Ballet Swan Lake story for children. Ballet “Swan Lake” by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The Bolshoi Ballet will continue its anniversary tour in London with Swan Lake

In four acts. Libretto by V. Begichev and V. Geltser.

Characters:

• Odette, Queen of the Swan (Good Fairy)
• Odile, daughter of an evil genius, similar to Odette
• Dominant princess
• Prince Siegfried, her son
• Benno von Sommerstern, friend of the prince
• Wolfgang, the prince's mentor
• Knight Rothbart, evil genius disguised as a guest
• Baron von Stein
• Baroness, his wife
• Baron von Schwarzfels
• Baroness, his wife
• Master of Ceremonies
• Herald
• Skorokhod
• Friends of the prince, court gentlemen, ladies and pages in the princess's retinue, footmen, villagers, villagers, servants, swans and cubs

The action takes place in a fairyland in fairy-tale times.

History of creation

In 1875, the directorate of the imperial theaters approached Tchaikovsky with an unusual order. He was asked to write the ballet “Lake of Swans”. This order was unusual because “serious” composers had not previously written ballet music. The only exceptions were works in this genre by Adana and Delibes. Against the expectations of many, Tchaikovsky accepted the order. The script proposed to him by V. Begichev (1838-1891) and V. Geltser (1840-1908) was based on the motifs of fairy tales found among different peoples about enchanted girls turned into swans. It is curious that four years earlier, in 1871, the composer wrote for children one act ballet called “Swan Lake,” so perhaps he had the idea of ​​​​using this particular plot in big ballet. The theme of all-conquering love, triumphing even over death, was close to him: by that time the symphonic fantasy overture “Romeo and Juliet” had already appeared in his creative portfolio, and the next year, after turning to “Swan Lake” (as the ballet began to be called in final version), but even before its completion, Francesca da Rimini was created.

The composer approached the order very responsibly. According to the recollections of his contemporaries, “before writing the ballet, he spent a long time trying to figure out who he could contact in order to obtain accurate information about the music necessary for dancing. He even asked... what should he do with the dances, what should be their length, count, etc.” Tchaikovsky carefully studied various ballet scores to understand “this type of composition in detail.” Only after this did he begin composing. At the end of the summer of 1875, the first two acts were written, and at the beginning of winter - the last two. The following spring, the composer orchestrated what he had written and completed work on the score. In the fall, work was already underway at the theater on staging the ballet. It began to be implemented by V. Reisinger (1827-1892), who was invited to Moscow in 1873 to the position of choreographer of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. Unfortunately, he turned out to be an unimportant director. His ballets throughout 1873-1875 invariably failed, and when in 1877 another of his performances appeared on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater - the premiere of Swan Lake took place on February 20 (March 4, new style) - this event went unnoticed. Actually, from the point of view of balletomanes, this was not an event: the performance was unsuccessful and left the stage eight years later.

The real birth of Tchaikovsky's first ballet took place more than twenty years later, after the composer's death. The directorate of the imperial theaters was going to stage " Swan Lake"in the 1893-1894 season. The directorate had two excellent choreographers at its disposal - the venerable Marius Petipa (1818-1910), who had worked in St. Petersburg since 1847 (he made his debut as both a dancer and a choreographer and created an entire era in Russian ballet), and Lev Ivanov (1834-1901), an assistant Petipa, who staged mainly small ballets and divertissements on the stages of the Mariinsky, Kamennoostrovsky and Krasnoselsky theaters. Ivanov was distinguished by his amazing musicality and brilliant memory. He was a real gem; some researchers call him “the soul of Russian ballet.” A student of Petipa, Ivanov gave his teacher’s work even greater depth and a purely Russian character. However, he could create his choreographic compositions only to beautiful music. To his best achievements include, in addition to the scenes of “Swan Lake”, “Polovtsian Dances” in “Prince Igor” and “Hungarian Rhapsody” to the music of Liszt.

The script for the new production of the ballet was developed by Petipa himself. In the spring of 1893, his collaboration with Tchaikovsky began, which was interrupted by the composer’s untimely death. Shocked both by Tchaikovsky's death and by his own personal losses, Petipa fell ill. At the evening dedicated to the memory of Tchaikovsky and held on February 17, 1894, among other numbers, the 2nd scene of “Swan Lake” staged by Ivanov was performed.

With this production, Ivanov opened a new page in the history of Russian choreography and gained fame as a great artist. Until now, some troupes stage it as a separate independent work. “...Lev Ivanov’s discoveries in Swan Lake are a brilliant breakthrough into the 20th century,” writes V. Krasovskaya. Highly appreciating Ivanov's choreographic discoveries, Petipa assigned him the swan scenes. In addition, Ivanov staged Csardas and a Venetian dance to Neapolitan music (later released). After his recovery, Petipa completed the production with his characteristic skill. Unfortunately, a new plot twist - a happy ending instead of the originally intended tragic one - proposed by Modest Tchaikovsky, the brother and librettist of some of the composer's operas, led to the relative failure of the finale.

On January 15, 1895, the premiere finally took place at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, giving Swan Lake a long life. Throughout the 20th century, ballet was performed on many stages in various options. His choreography absorbed the ideas of A. Gorsky (1871-1924), A. Vaganova (1879-1951), K. Sergeev (1910-1992), F. Lopukhov (1886-1973).

Plot

(original version)

In the park of the Sovereign Princess's castle, friends are waiting for Prince Siegfried. The celebration of his coming of age begins. To the sound of fanfare, the princess appears and reminds Siegfried that tomorrow at the ball he will have to choose a bride. Siegfried is saddened: he does not want to bind himself while his heart is free. At dusk, a flock of swans is visible flying by. The prince and his friends decide to end the day with a hunt.

Swans are swimming on the lake. Hunters with Siegfried and Benno come ashore to the ruins of the chapel. They see swans, one of which has a golden crown on its head. The hunters shoot, but the swans swim away unharmed and in a magical light turn into beautiful girls. Siegfried, captivated by the beauty of the swan queen Odette, listens to her sad story about how an evil genius bewitched them. Only at night do they take on their real appearance, and with sunrise they become birds again. Witchcraft will lose its power if a young man who has never sworn love to anyone falls in love with her and remains faithful to her. At the first rays of dawn, the girls disappear into the ruins, and now swans are swimming across the lake, and a huge eagle owl is flying after them - their evil genius.

There's a ball at the castle. The prince and princess greet the guests. Siegfried is full of thoughts about the swan queen; none of the girls present touches his heart. Trumpets sound twice to announce the arrival of new guests. But then the trumpets sounded for the third time; it was the knight Rothbart who arrived with his daughter Odile, who was surprisingly similar to Odette. The prince, confident that Odile is the mysterious swan queen, joyfully rushes towards her. The princess, seeing the prince's passion for the beautiful guest, declares her Siegfried's bride and joins their hands. The swan Odette appears in one of the windows of the ballroom. Seeing her, the prince understands the terrible deception, but the irreparable has happened. The prince, overcome with horror, runs to the lake.

Lake Shore. The swan girls are waiting for the queen. Odette runs in in despair over the prince's betrayal. She tries to throw herself into the waters of the lake, her friends try to console her. The prince appears. He swears that he saw Odette in Odile and that is why he uttered the fatal words. He is ready to die with her. The evil genius in the guise of an owl hears this. The death of a young man in the name of love for Odette will bring him death! Odette runs to the lake. The evil genius tries to turn her into a swan to prevent her from drowning, but Siegfried fights him and then rushes after his beloved into the water. The owl falls dead.

Music

In Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky still remains within the framework of the genres and forms of ballet music that had developed by that time according to certain laws, although he fills them with new content. His music transforms ballet “from the inside”: traditional waltzes become poetic poems of enormous artistic value; adagios are the moment of greatest concentration of feeling, saturated with beautiful melodies; the entire musical fabric of Swan Lake lives and develops symphonically, and does not become, as in most contemporary ballets, simply an accompaniment to one dance or another. In the center is the image of Odette, characterized by a reverent, excited theme. The associated soulful lyrics extend throughout the entire work, permeating it with beautiful melodies. Characteristic dances, as well as pictorial episodes, occupy a relatively small place in the ballet.

L. Mikheeva

In the photo: “Swan Lake” at the Mariinsky Theater

“Swan Lake” was composed by the young Tchaikovsky during one of his most active creative periods. Three symphonies and the now famous concert for piano and orchestra (1875) had already been created, a little later - the fourth symphony (1878) and the opera “Eugene Onegin” (1881). The approach of a composer of this level to composing ballet music was not common for that time. In the imperial theaters there were full-time composers for this type of creativity - Caesar Pugni, Ludwig Minkus, and later Riccardo Drigo. Tchaikovsky did not set himself the task of a “revolution” in ballet. With his characteristic modesty, he scrupulously studied ballet scores, striving without breaking with established forms and traditions ballet performances, saturate them from within musical basis high content.

It is now generally accepted that it was “Swan Lake” that opened up unprecedented musical horizons for Russian ballet, which were subsequently developed by Tchaikovsky himself and his followers in this area. However, Boris Asafiev is also right: “In comparison with the luxurious baroque of The Sleeping Beauty and the masterful symphonic action of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake is an album of soulful “songs without words.” It is more melodious and simple-minded than other ballets.” It is hardly possible to demand perfection of musical dramaturgy from the “firstborn”. To this day, in productions of Swan Lake, no ideal correspondence has been found between the composer’s musical intentions and the stage action.

The music was composed from May 1875 to April 1876 by order of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater. The ballet is based on a fairy-tale plot “from knightly times.” There are many opinions about him literary sources: they call Heine, the German storyteller Muzeus, Russian fairy tales about the swan girl and even Pushkin, but the story itself is completely independent. The idea probably belonged to the composer, but the authors of the libretto are considered to be the inspector of Moscow theaters Vladimir Begichev and the ballet dancer Vasily Geltser. The performance premiered on February 20, 1877. Its, alas, extremely unsuccessful choreographer was Vaclav Reisinger. Unfortunately, the failure of this production cast a long shadow on the ballet itself. When, almost immediately after Tchaikovsky’s death, in 1893 the question arose about staging “Swan Lake” at the Mariinsky Theater, the most important development to a full stage realization had to be done without the author.

In modifications plot basis The composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky (librettist of The Queen of Spades and Iolanta), director of the Imperial Theaters Ivan Vsevolozhsky and Marius Petipa took part. According to the latter’s instructions, conductor Drigo, who revered Tchaikovsky’s music, made significant adjustments to the ballet’s score. So the first two acts became two scenes of the initial act. The duet of the Prince and the villager from the first film became the now famous pas de deux of Odile and the Prince, replacing the sextet with the participation of the main characters at the ball. The storm scene, which, according to the composer's plan, concluded the ballet, was removed from the final act. Moreover, Drigo orchestrated and inserted three piano pieces by Tchaikovsky into the ballet: “Naughty” became a variation of Odile in the pas de deux, “Sparkle” and “A Little Bit of Chopin” were included in the third act.

It was for this modified score that the famous production 1895, which gave immortality to ballet. Petipa, in addition to the general direction of the production, composed the choreography of the first film and a number of dances at the ball. Lev Ivanov has the honor of composing swan paintings and some of the dances at the ball. The main role of Odette-Odile was danced by the Italian ballerina Pierina Legnani, and the role of Siegfried was performed by Pavel Gerdt. To a famous artist It was 1951, and the choreographers had to compromise: in the lyrical white adagio, Odette danced not with the Prince, but with his friend Benno, and Siegfried only mimed nearby. In the pas de deux, the male variation was stopped.

Balletomanes of that time did not immediately appreciate the merits of the premiere. However, the viewer who previously fell in love with “Sleeping Beauty”, “ Queen of Spades" and "The Nutcracker", warmly received new ballet Tchaikovsky, in which the sincere lyricism of the music was successfully combined with the soulful choreography of Lev Ivanov's swan scenes, and the festive paintings included such masterpieces of Marius Petipa as pas de trois and pas de deux. It was this production that gradually (and with inevitable changes) conquered the whole world.

In Russia, the first changes began within 6 years. The first “editor” was Alexander Gorsky, one of the performers of the role of Benno in St. Petersburg. The Jester appeared in the first picture, but Benno disappeared in the second. The Spanish ball dance composed by Gorsky is now performed everywhere. Ivanov-Petipa's Swan Lake ran at the Mariinsky Theater with minor adjustments until 1933.

Over the years, Matilda Kshesinskaya, Tamara Karsavina, and Olga Spesivtseva shone in ballet. In 1927, young Marina Semenova amazed everyone with her proud Odette and demonically powerful Odile.

The vision for a radical rethink classical ballet belonged to Agrippina Vaganova and her co-authors: musicologist Boris Asafiev, director Sergei Radlov and artist Vladimir Dmitriev. Instead of a “fantastic ballet”, a romantic short story appeared before the audience. The action was moved to the beginning of the 19th century, the Prince became a Count, carried away ancient legends, Rothbardt is his neighbor, the Duke, who wants to marry off his daughter. The swan only appeared in the count’s dreams as a girl. The bird shot by the Duke died in the arms of the Count, who in anguish stabbed himself with a dagger. In the updated “Swan Lake,” the two heroines were danced not by one, as before, but by two ballerinas: the Swan by Galina Ulanova, Odile by Olga Jordan. The curious adaptation of the ballet lasted less than ten years, but what remained was the reverent choreographic scene “The Bird and the Hunter,” which replaced Odette’s obscure story about her fate at the beginning of the second film.

In 1937, at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater, Asaf Messerep also updated Swan Lake. Exactly then tragic death characters, so important to Tchaikovsky’s plan, was replaced by a straightforward “happy ending”. It seems that the date of this correction, which became mandatory for productions of the Soviet period, is not accidental. Since 1945, in Leningrad, the Prince began to defeat the villain Rothbardt in hand-to-hand combat. Fairness requires that it be noted that choreographer Fyodor Lopukhov is not the only one responsible for this innovation. He interpreted the whole picture of the ball as an extended witchcraft - the dancers and guests appeared on Rothbardt’s orders.

More than half a century on stage Mariinsky Theater the “stage and choreographic version” of “Swan Lake” by Konstantin Sergeev (1950) is preserved. And although there is little left from the choreography of 1895 (the second picture, supplemented by dance big swans, Mazurka, Hungarian, and also partly a pas de deux in the ball scene), she herself has become a “classic” for more than half a century, thanks to the theater’s tours, audiences from all continents admired her. It accumulated the dance and artistic skills of dozens of excellent performers of the main roles: from Natalia Dudinskaya to Ulyana Lopatkina, from Konstantin Sergeev to Farukh Ruzimatov.

Two productions that enriched the stage history of Swan Lake were staged in Moscow in the second half of the 20th century. The performances, almost diametric in style and concept, had one thing in common - a declarative return to Tchaikovsky’s original score (though not in full) and a corresponding rejection of the 1895 production: only Ivanov’s second picture was preserved, and even then with Gorsky’s amendments.

Vladimir Burmeister performed his version on the stage of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater (1953). For the introduction to the ballet, a scene was composed explaining to the audience how and why Rothbardt turned Odette and her friends into swans. In the second act, developing Lopukhov's idea, the choreographer interpreted the suite of characteristic dances as a series of temptations of the Prince, each of which demonstrated another face of the insidious Odile and her world. In the last act, the dance scene of the raging elements was impressive, consonant with the apogee of the characters’ feelings. In the finale, love triumphed, and the swans, almost before the viewer’s eyes, transformed into girls.

“Swan Lake” by Yuri Grigorovich (Bolshoi Theater, 1969) is a philosophical poem about the eternal struggle of good with deceit and evil, and this struggle is waged, first of all, within a person. The main thing in this performance is the fate of the Prince, and not the fate of Odette. The evil genius appears as the black double of the hero, both parts are choreographically enriched. This dualism of personality is akin to the musical themes of the ruthless fate that haunts a person in Tchaikovsky’s symphonic works. Essentially, Grigorovich's performance is not connected with the concept of the classic performance of 1895, although, as already mentioned, it uses the choreography of the second film.

The innovative and talented solution of “Swan Lake” caused considerable controversy. In each of the “national” dances of the second act, a participant in the bride’s dance is the soloist. Was it worth solving these dances for the sake of this technique? classical dance, and not traditionally, giving space to the characteristic dance? After all, the presence in the performance of a characteristic dance that sets off the classical dance is one of the hallmarks of the ballets of Petipa’s era. Another controversial issue is the ending of the play. The problem of the hero's personal responsibility for his actions inevitably led to the inevitable death of the heroes. However, this mise-en-scène was categorically prohibited after the dress rehearsal by the then USSR Minister of Culture Ekaterina Furtseva. In post-Soviet times, the choreographer updated his production on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, building the ending in a new way: only Odette dies.

For the first time outside Russia, the ballet was performed on October 30, 1911 in London by the Russian Seasons of Sergei Diaghilev troupe. According to his instructions, the ballet was reduced by Mikhail Fokin to two acts. The scene by the lake became the first act, the second took place in the palace. The scenery and costumes of Konstantin Korovin and Alexander Golovin, lent to Diaghilev by the Moscow Bolshoi Theater, were used.

The greatest interest among the audience was caused by the performance of the famous Matilda Kshesinskaya in the main female role. The poetic white adagio with Vaslav Nijinsky and the virtuoso brilliance of the ballerina's technique in fouetté were a huge success. A little later, the famous Moscow dancer Mikhail Mordkin, as part of the tour of his troupe “All Stars of Russia,” showed “Swan Lake” in Washington for the first time in the United States.

The first foreign company to decide to fully realize the Russian masterpiece was the London Vic Wells Ballet (1934). The production, which has become one of the standards for world ballet, was performed by Nikolai Sergeev. He tried, as meticulously as possible, to reproduce the 1895 performance by Petipa and Ivanov. The honor of “introducing” Swan Lake into french ballet belongs to another famous emigrant Serge Lifar (1936, Grand Opera). Calling on former St. Petersburg ballerinas for help, he supplemented the ballet with his own compositions. In 1960, this theater invited Burmeister to transfer his Moscow performance to the Parisian stage.

“Swan Lake” is performed all over the world today. Most productions retain the choreography of Ivanov and Petipa in one form or another. However, there are original performances by John Neumeier, Matthew Bourne, Mats Ek, using only Tchaikovsky's score.

A. Degen, I. Stupnikov

Addressing fairy tales, Tchaikovsky invested deep and significant life content into them. A simple and unpretentious German fairy tale about a swan girl, which is the basis for Swan Lake. (The source of the libretto, as Yu. O. Slonimsky establishes, was a fairy tale German writer XVIII century I. K. A. Muzeus “Pond of Swans”, part of the eight-volume collection “ Folk tales Germans." An extract from the Museumus collection was published in Russian translation under the title “ Fairy tales" Apparently, several people involved in the Moscow theater took part in drawing up the ballet script.), was turned by him into exciting lyric poem true love, triumphing over evil and deceit. Created during the happy time of the composer’s creative youth, shortly before Eugene Onegin, Francesca da Rimini and the Fourth Symphony, this ballet bears the stamp of that spontaneity of lyrical inspiration that marked best works of this period. The melodic richness and expressiveness of the music of “Swan Lake”, combined with the breadth and intensity of the symphonic development, smoothes out the shortcomings of the script, captivating the viewer and listener with the irresistible power of its poetic charm.

The ballet shows two worlds - real and fantastic, between which, however, there is no uncrossable line. The swan queen Odette, bewitched by an evil wizard, languishes in captivity and longs for human warmth and love, but only at night is she allowed to take on her real appearance as a young beauty. Having seen her once, Prince Siegfried falls in love with her, but unwittingly breaks his oath of fidelity, and Odette must die, and Siegfried throws himself into the abyss of raging waters to die with her.

This is a simple and rather banal fairy tale plot, on the basis of which Tchaikovsky managed to create a work with a detailed, intense developing action, holistic and complete in its dramatic composition. The tender elegiac theme of Odette’s yearning runs through the entire score, for the most part maintaining its timbre (oboe with its soft warm sound) and tonal (B minor) coloring.

She first appears at the end of the first act, a picture of a merry feast, dancing and fun in the park near Siegfried's castle, celebrating his coming of age with friends. The theme of Odette, flying past a merry company with her friends, brings with her the breath of a different, alluring poetic world.

The second act by the lake, where Siegfried comes, following a flock of swan, is imbued with deep, reverent lyricism, contrasting with the brilliance and splendor of the previous one. Odette's excited story about her fate, and then her dance duet (Pas d'action) with Siegfried (In the Adagio of this dance number, Tchaikovsky used material from the love duet from his destroyed opera Ondine. The solo violin and cello convey the sound of female and male voices.) surrounded by a series of graceful dances by the corps de ballet, creating a beautifully poetic backdrop for these dramatically central episodes. The entire action is framed by two implementations of Odette’s theme, which here receives wider development and reaches a pathetic sound in the orchestral tutti, foreshadowing the tragic outcome of the love of two young beings.

In the third act, the viewer is presented with a picture of a magnificent ball in the castle of the princess, Siegfried's mother, organizing a viewing of brides for her son. But an ominous shadow seemed to hang over this brilliant celebration. It is here that the evil wizard Rothbart carries out his insidious plan, coming with his daughter, who is like two peas in a pod like the one who has captivated her heart. young prince swan queen Something poisonous, some kind of witchcraft dope can be felt in the music of this action, starting with the scene of the guests’ exit, built on the alternation of trumpet fanfares announcing the arrival of noble people, with fragments of a waltz. Rothbart and Odile arrive last, and the scene ends with a large general waltz. But unlike the smooth lyrical waltzes of the two previous acts, this dynamic, energetically rhythmic waltz is imbued with a burning passion of expression. It is followed by a cycle of group dances (Pas de six), which N.V. Tumanina characterizes as a “scene of seduction.” In certain parts of this cycle, one can hear either sensual languor (the second variation with its oriental coloring), or something commanding and threatening (the menacing “knocking” rhythms of the fourth variation). The cycle ends with a rapid “Bacchanalian” coda with sharp, syncopated rhythms. Another cycle national dances leads to final scene, where Siegfried, unaware of the deception, dances the same waltz with Odile and Rothbart, triumphant, gives him his daughter’s hand, but at that moment a swan with a crown appears in the window and dramatically sounding theme Odette conveys her horror and despair.

The last, fourth act takes us again to the shore of the lake. The sad melody of the dance of little swans, yearning for Odette, is heard, then she herself quickly runs in, talking about her misfortune in a dramatic, excited dance. The appearance of Siegfried and his death together with Odette constitute the content final scene a ballet that ends with the solemn, pathetic sound of Odette's theme in rhythmic increase and powerful orchestral tutti as the apotheosis of faithful and persistent love.

The deep psychological content, richness of colors and symphonic scope of Tchaikovsky’s music were too much for him ballet theater 70s. The production of Swan Lake at the Moscow Bolshoi Theater in 1877 was gray, colorless and did not in any way correspond to the novelty and artistic significance of the score. “Based on the music of “Swan Lake” - best ballet, which I have ever heard... In terms of dance, “Swan Lake” is perhaps the most official, boring and poor ballet of those given in Russia,” Laroche wrote after the premiere. Only a few of his contemporaries were able to appreciate the significance of what Tchaikovsky did, while the majority of his innovation remained not understood. Having remained on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for six seasons, Swan Lake was forgotten and was not renewed during the composer’s lifetime.

PROLOGUE

Ancient park. Princess Odette is sad. Suddenly a stranger appears, accompanied by his retinue. This is Rothbart - the Evil Genius. He proposes marriage to the princess, but Odette rejects him. Rothbart turns her into a white swan.

ACT ONE

Scene one

Garden in front of the castle of the reigning princess. Prince Siegfried is having fun with his friends: the funny dances of the jester are replaced by the dances of the girls and their gentlemen.

The ruling princess asks which of the girls Siegfried liked. But for now the prince is passionate about a life full of carefree entertainment. He cannot answer his mother. The ruling princess leaves.

The fun continues. But now it ceases to occupy Siegfried. After the dance with the cups, the prince asks his friends to leave him alone. He's sad. His gaze is drawn to a flying flock of swans. Siegfried takes the crossbow and heads after them.

Scene two

Lake Shore. The swans lead Siegfried into a deep forest, where the ruins of an old castle rise around a dark lake. His attention is drawn to the beautiful White Swan turning into a girl. This is Princess Odette. She reveals to Siegfried the secret of the spell that weighs on her: an evil wizard turned her into a swan, and only at night, near these rocks, does she become a girl again. Siegfried is touched by Odette's sorrowful story and is ready to kill the sorcerer. But this will not dispel the evil spell. Only the selfless love of a young man who has never sworn his love to anyone can lift the evil spell from her. Siegfried, overwhelmed by a feeling of love for Odette, takes an oath of eternal fidelity to her.

The Evil Genius suddenly appears and separates Odette and Siegfried. But Siegfried is confident in the strength and immutability of his feeling: he will free Odette from the power of the sorcerer.

ACT TWO

Scene three

Gala ball in a luxurious castle. Princesses from different countries. Among them, Siegfried must choose a bride for himself. However, he coldly turns away from them: the prince is full of memories of the beautiful Odette.

An unfamiliar guest appears. This is Evil Genius. He came to the ball with his daughter Odile, who bears a striking resemblance to Odette. Odile charms the prince, and Siegfried announces to his mother his decision to marry her. The sorcerer is triumphant. Now the oath has been broken and Odette will die. With an evil laugh, the Evil Genius points to a magical vision - the tremulous image of Odette.

Siegfried realizes that he has been deceived and, in despair, rushes to Swan Lake.

Scene four

Lake Shore. Gloomy, anxious night. Odette is shocked: now her hope of liberation is lost. Siegfried runs in. He did not break his oath: there, in the castle, in Odile, he saw his Odette - his declaration of love was addressed to her.

The evil genius, in a rage, summons the forces of nature against the lovers: a storm begins, lightning flashes. But nothing can break the young girl now pure love and separate Odette and Siegfried. Then the Evil Genius himself enters into combat with the prince - and dies. His spell is broken.

Odette turns into a girl and, together with Siegfried, joyfully greets the first rays of the rising sun.

Tchaikovsky's ballet “Swan Lake” is one of the symbols of great Russian art, a masterpiece that has become the pearl of the treasury of world music and the “calling card” of the Bolshoi Theater. Every note of the work is saturated with suffering. The intensity of tragedy and beautiful melody, characteristic of the works of Pyotr Ilyich, have become the property of all music lovers and lovers of choreography in the world. The circumstances surrounding the creation of this magnificent ballet no less dramatic than the chords of Lake Scene.

Order for ballet

The last quarter of the nineteenth century was a strange time for ballet. Today, when he became integral part classics, it is difficult to imagine that just a few decades ago this art form was treated as something secondary, unworthy of the attention of serious musicians. P. I. Tchaikovsky, being not only a famous composer, but also a connoisseur of music, nevertheless loved ballet and often attended performances, although he himself had no desire to write in this genre. But something unexpected happened; against the backdrop of certain financial difficulties, an order appeared from the management, for which they promised a considerable sum. The fee was promised generously, eight hundred rubles. Pyotr Ilyich served at the conservatory, and in those days, educators also did not live in luxury, although, of course, the concepts of prosperity were different. The composer began to work. The ballet “Swan Lake” (at first the name “Island of Swans” was conceived) was based on German legends.

Wagner and Tchaikovsky

Since the action took place in Germany, P. I. Tchaikovsky, in order to feel the mysterious atmosphere of Teutonic sagas and castles, in which knights and beautiful ladies were quite ordinary characters, went to this country (this, by the way, is about the poverty of the professors of that time) . In the city of Bayreuth, during a performance (they performed “The Ring of the Nibelungs”), a glorious acquaintance of two geniuses took place - Pyotr Ilyich and Richard Wagner. Tchaikovsky was delighted with Lohengrin and other operas of his famous colleague, which he did not fail to inform his German colleague about the musical system. The Russian genius decided to call his main character Siegfried, which the great German did not object to.

Another mysterious German, Ludwig II

There was another mysterious character who seriously influenced the future ballet Swan Lake. Wagner was patronized by the Bavarian monarch, Ludwig II, but very talented in his own way. Building mysterious, fantastic and unusual castles, he created an atmosphere of the Middle Ages, very consonant with the soul of the great Russian composer. Even the death of the king, which occurred at an extremely mysterious circumstances, fit well into the outline of the biography of this extraordinary and charming personality. The death of an extraordinary monarch affected the consciousness of P.I. Tchaikovsky had a depressing effect, he was depressed by the question whether he, albeit unintentionally, had brought disaster on his head with the gloomy story that he wanted to tell people.

Creative process

In ballet as a performance, choreography has always been considered the most important aspect. According to the memoirs of contemporaries, this tradition was broken by the ballet “Swan Lake”. The content, however, was also of no small importance; it emphasized the meaning of beautiful music. It is tragic and fits the definition of unhappy love. Since the theater management acted as the customer for the Swan Lake ballet, the libretto was entrusted to Vladimir Begichev, the director of the Bolshoi. He was helped by V. Geltser, a dancer, and later the author himself joined the creative process. The score was ready by 1876, and with all the care shown in creating the ballet, P. I. Tchaikovsky most likely did not imagine that this work would be included in the number of masterpieces that immortalized his name.

Characters, time and place

The place and time of action are designated as fabulous. Main characters not much, just thirteen. Among them are the imperious princess with her son Siegfried, the latter’s friend, von Sommerstern, his mentor Wolfgang, von Stein and his wife, von Schwarzfels, also with his wife, a walker, a herald, a master of ceremonies, the swan queen, who is also the enchanted beautiful Odette, like a drop of water her Odile and her father Rothbart, an evil sorcerer. And, of course, minor characters, including little swans. In general, quite a few artists appear on stage over the course of four acts.

Story line

Young, cheerful and rich, Siegfried has a pleasant time with friends. It’s his celebration, his coming of age day. But a flock of swan appears, and something draws the young prince into the forest after her. Odette, having assumed human form, captivates him with her beauty and tells him about the treachery of Rothbart, who bewitched her. The prince makes a vow eternal love, but the queen mother has her own plan for the matrimonial arrangement of her son’s fate. At the ball, he is introduced to Odile, a girl very similar to the swan queen. But the resemblance is limited to appearance, and Siegfried soon realizes his mistake. He enters into a duel with the villain Rothbart, but the forces are unequal. In the finale, the lovers die, and so does the villain (reincarnated as an owl). That's the plot. “Swan Lake” became an outstanding ballet not because of its unusualness, but because of Tchaikovsky’s magical music.

Disastrous premiere

In 1877, the premiere took place at the Bolshoi. Pyotr Ilyich awaited the date of February 20 with anxiety and impatience. There were grounds for excitement; Wenzel Reisinger took over the production, having successfully failed all previous premieres. There was little hope that he would succeed this time. And so it happened. Not all contemporaries appreciated the magnificent music, psychologically perceiving the action as a whole. The efforts of the ballerina Polina Karpakova in creating the image of Odette were not crowned with success. The corps de ballet earned a lot of caustic criticism from critics for inappropriately waving their arms. The costumes and sets were unfinished. Only on the fifth attempt, after changing the soloist (she was danced by Anna Sobeshchanskaya, a prima ballerina from the Bolshoi Theater troupe), was it possible to somehow captivate the audience. P.I. Tchaikovsky was dejected by the failure.

Mariinsky production

It so happened that the ballet “Swan Lake” was appreciated only after the death of the author, who was not destined to enjoy his triumph. For eight years the production ran on the Bolshoi stage without much success, until it was finally removed from the repertoire. Choreographer Marius Petipa began work on the new stage version together with the author, assisted by Lev Ivanov, who had truly extraordinary abilities and an excellent musical memory.

The script was rewritten, all choreographic numbers were rethought. The death of the great composer shocked Petipa, he fell ill (others contributed to this, but, having recovered, he set himself the goal of creating a ballet “Swan Lake” that would become a miraculous monument to P. I. Tchaikovsky. He succeeded.

Already on February 17, 1894, shortly after the death of the composer, at an evening in his memory, Petipa’s student L. Ivanov proposed to the public a new version of the interpretation of the second act, which was characterized by critics as a brilliant breakthrough. Then, in January 1895, the ballet was staged at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. This time the triumph was extraordinary. The new happy ending was somewhat dissonant with the general spirit of the work. It was suggested by the late composer's brother, Modest Tchaikovsky. Subsequently, the troupe returned to the original version, which is staged to this day with constant success by theaters all over the world.

The fate of ballet

The failure with Swan Lake, apparently, was the reason why the composer did not take up ballets for thirteen years. Tchaikovsky may have also been embarrassed by the fact that this genre was still considered lightweight, in contrast to the operas, symphonies, suites, cantatas and concertos that he preferred to create. The composer wrote three ballets in total, the other two being “The Sleeping Beauty,” which premiered in 1890, and “The Nutcracker,” which was presented to the public a couple of years later.

As for “Swan Lake”, its life has become long, and, most likely, eternal. Throughout the twentieth century, ballet has not left the stage of the world's leading theaters. Outstanding contemporary choreographers A. Gorsky, A. Vaganova, K. Sergeev and many others realized their ideas during its production. The revolutionary approach to the musical part of the work prompted the search for new creative ways in dance, confirming the world leadership of Russian ballet. Art connoisseurs from different countries, when visiting Moscow, consider the Bolshoi Theater an indispensable place to visit. “Swan Lake” is a performance that leaves no one indifferent; watching it is the dream of all balletomanes. Hundreds outstanding ballerinas considered their peak creative career Odette's part.

If only Pyotr Ilyich knew...

P. I. Tchaikovsky ballet “Swan Lake”

The ballet “Swan Lake” has captivated the hearts of classical music fans for more than a century. It is rightfully considered the standard of high art, and many world-famous dancers were proud that they were so lucky to perform a part in this performance. “Swan Lake” without a grain of exaggeration can be called a pearl of Russian classics, and P.I. Tchaikovsky - a great composer. The ballet is based on a fairy tale from the knightly era. This is a moving and beautiful love story, filled with many obstacles and trials that await young lovers.

Brief summary of Tchaikovsky's ballet “Swan Lake” and many interesting facts Read about this work on our page.

Summary

The action of the ballet begins in an ancient castle, during the celebration of the coming of age of the heir to the throne, Siegfried. The plot is imbued with the spirit of the era, this is largely facilitated by the rite of knighting, which means that the heir enters adulthood. But he longs for love, and of course there are a sufficient number of beauties among the guests, each of whom would be happy to be next to him. The prince dreams of bright feeling and like a real romantic, he cherishes in his soul the image of an ideal beloved.

Young Siegfried, thanks to the intervention of Fate itself, is transported to the shore of a magical lake and meets a charming girl, whose image has haunted him for so long in dreams and in reality. turns out to be her Beautiful Swan Odette and the ardent young man immediately confesses his feelings to her and promises to remain faithful.

But in vain does the heir to the throne rejoice at such luck. Fate prepares real obstacles for him, preventing their mutual love and tests the beautiful couple with jealousy and betrayal. Turning into a mysterious knight and appearing in the prince’s castle with Odette’s double, she forces the young man in love, blinded by emotions, to break all his vows to his chosen one. But even after going through all the obstacles, the lovers are not destined to be together; no one is able to disrupt the plans of Fate, which hides his beloved from Siegfried, leaving him alone on the shore of a beautiful magical lake.

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Interesting Facts

• This fabulous ballet, incredibly popular these days, literally failed at its first premiere. The deeply upset author said that he would be appreciated, but later and the time for this work was still ahead. This “later” came 18 years later with the brilliant productions of Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa.
• By the way, have you heard the saying about “the ninth swan in the fifth row”? It denotes an artist who has not achieved success in his career, who is forced to constantly be content with minor roles and extras.
• The roles of Odette and Odile are performed by one ballerina.
• Maya Plisetskaya performed the role of Odette-Odile on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for 30 years.

• In 1968 a new variety of white rose was named “Swan Lake”
• In its version famous ballet, Matthew Bourne replaced all existing ballerinas with male dancers for the first time, which also brought huge success and public interest. This version received a standing ovation on stages in the USA, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Russia, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Korea, Japan, France, Germany and Ireland, and was also awarded more than 30 international awards.
• The ballet Swan Lake was first presented to the American public at the San Francisco Ballet Theater.
• The 2002 British production of Graham Murphy's Swan Lake was based on the scandalous split between Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
• The release of Ivanov and Petipa's production in 1894 was postponed for a long time due to the death of the emperor Alexandra III and subsequent official mourning.
• Literally four years before Tchaikovsky received this order, he had already composed a short ballet “Lake of Swans” for children, which was performed under the strict guidance of the composer in 1871, on the Kamenka estate.

• Work on the performance lasted about a year, with short breaks due to the fact that the composer was also composing the Third Symphony during this period.
• Many admirers of Tchaikovsky's work wonder what could have inspired him to write such a heartfelt and beautiful music? There is an opinion that this is the merit of the lake in the Cherkasy region, where swans live. The composer rested there for several days, admiring the local nature. But in Germany they are sure that the ballet tells specifically about Swan Lake, which is located near the city of Vossen.
• Initially, prima Anna Sobeshchanskaya was chosen for the premiere in 1876, but she had a strong quarrel with the composer, so this role was offered to Polina Karpakova. As it turned out, the reason for the conflict was that Prima was not satisfied with the absence of at least one solo dance number in Act 3. There is information that Sobeshchanskaya even went specifically to M. Petipa and asked to insert a solo to his music into this action. If the choreographer complied with her request, the composer flatly refused to insert a fragment of music that was not his own. Soon Tchaikovsky offered to resolve the conflict and wrote a solo for her, a little later variations were added to it.
• The estimate for the premiere screening of “Swan Lake” was very small and amounted to about 6,800 rubles.
• The famous critic Hermann Laroche noted the music of the ballet after the premiere, but he called everything related to the dance side “boring and poor.”
• Only the work of the artist Carl Waltz, who specially developed a technology that provides the illusion of fog using steam, received praise from journalists.
• Researchers suggest that the basis literary source may lie: the fairy tale “Swan Pond”, “The Stolen Veil” by Mazues, as well as an ancient German legend.
• Lev Ivanov, while working on the ballet, rethought the costumes of the dancers, removing the swan wings to free up their hands, giving them the opportunity to move. He also owns the already legendary “Dance of the Little Swans” from the second act.

• The laurels of the best performer of the role of Odette belong to Pierina Legnani, who performed all the dance movements with particular grace, even the 32 fouettés. For the first time in this role she performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater.
• Many residents former USSR we remembered this ballet with very disturbing events in the life of the country, because during the August coup that occurred in 1991, this particular performance was broadcast by all television channels.
• In everyone’s favorite cartoon “Well, wait a minute!” (15th issue) shows a parody of the Dance of the Little Swans. In general, classical music can be heard quite often in

  In 1875 P.I. Chaikovsky received a very unexpected order from the directorate of the imperial theaters. They invited him to take on “Lake of Swans”, but, as a rule, opera composers at that time almost did not work in the ballet genre, not counting Adan. However, Pyotr Ilyich did not reject this order and decided to try his hand. The composer was offered a script by V. Begichev and V. Geltser for work. It is noteworthy that it was mainly based on various fairy tales and legends in which there are girls turned into swans. By the way, several decades ago the imperial troupe already paid attention to this very plot and even created a custom-made “Lake of Sorceresses.”

  Tchaikovsky plunged into his work headlong and approached every step very responsibly. The composer had to study the entire dances, their order, as well as what kind of music should be written for them. He even had to study several ballets in detail in order to clearly understand the composition and structure. Only after all this was he able to start writing music. As for the score, the ballet “Swan Lake” reveals two figurative world– fantastic and real, however, sometimes the boundaries between them are blurred. The most tender theme of Odette runs through the entire work as a red thread.

  
  

  In just a year, the ballet score was ready and he began orchestration. Thus, by the autumn of 1876, work had already begun on staging the play, which was entrusted to V. Reisinger. By that time, he had already worked for several years as a choreographer at the Bolshoi Theater. But many of his works, starting in 1873, were a fiasco.

"Swan Lake"- ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in four acts. Libretto by Vladimir Begichev and, possibly, Vasily Geltser with additions by the composer himself.

Plot

The plot is based on many folklore motifs, partially used before in various literary works, as well as opera and ballet librettos.

The spell of the evil genius works during the day, but when the moon comes, the white swan turns into the beautiful Odette. She is not alone; she is surrounded by enchanted swan girls on the lake, who call Odette the swan queen. According to legend, a mother’s tears for her daughter, who was kidnapped by a villain, formed a magical “swan lake.” The spell can only be broken true love young man, but if the vow of eternal love is broken, she will forever remain a swan. The four scenes of the ballet alternate real and fantastic scenes. Celebrating his coming of age in the palace park, Prince Siegfried is having fun among his friends, but a flock of swans flying over the park beckons him along. In the forest, on the shore of the lake, among the swan girls, the prince finds Odette, the swan queen with a crown on her head. Captivated by her beauty and shocked by her story of persecution by the evil owner of the lake, Rothbart, Siegfried swears eternal love to Odette. At the ball in the castle, at the behest of Siegfried's mother, he must choose a bride for himself. The very first beauties dance in front of him. There is an alternation of national dances: Spanish, Neapolitan, Hungarian, Polish (mazurka) - however, the prince is indifferent until Odile appears, in whom Siegfried sees Odette, and he gives preference to her. Realizing that he has made a fatal mistake, Siegfried runs to the lake and begs Odette for forgiveness, but does not receive it. Tearing off the crown from Odette's head (the crown saved Odette from persecution), Siegfried challenges Rothbart, the owner of the lake, who personifies the image of fate in the ballet. The prince hopes that the swan girl will go with him to the human world. In the fairy tale, the stormy waves of the elements raging on the lake swallow Odette and Siegfried.

Production history

The stage history of the play was difficult. The premiere took place on February 20 (March 4) on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater, performed by artists of the imperial troupe. The original choreography was by choreographer Wenzel Reisinger. The ballet was divided into four acts - one scene in each. The first performer of the roles of Odette and Odile was Polina Karpakova. On the fourth performance main party first performed by Anna Sobeshchanskaya.

Reisinger's production was not successful and was considered a failure. In 1882, choreographer Joseph Hansen resumed and partially edited the old performance. On February 17, 1894, at a concert dedicated to the memory of P. I. Tchaikovsky, the “swan” scene of Act II of the ballet was staged for the first time by Lev Ivanov (the main roles were performed by Pierina Legnani and Pavel Gerdt).

The premiere of the entire performance took place on January 15 (27) at the Mariinsky Theater. Choreographer Petipa, together with M. I. Tchaikovsky, revised the libretto and, together with composer Ricardo Drigo, the score. Petipa owned the choreography of Act I, Act III (with the exception of the Venetian and Hungarian dances) and apotheosis; Lev Ivanov - Act II, Venetian and Hungarian dancing III act and IV act.

Petipa-Ivanov's version has become a classic. It forms the basis for most subsequent productions of Swan Lake, with the exception of the modernist ones. Most often, the canonical choreography of the second, “swan” act of Ivanov and the “black” act is used pas d'action(often converted to pas de deux Prince Siegfried and Odile) Petipa. However, the influence of the St. Petersburg production on the entire subsequent fate of the ballet is much broader than the mechanical reproduction of its individual elements. In fact, it contained the main traditions that determined the approach of new choreographers to the original text of P. I. Tchaikovsky. A free revision of the libretto and an equally free re-arrangement of the score, supplemented with fragments of non-ballet music by P. I. Tchaikovsky, became firmly established in theatrical practice.

Today, of all the existing editions of the ballet, there are hardly even two that have completely identical theatrical scores. The most radical versions in this regard are considered to be the Viennese production by Rudolf Nureyev and the version by Vladimir Burmeister, and the most common replacements are to return in Act III the variations of the main characters, written by Tchaikovsky for pas de six And pas de deux Sobeschanskaya and the inclusion in the 4th picture of a duet to the music of the second variation from pas de six. The “Swan” painting by Lev Ivanov was most accurately restored in the original performance by John Neumeier “Illusions - like Swan Lake” ().

Productions

19th century

Grand Theatre

• February 20 (March 4) - ballet in four acts, choreographer Wenzel Reisinger, stage director Stepan Ryabov (Odette and Odile - Polina Karpakova, then - Anna Sobeshenskaya)
• January 13 (25) - resumption of the ballet in a new edition, choreographer Joseph Hansen based on Reisinger's performance, with partial changes to the choreography.
• October 28 (November 9) - resumption of the ballet, choreographer Hansen (Odette - Lydia Gaten)

Prague Theater

• February 9, 1888 - Act II, choreographer - Augustin Berger (Odette - Juliet Paltrinieri)

Mariinskii Opera House

• February 17, 1894 - Act II (in concert program“In Memory of P. I. Tchaikovsky”) choreographer Lev Ivanov (Odetta - Pierina Legnani, Prince Siegfried - Pavel Gerdt)
• January 15 (27) - full production of the ballet in a new dramatic and music edition in three acts, four scenes; libretto by M. I. Tchaikovsky, musical composition by R. E. Drigo and M. I. Petipa, choreographers Petipa (1st scene of the 1st act, 2nd act, he also carried out the preliminary development of dances and mise-en-scenes of the 3rd act ) and Ivanov (2nd scene of Act 1 in the 1894 version, Venetian and Hungarian dances in Act 2, Act 3 according to Petipa’s plans); male variation in the pas d'action of the 2nd act - A. A. Gorsky, since 1914, in his own production the Spanish dance was performed in the 2nd act.

XX century - our time

In Russia

Grand Theatre

• 1901 - transfer of the St. Petersburg performance by Petipa and Ivanov with a partial revision of the choreography, choreographer A. A. Gorsky, artists Alexander Golovin and Konstantin Korovin (Odette and Odile - Adelina Giuri, Siegfried - Mikhail Mordkin)
• 1920 - new production, choreographer Alexander Gorsky, director V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, artist Konstantin Korovin (second act), conductor Andrei Arends (Odetta - Elena Ilyushchenko, Odile - Maria Reisen)
• 1937 - resumption of Gorsky's production with a new fourth scene, choreographers Evgenia Dolinskaya (restoration of the 1st-3rd scenes) and Asaf Messerer (new production of the 4th scene), conductor Yuri Fayer (Odette and Odile - Marina Semyonova, Siegfried - Mikhail Gabovich, Rothbart - Pyotr Gusev)
• 1969 - Bolshoi Theatre, choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, artist Simon Virsaladze, conductor Algis Zhiuraitis (Odette and Odile - Natalya Bessmertnova, Siegfried - Nikolai Fadeechev)

Theater named after Kirov / Mariinsky Theater

• 1933 - ballet in three acts and four scenes, a new production preserving the main fragments of the choreography of Petipa and Ivanov; libretto by V. V. Dmitriev, musical composition by B. V. Asafiev, choreographer A. Ya. Vaganova, director S. E. Radlov, conductor Evgeny Mravinsky. The role of the heroine is for the first time divided into two ballerinas (Odette - Galina Ulanova, Odile - Olga Jordan, Siegfried - Konstantin Sergeev)
• 1945 - resumption of the production of Petipa and Ivanov in a new choreographic and directorial version, choreographer F.V. Lopukhov (scenery - B.I. Volkova, costumes by Tatiana Bruni (Odette and Odile - Natalya Dudinskaya, Siegfried - Konstantin Sergeev, Rothbart - Robert Gerbeck)
• March 8, 1950 - new edition performance by Petipa and Ivanov, choreographer K. M. Sergeev - the performance remains in the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theater to the present day

Maly Opera and Ballet Theater / Mikhailovsky Theater

• 1958 - resumption of the production by Petipa and Ivanov in the original version of 1895, choreographers Lopukhov and K.F. Boyarsky (Odette - Vera Stankevich, Odile - Tatyana Borovikova)

In subsequent years, the performance was repeatedly remade and resumed in separate parts

• 2009 - revival of the Moscow production by A. M. Messerer of 1957, choreography by Petipa, Ivanov, Gorsky, Messerer, production and new choreographic version by M. G. Messerer - the performance remains in the repertoire Mikhailovsky Theater Until now

Moscow Musical Theater

• 1953 - Moscow Musical Theater named after. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, choreographers Vladimir Burmeister and Pyotr Gusev (production of the 2nd act after Lev Ivanov, Odette and Odile - Violetta Bovt) - the performance remains in the theater’s repertoire to the present day

Abroad

Postage stamp of Kazakhstan, 2009, 180 tenge

• 1911 - New York, choreographer Mikhail Mordkin (also the performer of the role of Siegfried), Odette and Odile - Ekaterina Geltser
• 1925 - Belgrade, choreographer A. Fortunato
• 1928 - Tbilisi, choreographer R. Balanotti
• 1934 - London, choreographer