Swan Lake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the ballet. For other uses, see Swan Lake (disambiguation).
Ballets by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake (1876)

Sleeping Beauty (1889)
The Nutcracker (1892)
List of all compositions

V
T
E

Swan Lake (Russian: /Lebedinoye ozero), Op. 20, is a ballet composed

by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 187576. After initial failure, it has become one of the most
popular of ballets. The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales [a]and
tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The
choreographer of the original production wasJulius Reisinger. The ballet was premiered by
the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877[1][2] at the Bolshoi Theatre inMoscow.
Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings
both choreographically and musically on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first
staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.
For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief
conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo.

History[edit]
Origins of the Swan Lake story[edit]
Many critics have disputed the original source of the Swan Lake story. The libretto is based on
a story by the German author Johann Karl August Musus, "Der geraubte Schleier" (The
Stolen Veil),[3] though this story provides only the general outline of the plot of Swan Lake. The
Russian folktale "The White Duck" also bears some resemblance to the story of the ballet, and
may have been another possible source. The contemporaries of Tchaikovsky recalled the
composer taking great interest in the life story of Bavarian King Ludwig II, whose tragic life had

supposedly been marked by the sign of Swan and whoeither consciously or notwas
chosen as the prototype of the dreamer Prince Siegfried. [4]
The Russian ballet patriarch Fyodor Lopukhov has called Swan Lake a "national ballet"
because of its swans, which he argues originate from Russian lyrically romantic sources, while
many of the movements of the corps de ballet originated from Slavonic ring-dances. According
to Lopukhov, "both the plot of Swan Lake, the image of the Swan and the very idea of a faithful
love are essentially Russian."[4]

Composition history[edit]

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

Origins of the Swan Lake composition[edit]

The origins of the ballet Swan Lake are rather obscured, and since there are very few records
concerning the first production of the work to have survived, there can only be speculation
about who the author of the original libretto was. The most authoritative theory appears to be
that it was written by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, director of the Moscow Imperial Theatres
during the time that the ballet was originally produced, and possibly Vasily Geltser, Danseur of
the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre. However, Geltser was in all probability merely the first
person to copy the scenario for publication, as a surviving copy bears his name. Since the first
published libretto of the ballet and the actual music composed by Tchaikovsky do not
correspond in many places, we may infer that the first actual published libretto was possibly
crafted by a newspaper writer who had viewed the initial rehearsals, as new productions of
operas and ballets were always reported in the newspapers of Imperial Russia, along with their
respective scenarios.
According to two of Tchaikovsky's relativeshis nephew Yuri Lvovich Davydov and his niece
Anna Meck-Davydovathe composer had earlier created a little ballet called The Lake of the
Swans at their home in 1871. This ballet featured the famous Leitmotif known as the Swan's
Theme (or Song of the Swans ). Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from
Tchaikovsky in May 1875 for a rather modest fee of 800 rubles, and soon Begichev began to
choose artists that would participate in the creation of the ballet. The choreographer assigned
to the production was the Czech Julius Reisinger (18271892), who had been engaged as
balletmaster to the Ballet of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre (today known as the Bolshoi
Ballet) since 1873. It is not known what sort of collaborative processes were involved between
Tchaikovsky and Reisinger. It seems that Tchaikovsky worked with only the most basic outline
from Reisinger of the requirements for each dance.[5] Tchaikovsky likely had some form of
instruction in composing Swan Lake, as he had to know what sort of dances would be
required. But unlike the instructions that Tchaikovsky received for the scores of The Sleeping
Beauty and The Nutcracker, no such written instruction is known to have survived. When
Reisinger began choreographing after the score was completed, he demanded some changes
from Tchaikovsky. Whether by demanding the addition or removal of a dance, Reisinger made

it clear that he was to be a very large part in the creation of this piece. Although the two artists
were required to collaborate, each seemed to prefer working as independently of the other as
possible.[6]
Tchaikovsky's influences[edit]
From around the time of the turn of the 19th century until the beginning of the 1890s, scores for
ballets were almost always written by composers known as "specialists," who were highly
skilled at scoring the light, decorative, melodious, and rhythmically clear music that was at that
time in vogue for ballet. Tchaikovsky studied the music of "specialists" such as the
Italian Cesare Pugni and the Austrian Ludwig Minkus, before setting to work on Swan Lake.
Tchaikovsky had a rather negative opinion of the "specialist" ballet music until he studied it in
detail, being impressed by the nearly limitless variety of infectious melodies their scores
contained. Tchaikovsky most admired the ballet music of such composers as Lo
Delibes, Adolphe Adam, and later, Riccardo Drigo. He would later write to his protg, the
composer Sergei Taneyev, "I listened to the Delibes ballet 'Sylvia'...what charm, what
elegance, what wealth of melody, rhythm, and harmony. I was ashamed, for if I had known of
this music then, I would not have written 'Swan Lake.'"Tchaikovsky most admired Adam's 1844
score for Giselle, which featured the use of the technique known as Leitmotif: associating
certain themes with certain characters or moods, a technique he would use in Swan Lake, and
later, The Sleeping Beauty.
Tchaikovsky drew on previous compositions for his Swan Lake score. He made use of material
from The Voyevoda, an opera that he had abandoned in 1868. The Grand adage(a.k.a.
the Love Duet) from the second scene of Swan Lake was fashioned from an aria from that
opera, as was the Valse des fiances from the third scene. Another number which included a
theme from The Voyevoda was the Entr'acte of the fourth scene. By April 1876 the score was
complete, and rehearsals began. Soon Reisinger began setting certain numbers aside that he
dubbed "undanceable." Reisinger even began choreographing dances to other composers'
music, but Tchaikovsky protested and his pieces were reinstated.
Composition process[edit]
Tchaikovsky's excitement with Swan Lake is evident from the speed with which he composed:
commissioned in the spring of 1875, the piece was created within one full year. His letters
to Sergei Taneyev from August 1875, indicate, however, that it was not only his excitement that
compelled him to create it so quickly but his wish to finish it as soon as possible, so as to allow
him to start on an opera. Respectively, he created scores of the first three numbers of the
ballet, then the orchestration in the fall and winter, and was still struggling with the
instrumentation in the spring. By April 1876, the work was complete. Tchaikovskys mention of
a draft suggests the presence of some sort of abstract but no such draft has ever been seen.
Tchaikovsky wrote various letters to friends expressing his longstanding desire to work with this
type of music, and his excitement concerning his current stimulating, albeit laborious task. [7]

Performance history[edit]

Adelaide Giuri as Odette and Mikhail Mordkin as Prince Siegfried in Aleksandr Gorsky's staging of the
Petipa/Ivanov Swan Lake for the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow, 1901. A young Vera Karalli is seen kneeling.

Moscow Premire (World Premire)

Date: 4 March (O.S. 20 February) 1877

Place: Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow

Balletmaster: Julius Reisinger

Conductor: Stepan Ryabov

Scene Designers: Karl Valts (Acts 2 & 4), Ivan Shangin (Act 1), Karl Groppius (Act 3)

St. Petersburg Premire

Date: 27 January 1895

Place: Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg

Balletmaster: Marius Petipa (Acts 1 & 3), Lev Ivanov (Acts 2 & 4)

Conductor: Riccardo Drigo

Scene Designers: Ivan Andreyev, Mikhail Bocharov, Henrich Levogt

Costume Designer: Yevgeni Ponomaryov[8]

Other Notable Productions

1880 and 1882, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, staged by Joseph Hansen after Reisinger,
conductor and designers as in premire

1901, Moscow, Bolshoi Theatre, staged by Aleksandr Gorsky, conducted by Andrey

Arends, scenes by Aleksandr Golovin (Act 1), Konstantin Korovin (Acts 2 & 4), N. Klodt
(Act 3)

1911, London, Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev production, choreography by Michel

Fokine after Petipa-Ivanov, scenes by Golovin and Korovin

Original Interpreters

Rle

Princess

Moscow 1877

Olga

Moscow 1880

St. Petersburg
1895[8]

Giuseppina

Moscow
1901

London 1911

Nikolayeva

Cecchetti

Vaslav Nijinsky

Pierina Legnani

Adelaide
Giuri

Mathilde
Kschessinska

Aleksey
Bulgakov

K. Kubakin

Victor Gillert

Benno

Sergey Nikitin

Aleksandr
Oblakov

Wolfgang

Wilhelm
Wanner

Gillert

Odette

Pelageya
Karpakova

Von
Rothbart

Sergey
Sokolov

Odile

Alfred Bekefi

Mikhail
Mordkin

Siegfried

Yevdokiya
Kalmkova

***

Pavel Gerdt

Pierina Legnani

Mathilde
Kschessinska

Original Production of 1877[edit]

The premire of Swan Lake on Friday, 4 March 1877, was given as a benefit performance for
the ballerina Pelageya Karpakova (also known as Polina Karpakova), who performed the role
of Odette, with the Bolshoi Theatre's Premire danseur Victor Gillert as Prince Siegfried.
Karpakova likely also danced the part Odile, although it is not known for certain.
The Russian ballerina Anna Sobeshchanskaya for whom the original (1877) role of Odette
was intended was pulled from the premire performance when a governing official in
Moscow complained about her, stating that she had accepted several pieces of expensive
jewelry from him, only to then marry a fellow danseur and sell the pieces for cash.
Sobeshchanskaya was replaced by Pelageya Karpakova who danced the rle of the Swan
Queen until the former was reinstated by Petipa.
The premire was not well-received, with near unanimous criticism concerning the dancers,
orchestra, and stage sets. Unfortunately Tchaikovsky's masterful score was lost in the debacle
of the poor production, and though there were a few critics who recognised its virtues, most
considered it to be far too complicated for ballet. Most of the critics were not themselves
familiar with ballet or music but rather with spoken melodrama. Critics considered
Tchaikovsky's music "too noisy, too 'Wagnerian' and too symphonic."[9] The critics also found
fault with Reisinger's choreography which they thought was "unimaginative and altogether
unmemorable."[9]
The production's "failure" was due to several reasons. The German origins of the story
of Swan Lake were "treated with suspicion while the tale itself was regarded as 'stupid' with

unpronounceable surnames for its characters."[9] The dancer of Odette (and probably Odile
though this has never been proved for certain) was a secondary soloist and "not particularly
convincing."[9]
"The poverty of the production, meaning the dcor and costumes, the absence of outstanding
performers, the Balletmaster's weakness of imagination, and, finally, the orchestra...all of this
together permitted (Tchaikovsky) with good reason to cast the blame for the failure on others."
Modest Tchaikovsky, brother of the composer
Yet the fact remains (and is too often omitted in accounts of this initial production) that this
staging survived for six years with a total of 41 performances - many more than several other
ballets from the repertoire of this theatre.[10]
Though the original composition of Swan Lake was initially received negatively, with audiences
and critics claiming that the music was too complex to be a ballet piece, currently the work is
seen as one of Tchaikovskys most valuable, and surged him into the realm of the most
important ballet composers.
Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux 1877[edit]

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

In spite of the poor reaction to the premire, the ballet nevertheless continued to be performed.
On 26 April 1877 the prima ballerina of the Moscow Imperial Bolshoi Theatre Anna
Sobeshchanskaya made her dbut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and from the start she was
completely dissatisfied with the production of the ballet, but most of all with Reisinger's
choreography and Tchaikovsky's music. Sobeshchanskaya travelled to St. Petersburg to
have Marius PetipaPremier Matre de Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres
choreograph a new pas de deux to replace the pas de six that functioned as the third
act's Grand Pas. For a ballerina to request a supplemental pas or variation was standard
practice in 19th century ballet, and often these "custom-made" dances quite literally became
the legal property of the ballerina they were composed for.
Petipa choreographed Sobeshchanskaya's pas de deux to music composed by Ludwig
Minkus, who held the post of Ballet composer to the St Petersburg Imperial Theatres. The
piece was a standard pas de deux classique that consisted of a short entre, the grand adage,
a variation for the dancer, a variation for the ballerina, and a coda.

Word of this change soon found its way to Tchaikovsky, who became very angry, stating that,
whether the ballet is good or bad, he alone shall be held responsible for its music. He then
agreed to compose a new pas de deux for the ballerina, but soon a problem arose:
Sobeshchanskaya had no reservations about performing a pas to Tchaikovsky's new music,
but she wanted to retain Petipa's choreography, and she had no wish to travel to St.
Petersburg again to have the Ballet Master arrange a new pas for her. In light of this,
Tchaikovsky agreed to compose a pas that would correspond to Minkus' music to such a
degree that the ballerina would not even be required to rehearse. Sobeshchanskaya was so
pleased with Tchaikovsky's new version of the Minkus music that she requested he compose
for her an additional variation, which he did.
Until 1953 this pas de deux was thought to be lost, until an accidentally
discovered reptiteur was found in the archives of the Moscow Bolshoi Theatre among the
orchestral parts used for Alexander Gorsky's revival of Le Corsaire (Gorsky had included the
piece in his version of Le Corsaire staged in 1912). In 1960 George Balanchine choreographed
a pas de deux to this music for the Ballerina Violette Verdy, and the Danseur Conrad
Ludlow performed on the City Center of Music and Drama in New York City under the
titleTschaikovsky Pas de Deux,[11] as it is still known and performed today.
Subsequent productions 18791894[edit]
Julius Reisinger left Moscow in 1879 and his successor as Balletmaster was Joseph Peter
Hansen. Hansen made considerable efforts throughout the late 1870s/early 1880s to
salvage Swan Lake and on 13 January 1880 he presented a new production of the ballet for
his own benefit performance. The part of Odette/Odile was danced by Evdokia Kalmykova, a
student of the Moscow Imperial Ballet School, with Alfred Bekefi as Prince Siegfried. This
production was far more well-received than the original, though it was by no means a great
success. Hansen presented another version of Swan Lake on 28 October 1882, again with
Kalmykova as Odette/Odile. For this production Hansen arranged aGrand Pas for the ballroom
scene which he titled La Cosmopolitana. This was taken from the European section of
the Grand Pas d'action known as The Allegory of the Continents from Marius Petipa's 1875
ballet The Bandits to the music of Ludwig Minkus. Hansen's version of Swan Lake was given
only four times, the final performance being on 2 January 1883, and soon the ballet was
dropped from the repertory altogether.
In all, Swan Lake was given a total of forty-one performances between its premire and the
final performance of 1883 a rather lengthy run for a ballet that was so poorly received upon
its premiere. Hansen would go on to become Balletmaster to the Alhambra Theatre in London
and on 1 December 1884 he presented a one-act ballet titled The Swans, which was inspired
by the second scene of Swan Lake. The music was composed by the Alhambra Theatre's chef
d'orchestre Georges Jacoby.
The second scene of Swan Lake was then presented on 21 February in Prague by the Ballet of
the National Theatre in a version mounted by the Balletmaster August Berger. The ballet was
given during two concerts which were conducted by Tchaikovsky. The composer noted in his
diary that he experienced "a moment of absolute happiness" when the ballet was performed.
Berger's production followed the 1877 libretto, though the names of Prince Siegfried and
Benno were changed to Jaroslav and Zdeek, with the rle of Benno danced by a female
dancer en travestie. The rle of Prince Siegfried was danced by Berger himself with the
ballerina Giulietta Paltriniera-Bergrova as Odette. Berger's production was only given eight
performances and was even planned for production at the Fantasia Garden in Moscow in
1893, but it never materialised.
Petipa-Ivanov-Drigo revival of 1895[edit]
Main article: Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo revival of Swan Lake

Pierina Legnani as Odette (1895)

During the late 1880s and early 1890s, Petipa and Vsevolozhsky considered reviving Swan
Lake and were in talks with Tchaikovsky about doing so. However, Tchaikovsky died on 6
November 1893, just when plans to revive Swan Lake were beginning to come to fruition. It
remains uncertain whether Tchaikovsky was even going to revise the music for the prospected
revival of Swan Lake. Whatever the case, as a result of Tchaikovsky's death, Drigowas forced
to revise the score himself, but not before receiving approval from Tchaikovsky's younger
brother, Modest. There are major differencesbetween Drigo's and Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
score. (Today, it is Riccardo Drigo's revision of Tchaikovsky's score as done for Petipa and
Ivanov's 1895 revival, and not Tchaikovsky's original score of 1877, that manythough by no
means allballet companies use when performing Swan Lake.)

Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried (Mariinsky Theatre, 1895)

In February 1894, two memorial concerts planned by Vsevolozhsky were given in honor of
Tchaikovsky. The production included the second Act of Swan Lake, choreographed by Lev
Ivanov, Second Balletmaster to the Imperial Ballet. Ivanov's choreography for the memorial
concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful.

The Ballerina who danced Odette and Odile was the Italian virtuosa Pierina Legnani, and it
was because of her great talent that the prospected revival of Swan Lake was planned for her
benefit performance in the 18941895 season. She had made her dbut with the Imperial
Ballet in Cinderella, produced in December 1893 (choreographed by Marius Petipa,Lev Ivanov,
and Enrico Cecchetti to the music of Baron Boris Fitinhof-Schell). Her performance
demonstrated her phenomenal technique, climaxing in her variation from the final tableau no
fewer than thirty-two fouetts en tournant (the most ever performed at that time) during
the grand pas. The dazzled public roared with demands for an encore, and the Ballerina
repeated her variation, this time performing twenty-eight fouetts en tournant. However, the
death of Tsar Alexander III on 1 November 1894 and the period of official mourning that
followed it brought all ballet performances and rehearsals to a close for some time, and as a
result all efforts were able to be concentrated on the pre-production of the revival of Swan
Lake. Ivanov and Petipa chose to collaborate on the production, with Ivanov retaining his
dances for the second Act while choreographing the fourth, and with Petipa staging the first
and third Acts.
Modest Tchaikovsky was called upon to make the required changes to the ballet's libretto, the
most prominent being his revision of the ballet's finale: instead of the lovers simply drowning at
the hand of the wicked Von Rothbart as in the original 1877 scenario, Odette commits suicide
by drowning herself, with Prince Siegfried choosing to die as well, rather than live without her,
and soon the lovers' spirits are reunited in an apotheosis. Aside from the revision of the libretto
the ballet was changed from four acts to threewith Act II becoming Act I-Scene 2.
All was ready by the beginning of 1895 and the ballet had its premire on Friday, 27 January.
Pierina Legnani danced Odette/Odile, with Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried, Alexei Bulgakov as
Von Rothbart, and Alexander Oblakov as Benno.
The premire of the Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo revival was quite a success, though not as much of
one as it has been in modern times. Most of the reviews in the St. Petersburg newspapers
were positive.
Unlike the premire of The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake did not dominate the repertory of the
Mariinsky Theatre in its first season. It was given only sixteen performances between the
premire and the 18951896 season, and was not performed at all in 1897. Even more
surprising, the ballet was performed only four times in 1898 and 1899. The ballet belonged
solely to Legnani until she left St. Petersburg for her native Italy in 1901. After her departure,
the ballet was taken over by Mathilde Kschessinskaya, who was as much celebrated in the rle
as was her Italian predecessor.
Later productions[edit]

Zenaida Yanowsky as Odette in a 2007 production of Swan Lake atLondon's Royal Opera House

Throughout the long and complex performance history of Swan Lake the 1895 edition of
Petipa, Ivanov, and Drigo has served as the version from which many stagings have been
based. Nearly every balletmaster or choreographer who has re-staged Swan Lake has sought
to make modifications to the ballet's scenario, while still maintaining to a considerable extent
the traditional choreography for the dances, which is regarded as virtually sacrosanct.
Likewise, over time the rle of Siegfried has become far more prominent, due largely to the
evolution of ballet technique.
In 1940, San Francisco Ballet became the first American company to stage a complete
production of Swan Lake. The enormously successful production starred Lew Christensen as
Prince Siegfried, Jacqueline Martin as Odette, and Janet Reed as Odile. Willam
Christensen based his choreography on the Petipa-Ivanov production, turning to San
Franciscos large population of Russian migrs, headed by Princess andPrince Vasili
Alexandrovich of Russia, to help him ensure that the production succeeded in its goal of
preserving Russian culture in San Francisco.[12]
Several notable productions have diverged from the original and its 1895 revival:

Illusions Like "Swan Lake" 1976: John Neumeier Hamburg Ballet, Neumeier
interpolated the story of Ludwig II of Bavaria into the Swan Lake plot, via Ludwig's
fascination with swans. Much of the original score was used with additional Tchaikovsky
material and the choreography combined the familiar Petipa/Ivanov material with new
dances and scenes by Neumeier. The ballet finishes with Ludwigs death by drowning
while confined to an asylum, set to the dramatic music for the Act Three conclusion. With
the theme of the unhappy royal being forced into heterosexual marriage for reasons of
state and also the cross reference to the personal lives of actual royalty, this work
anticipated both Bournes and Murphys interpretation. Illusions Like "Swan Lake" remains
in the repertoire of major German ballet companies.

Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake departed from the traditional ballet by replacing the
female corps de ballet with male dancers. Since its inception in 1995, Matthew Bourne's
production has never been off the stage for more than a few months.[citation needed] It has toured
the United Kingdom and returned to London several times. It has been performed on
extended tours in Greece, Israel, Turkey, Australia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Russia, France,

Germany, the Netherlands, the United States, and Ireland in addition to the United
Kingdom. Bourne's Swan Lake has won over 30 international awards to date.[13]

The 2000 American Ballet Theatre version (taped for television in 2005), rather than
having the curtain down as the slow introduction is played, used this music to accompany
a new prologue in which the audience is shown how Von Rothbart first transforms Odette
into a swan. This prologue is similar to Vladimir Burmeister's production of "Swan Lake"
(firstly staged in Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow, 1953) but has some differences. Von
Rothbart in this production is played by two dancers; one appears as a handsome young
man who is easily able to lure Odette in the new prologue, and the other dancer is covered
in sinister "monster makeup" which reveals the magician's true self. (in the film Black
Swan, Natalie Portman, as Nina, dreams this in the film's opening sequence). About halfan-hour of the complete score is omitted from this production.

Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake was first performed in 2002, and was loosely based on
the breakdown of the marriage of Lady Diana to Prince Charles and his relationship
withCamilla Parker Bowles. It combined the rles of Von Rothbart and Odile into that of a
Baroness, and the focus of the story is a love triangle.[14]

In 2010, Black Swan, a film starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, featured
sequences from Swan Lake.

Instrumentation[edit]
Swan Lake is scored for the typical late 19th-century large orchestra:

Strings: violins I and II; violas, violoncellos; double basses

Woodwinds: piccolo; 2 flutes; 2 oboes; 2 clarinets in B, A and C; 2 bassoons

Brass: 4 French horns in F; 2 cornets in A and B; 2 trumpets in F, D, and E;

3 trombones (2 tenor, 1 bass); tuba

Percussion: timpani; snare drum; cymbals; bass

drum; triangle; tambourine; castanets; tam-tam; glockenspiel

Other: harp

Roles[edit]
This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section
by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged
and removed. (April 2010)

Princess Odette (The Queen of the Swans and the White Swan or also the Swan
Princess), the heroine of the story; a beautiful Princess, who has been transformed into a
swan
Prince Siegfried, the hero of the story; a handsome Prince who falls in love with Odette

Von Rothbart, the antagonist of the story; an evil sorcerer, who has enchanted Odette

Odile (The Black Swan), Rothbart's daughter, the secondary antagonist

Benno von Sommerstern, the Prince's friend

The Queen, Prince Siegfried's mother

Wolfgang, his tutor

Baron von Stein

The Baroness, his wife

Freiherr von Schwarzfels

His wife

A herald

A footman

Court gentlemen and ladies, friends of the prince, heralds, guests, pages, villagers,
servants, swans, cygnets

By 1895 Benno von Sommerstern had become just "Benno," and Odette "Queen of the
Swans." Also Baron von Stein, his wife, and Freiherr von Schwarzfels and his wife were no
longer identified on the program. The sovereign or ruling Princess is often rendered "Queen
Mother." Rothbart ("Redbeard") may also be spelled Rotbart.

Odette[edit]
Princess Odette is the lead ballerina role. Von Rothbart's daughter Odile is danced by the
same ballerina; this facilitates the scene in which Odile, disguised as Odette, tricks Prince
Siegfried into being unfaithful. Odette also appears in many adaptations of the ballet.
Odette is often referred to as a "tragic heroine" and is always portrayed as vulnerable, gentle,
caring, modest and warm-hearted. She appears in the second and fourth acts, though she also
makes a minor appearance in the third act when she appears as a vision during the Ball. As
the heroine of the story, she has been transformed into a swan by Von Rothbart and can only
regain her human form at night. She has many companions under the same spell, who have
made her their queen, hence her title "The Swan Queen." She is forced to live by a lake that
was magically formed from the tears of her grieving mother after Rothbart kidnapped her. The
only way for the spell to be broken is by the power of eternal love between Odette and a young
man who will remain faithful to her, for if the vow of eternal love is broken, she will remain a
swan forever. When Odette falls in love with Prince Siegfried, hope for her freedom has come
at last, until Siegfried is tricked into breaking his vow by Von Rothbart, trapping Odette as a
swan forever. To escape the spell, Odette chooses to die and Siegfried chooses to die with her;
the lovers drown themselves in the lake and are reunited forever in death.

Siegfried[edit]

Prince Siegfried is the lead male ballet dancer role. Like Odette and Von Rothbart, he
appears in many adaptations of the ballet, although he has a different name in almost every
one, despite retaining some or all of his characteristics.
Out of all the characters in the ballet, Siegfried is the only one to appear on all four acts. He is
a young Prince, full of bright spirit and enthusiasm, and seems to have little interest in his royal
role. He clearly cares more for socialising, merry events and sporting activities, as shown when
he is celebrating his 21st birthday with his best friend, Benno and his tutor, Wolfgang. When his
mother, the Queen tells him he must soon marry, he refuses because he has not yet found a
woman of his preference. His favourite hobby is hunting, so to end his birthday celebrations, he
and Benno head into the forest on a hunting expedition with their companions. However,
everything takes an ironic twist on this expedition, for deep in the forest, Siegfried and his
friends arrive at a lake, where Siegfried spots a beautiful swan wearing a crown. But before he
can shoot it, the swan transforms into the most beautiful girl he has ever seen: Princess
Odette, the Queen of the Swans. Struck by her beauty, Siegfried falls in love with her at once.
She tells him her story, explaining that she is under a spell of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. It
is at this point in the ballet that Siegfried's carefree spirit is overcome by a sudden growth to
manhood out of his love for Odette and from that point, it becomes his goal to save and marry
her. He invites her to attend a Ball at his castle and promises to choose her as his bride, but
everything takes a turn for the worst.
On the night of the Ball, Siegfried is thinking of nothing but Odette, and after rejecting various
potential brides in her favour, he is overjoyed when she finally arrives. But it is actually Von
Rothbart's daughter Odile in disguise, for Rothbart has magically disguised her as Odette.
Suspecting nothing, Siegfried falls for the trickery and pledges eternal love to Odile, thinking
she is Odette and now all seems lost. Siegfried follows Odette back to the lake and begs her to
forgive him, swearing that he loves her only. She forgives him, but explains that she has
chosen to die so she can escape Rothbart's spell. Unwilling to live without her, Siegfried
chooses to die with Odette and the lovers throw themselves into the lake, reuniting in death for
all eternity.

Odile[edit]
Odile is the daughter of Von Rothbart, who is also an evil witch and who is willing to follow in
her father's footsteps. She only appears in the third act, usually dressed in black (though in the
1895 production, she did not wear black) and magically disguised as Odette in order to help
her father trick Siegfried into breaking his vow of love to Odette. In some productions, Odile is
known as the Black Swan and, rather than being magically disguised as her, is actually
Odette's evil twin or double; an example of this type of portrayal is seen in the production by
the Bolshoi Ballet. There are also some productions where Odette and Odile are danced by
two different ballerinas.

Von Rothbart[edit]
Von Rothbart is the central antagonist in the ballet. Von Rothbart is rarely seen in human form,
as he appears as a giant owl in the second and fourth acts. His human form is seen only in the
third act with his daughter Odile, when she dances with the Prince Siegfried.
Von Rothbart is a powerful and evil sorcerer who casts a spell on Odette that turns her into a
swan every day and returns her to human form at night. The reason for von Rothbart's curse
upon Odette is unknown; several versions, including two feature films, have suggested
reasons, but none is typically explained by the ballet.
When von Rothbart realises that Odette has fallen in love with Prince Siegfried, he tries to
intervene by tricking Siegfried into declaring his love for his daughter Odile. The plan succeeds,
yet in the end, von Rothbart is not triumphant. When Siegfried and Odette make the ultimate

sacrifice in the name of their love by throwing themselves into the lake, von Rothbart's powers
are overcome and he is destroyed.
However, his fate is different in some versions, as there are productions where von Rothbart is
triumphant and survives. One example is the Bolshoi Ballet's version, where he is portrayed as
a sadistic schemer and plays a wicked game of fate with Siegfried, which he wins at the end,
causing Siegfried to lose everything. In the second American Ballet Theatre production
of Swan Lake, he is portrayed by two dancers. One of them depicts him as young and
handsome; it is this von Rothbart that is able to lure Odette and transform her into a swan (this
is shown during the introduction to the ballet in a danced prologue especially created by
choreographer Kevin McKenzie). He is also able to entice the Prince to dance with Odile, and
thus seal Odette's doom. The other von Rothbart, a repulsive, reptilian-like creature, reveals
himself only after he has performed an evil deed, such as transforming Odette into a swan. In
this version, the lovers' joint suicide inspires the rest of von Rothbart's imprisoned swans to
turn on him and overcome his spell, which ultimately defeats him.

Synopsis[edit]
Below is a synopsis based on the 1876 libretto (author unknown) to which Tchaikovsky
originally composed the ballet.[15] Swan Lake is generally presented in either four Acts, four
Scenes (primarily outside Russia and Eastern Europe) or three Acts, four Scenes (primarily in
Russia and Eastern Europe). Some productions in the West include a prologue that shows the
actual transformation by which Princess Odette is first turned into a swan. The biggest
difference of productions all over the world is that the ending varies from romantic to tragic.

Act 1[edit]
A magnificent park before a palace.
[Scne: Allegro giusto] Prince Siegfried is celebrating his birthday with his tutor, friends and
peasants [Waltz]. The revelries are interrupted by Siegfrieds mother, the Queen [Scne:
Allegro moderato], who is concerned about her sons carefree lifestyle. She tells him that he
must choose a bride at the royal ball the following evening. Siegfried is upset that he cannot
marry for love. His friend Benno and the tutor try to lift his troubled mood. As evening falls
[Sujet], Benno sees a flock of swans flying overhead and suggests they go on a hunt [Finale I].
Siegfried and his friends take their crossbows and set off in pursuit of the swans.

Act 2[edit]
A lakeside clearing in a forest by the ruins of a chapel. A moonlit night.

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

Siegfried has become separated from his friends. He arrives at the lakeside clearing, just as a
flock of swans land nearby [Scne. Moderato]. He aims his crossbow at the swans [Scne.

Allegro moderato-], but freezes when one of them transforms into a beautiful maiden, Odette
[Scne. -Moderato]. At first, she is terrified of Siegfried. When he promises not to harm her, she
tells him that she is the Swan Queen Odette. She and her companions are victims of a terrible
spell cast by the evil owl-like sorcerer Von Rothbart. By day they are turned into swans and
only at night, by the side of the enchanted lake created from the tears of Odette's mother
do they return to human form. The spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before
swears to love Odette forever. Von Rothbart suddenly appears [Scne. -Allegro vivo]. Siegfried
threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes if Von Rothbart dies before the spell is broken, it
can never be undone.
As Von Rothbart disappears, the swan maidens fill the clearing [Scne: Allegro, Moderato
assai quasi andante]. Siegfried breaks his crossbow, and sets about winning Odettes trust as
the two fall in love. But as dawn arrives, the evil spell draws Odette and her companions back
to the lake and they are turned into swans again.

Act 3[edit]
An opulent hall in the palace.
Guests arrive at the palace for a costume ball. Six princesses are presented to the prince
[Entrance of the Guests and Waltz], one of whom his mother hopes he will choose as his bride.
Then Von Rothbart arrives in disguise [Scne: Allegro, Allegro giusto] with his enchantress
daughter, Odile, transformed so that she appears identical to Odette in all respects. Though the
princesses try to attract the prince with their dances [Pas de six], Siegfried, mistaking Odile for
Odette, has eyes only for her and dances with Odile. [Scne: Allegro, Tempo di valse, Allegro
vivo] Odette appears as a vision and vainly tries to warn Siegfried that he is being deceived.
But Siegfried remains oblivious and proclaims to the court that he intends to make Odile his
wife. Von Rothbart shows Siegfried a magical vision of Odette and he realises his mistake.
Grief-stricken, Siegfried hurries back to the lake.

Act 4[edit]
By the lakeside.

Scene from Act 4 of Swan Lake.

Vienna State Opera, 2004

Odette is distraught at Siegfrieds betrayal. The swan-maidens try to comfort her, but she is
resigned to death. Siegfried returns to the lake and finds Odette. He makes a passionate
apology. She forgives him and the pair reaffirm their love. Von Rothbart appears and insists
that Siegfried fulfill his pledge to marry Odile, after which Odette will be transformed into a
swan forever. Siegfried chooses to die alongside Odette and they leap into the lake. This
breaks Von Rothbart's spell over the swan maidens, causing him to lose his power over them
and he dies. In an apotheosis, the swan maidens watch as Siegfried and Odette ascend into
the Heavens together, forever united in love.

Alternative endings[edit]
Many different endings exist, ranging from romantic to tragic.

In 1950, Konstantin Sergeyev staged a new Swan Lake for the Mariinsky Ballet (then
the Kirov) after Petipa and Ivanov, but included some bits of Vaganova and Gorsky. Under
the Soviet regime, the tragic ending was substituted with a happy one, so that in the
Mariinsky and Bolshoi versions, Odette and Siegfried lived happily ever after.

In the version danced today by the Mariinsky Ballet, the ending is one of a "happily
ever after" in which Siegfried fights Von Rothbart and tears off his wing, killing him. Odette
is restored to human form and she and Siegfried are happily united. This version has often
been used by Russian and Chinese ballet companies. A similar ending was used inThe
Swan Princess.

In a version which has an ending very close to the 1895 Mariinsky revival, danced
by American Ballet Theatre in 2005, Siegfried's mistaken pledge of fidelity to Odile
consigns Odette to remain a swan forever. After realizing that her last moment of humanity
is at hand, Odette commits suicide by throwing herself into the lake. The Prince does so as
well. This act of sacrifice and love breaks Von Rothbart's power, and he is destroyed. In
the final tableau, the lovers are seen rising together to heaven in apotheosis.

In a version danced by New York City Ballet in 2006 (with choreography by Peter
Martins after Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, and George Balanchine), the Prince's declaration
that he wishes to marry Odile constitutes a betrayal that condemns Odette to remain a
swan forever. Odette is called away into swan form, and Siegfried is left alone in grief as
the curtain falls.

In a version danced by San Francisco Ballet in 2009, Siegfried and Odette throw
themselves into the lake, as in the 1895 Mariinsky revival, and von Rothbart is destroyed.
Two swans, implied to be the lovers, are then seen flying past the Moon.

In a version danced by National Ballet of Canada in 2010, Odette forgives Siegfried for
his betrayal and the promise of reconciliation shines momentarily before Rothbart
summons forth a violent storm. Rothbart and Siegfried struggle. When the storm subsides,
Odette is left alone to mourn the dead Siegfried.

In the 1986 version Rudolf Nureyev choreographed for the Paris Opera Ballet, Rothbart
fights with Siegfried, who is overcome and dies, leaving Rothbart to take Odette
triumphantly up to the heavens.

In the 2012 version performed at Blackpool Grand Theatre[16] by the Russian State
Ballet of Siberia the Prince drags Rothbart into the lake and both drown. Odette is left as a
swan.

In the 2015 English National Ballet version My First Swan Lake,[17] specifically recreated
for young children, the power of Siegfried and Odette's love enables the other swans to
rise up and defeat Rothbart, who falls to his death. This breaks the curse, and Siegfried
and Odette live happily ever after.