performance itself failed miserably and left the stage.
The main reason is considered to be boring and uninteresting choreography, but it is possible that Tchaikovsky’s works did not improve matters: unprepared for such works, listeners were unable to appreciate the complex melodies filled with deep meaning. The composer's music is not an illustration of the libretto, but an audio explanation of it; it harmoniously complements individual episodes, being a connecting link and organizing the stage movement.
"Swan Lake" at the Mariinsky Theater
The next stage in the development of the imperishable work began almost twenty years later, when the Mariinsky Theater began its revival. The talented Marius Petipa and his assistant Lev Ivanov were involved in this. Petipa was personally responsible for the editing and development of the new script, who was able to give logic, clarity, expressiveness and national flavor to the action. The maestro’s idea was also the black swan Odile, contrasted with the bright image of the heroine. However, no less significant changes to the body of the creation were made by the modest choreographer Ivanov, hiding in the shadow of his teacher: it was he who came up with the idea of removing the artificial wings that were previously sewn to the costumes of bird ballerinas, forcing the dancers’ hands to move like wings, thus violating the accepted academic structure . He also adds one of the most recognizable scenes - “Dance of the Little Swans”, a living embodiment of the dance symphony.
Conductor Drigo worked on adjusting the score, eliminating the sextet of the main characters, replacing it with a brilliant pas de deux of Odile and the Prince, cutting out the finale with the storm, and also adding three piano pieces: “Missy”, “Sparkle” and “A Little bit of Chopin” .
Unfortunately, the work began at the Mariinsky Theater only after Tchaikovsky’s death. On January 15, 1895, the performance turned a page in world history. The performer of the part of Odette was chosen to be the charming Italian Pierina Legnani, a ballerina who was the first in the world to perform 32 fouettés in a row. The role of her savior went to Pavel Gerdt, who was already 51 years old. Due to Gerdt's age, the Siegfried variation was stopped, and in the adagio the Swan Queen danced not with her lover, but with Benno von Sommerstern. Theatrical figures and ardent admirers of the classics received the Mariinsky interpretation of “Swan Lake” rather coolly, but most of the audience, already fascinated by “Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker,” reacted to the fresh interpretation with delight. The music, reminiscent of “songs without words,” swan performances full of lyrics and Petipa’s magnificent choreography created a real sensation.
Presentation abroad
Outside Soviet Union the property of high art was shown in the fall of 1911 in Great Britain. It is worth noting that the performance given in London by the artists of Sergei Diaghilev’s Russian Seasons was shortened: instead of four acts, those who came saw two. Later, many world-famous people shone in the performance famous dancers, among whom we can recall Matilda Kshesinskaya, Tamara Krasavina, Marina Semenova, Galina Ulanova, Ulyana Lopatkina, Konstantin Sergeev, Farukh Ruzimatov and others. It must be said that Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, who performed Vienna Opera, called for an encore 89 times.
Production today
Over the years, interest has not waned, but only grown: this performance is in the repertoire of almost all troupes in Russia, and the performance invariably attracts full houses abroad. Perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say that “Swan Lake” has a special position in St. Petersburg, since the Northern capital is the birthplace of the now classical form of this work. Shows are popular at the Alexandrinsky and Mariinsky theaters, at the Bolshoi Drama Theater. Tovstonogov, as well as performance by the Ballet Theater. Leonid Yakobson. The latter gave this diamond an original cut in order to more clearly demonstrate the existing possibilities and update the colors in the already existing palette: stylish decorations made by the artist Vyacheslav Okunev and subtle scenography meet all the requirements of modernity, emphasizing the advantages of the familiar form. Of course, there were some unpleasant events: in 1991, during the August Putsch, the play was shown on TV screens for several days, replacing other programs. However, the bitter aftertaste left from sad memories does not prevent connoisseurs from enjoying the bright and multifaceted pattern of the dance, the surprisingly meaningful canvas of music, as well as the magical, romantic atmosphere of “Swan Lake”.
Libretto of "Swan Lake"
The first action takes place in the garden of the Sovereign Princess's castle, where friends are waiting for her son to appear in order to go with him to his coming-of-age celebration. The princess, appearing to the sound of fanfare, reminds Siegfried that at the upcoming ball he will have to choose a bride. The main character doesn’t like this, but he can’t do anything. When dusk falls, the prince and his entourage decide to hunt.
Coming out of the dense forest, they find themselves in front of a mysterious lake, where graceful snow-white swans glide across the water surface - one of these proud birds is crowned with a golden crown. The hunters shoot, but the birds remain unharmed. Sailing away to moonlight they turn into beautiful girls.
The prince is bewitched by their queen, Odette, who tells Siegfried about her bitter fate: an insidious genius cursed them, and only at night the girls take on their true appearance. A young man who has never sworn love to anyone before can save Odette and her friends from the spell: he will have to take this oath to the queen and remain faithful to her. When morning comes, the girls change their appearance again and fly away, followed by an owl - a powerful and dangerous sorcerer.
The action moves again to the castle, where a magnificent celebration is in full swing. Trumpets sound twice to announce the arrival of guests. However, the prince cannot think of anyone other than the enchanted prisoner. When the trumpet sound resounds around the area for the third time, knight Rothbart arrives in the domain with his young daughter Odile, who is like two peas in a pod like the swan princess. Deciding that the guest is the mystical stranger, the lover rushes to her and announces her as his betrothed. At this moment, the swan Odette appears in one of the windows, which Siegfried notices.
Realizing his terrible mistake, he runs out of the castle in horror and rushes to the pond, where the Princess, overcome with despair, is trying to throw herself into the waves. Having reached the place, the prince swears that what happened was set up by a cunning enemy, and therefore he is ready to give up his life along with Odette in order to unite with her after death. She runs to the lake. At this moment, an eagle owl appears and seeks to turn the girl back into a bird. Siegfried jumps on the wizard to stop his spell, and then rushes after Odette into the water. The sorcerer falls dead.
However, there is another, happy ending, created on the sidelines of the Mariinsky Theater in the second half last century. On the shore of the mysterious lake, where Siegfried ran, realizing what had happened in the hall, the villain tries to destroy young man: He performs evil magic, a storm begins, and the reservoir overflows its banks. However, Odette the Swan attacks Rothbart - for the sake of feeling, even death does not frighten her. The main characters win, the enchanter dies, and the white graceful creature is forever transformed into a beautiful maiden.
“Swan Lake” is perhaps the most famous ballet in the world to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Not only the music, but also the choreography has long been considered a universally recognized masterpiece of world ballet, one of the brightest achievements of Russian culture. And the White Swan will forever remain a symbol of the Russian ballet, a symbol of its beauty and greatness.
The premiere of the ballet, which began its glorious history, took place on January 15, 1895 on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. But few people know that this was not the first production of Swan Lake.
ACT ONE
Scene 1
In a clearing near the castle, Prince Siegfried, with his friends, celebrates his coming of age. The friends' fun is interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Prince's mother, the Sovereign Princess. She gives her son a crossbow and reminds him that childhood is over, and tomorrow, at the ball, he will have to choose a bride. After the departure of the Sovereign Princess, the fun and dancing continue. A flock of swans in the sky attracts the attention of Prince Siegfried: why not end this successful day with a glorious hunt?
Scene 2
Lake in the forest
Prince Siegfried, keen on hunting, comes to a forest lake along which a flock of white swans swims. In front of everyone is a bird with a crown on its head. The prince takes aim... But, struck by the amazing beauty of the Swan Queen, Odette, he lowers his crossbow. She tells the Prince about her terrible fate: the Evil Sorcerer, Rothbart, bewitched her and the girls under her control. He guards them in the form of an owl, only at night allowing them to transform from swans into girls. The terrible spell can be broken only by the one who loves her with all his heart and makes a vow eternal love. Odette disappears, and the Prince, amazed by the story of this girl, rushes after her.
Swan girls come to the shore of the lake. Fascinated by their dances, the Prince vows to free them from the power of the evil sorcerer. He sees Odette and swears his love to her. Tomorrow, at the ball, he will make his choice: Odette will become his wife. The Swan Queen warns the Prince: if the oath is not kept, Odette and all the girls will forever remain under the power of Rothbart's evil spell. It's getting light. The girls turn into swans and swim away. The lovers' happiness is overshadowed by the appearance of an eagle owl who overheard their conversation. He will do everything to destroy their hopes!
ACT TWO
Court ball at Prince Siegfried's castle. In vain do the lovely girls try to captivate Prince Siegfried with their dances: his heart belongs only to the beautiful Swan Queen. However, obeying his mother's orders, he is equally courteous to all guests. The Sovereign Princess demands that the Prince choose a bride from among the contenders who came to the ball. But the Prince is adamant: he is waiting for his only one, Odette.
Suddenly, trumpets announce the arrival of new guests. Siegfried awaits Odette's appearance with hope. However, like a bolt from the blue, Rothbart appears in the guise of a noble knight and his daughter, Odile. The prince is confused: this beauty is unusually similar to Odette! Fascinated by Odile, Siegfried rushes after her. The dancing begins. It is the turn of Siegfried and Odile. Oh, how she looks like Odette! With her seductive and seductive dances, she bewitches and captivates the Prince. He can't take his eyes off her. Suddenly a white swan appears in the window - this is Odette trying to warn her lover. But to no avail - he is so passionate about Odile!
Rothbart's insidious goal is fulfilled - Odile has completely captivated the Prince. He doesn’t have time to come to his senses and makes a choice: from now on Odile is his bride! At Rothbart's request, he gives his chosen one an oath of eternal love. The sorcerer triumphs: Siegfried has broken his oath, which means nothing can break his spell anymore! Having achieved his goal, Rothbart and his treacherous daughter disappear. General confusion. Having come to his senses and realizing the horror of the deception of which he had become a victim, Siegfried rushes to the lake, to Odette.
ACT THREE
On the shore of the lake, the girls anxiously await their queen. Odette appears with the sad news of Rothbart's treachery and Siegfried's betrayal. The Prince appears. He begs Odette to forgive him, because he took an oath, deceived by the similarity of the girls. Odette forgives him, but it is too late: nothing can break the spell of the evil sorcerer. Rothbart appears. He tries with all his might to separate the lovers. And he almost succeeds: he grabs Odette in his deadly embrace. Tormented by the owl, Odette falls to the ground exhausted. Siegfried enters into single combat with Rothbart. Love gives strength to the Prince - he almost defeats the sorcerer. Odette and Siegfried vow eternal love to each other. The power of love kills Rothbart! He's defeated! The spell of the Evil Sorcerer has come to an end!
The swans and Odette turn into girls! Odette and Prince Siegfried are rushing towards their Love and their Happiness! Rays rising sun bring Life, Love and Goodness to the world!
The ballet begins with Siegfried and his friends celebrating his coming of age with charming girls. In the midst of the fun, the mother of the hero of the day appears and reminds the guy that his single life ends today. After this not very pleasant news, the woman gracefully leaves. The court jester, to amuse the prince, engages him in a dance, and everything becomes fun and good again. When everyone had left, Siegfried suddenly noticed a flock of swans in the sky. Taking a crossbow with him, he went to the forest lake. He stopped, fascinated beautiful dance, and watching a black kite soar in the sky.
The prince does not know that this sorcerer Rothbard turned the girls into snow-white swans. Suddenly his gaze was attracted by a beautiful white swan with a golden crown. Without thinking twice, Siegfried took aim, and then the swan turned into a charming, fragile girl who instantly won the prince’s heart. The whole night Odette enjoyed Siegfried's company, and in the morning she was saddened, since at dawn she was supposed to turn into a swan again. The prince intends to disenchant the girl and marry her.
Returning to the palace, Siegfried rejects all contenders for his hand and heart, and dreams of being only with Odette. One day, a black knight appears on the threshold of his house with his daughter, whom Siegfried immediately recognizes as Odette! He is not even confused by the fact that his bride is dressed all in black. He has no idea that in front of him is Odile, the daughter of the evil sorcerer Rodbart. Siegfried is happy and does not let go of his beloved.
Night falls, and the black knight turns into an evil kite, and a white swan with a crown appears in the window. Realizing the horror of what was happening, Siegfried quickly leaves the palace and runs after Odette. The kite also rushes after the girl. The prince shoots with a crossbow and wounds the evil bird. Having lost his charm, Rothbard dies. Siegfried and Odette freeze in each other's arms, and dawn comes.
The ballet “Swan Lake” teaches that love still conquers evil.
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