The ballet was created by Peter Illyich, as was also the music, on the theme ‘The Lake of Swans’. A farewell dance and it will be time to disperse. The ballet company was drained of most of its personnel and financial support, twenty dancers were transferred to Saint Petersburg, while others were relieved of their positions and Swan Lake was among those works that was removed from the repertoire. Citizens! 15th January] 1895 starring Pierina Legnani as Odette/Odile and Pavel Gerdt as Prince Siegfried. About. Cast Odette – Nicoletta Manni Prince Siegfried – Timofei Andrijashenko Benno – Christian Fagetto Cygnets – Daniela Cavalleri, Lusymay Di Stefano, Christelle Cennerelli & Agnese Di Clemente Big Swans – Francesca Podini, Virna … Siegfried swears to die with her. In 1947, Sergeyev and Inglesby staged the full length ballet with the former’s notation scores for International Ballet and the production premièred in March 1947 at the Adelphi Theatre, London. He was the Premier Maître de Ballet of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres from 1871 to 1903. Despite the negative reaction it received at its world première, Swan Lake remained active in the Moscow repertoire for six years and subsequently went through several revivals and numerous changes. Pierina Legnani's variation as Odile was crafted by Petipa for her virtuoso technique and is for the most part still performed as originally choreographed by him, still challenging ballerinas to the present day. When Sobeschanskaya returned to Moscow, she informed the Kapellmeister that she had acquired a new pas de deux that she wished to interpolate into the third act of Swan Lake. Another early work that could have served as inspiration for Swan Lake was an impromptu house ballet called The Lake of Swans that he composed in 1871, especially for the children of his sister Alexandra. Photos and images: © Dansmuseet, Stockholm © Большой театр России © Victoria and Albert Museum, London © Государственный академический Мариинский театр © CNCS/Pascal François © Bibliothèque nationale de France © Musée l’Opéra © Colette Masson/Roger-Viollet © АРБ имени А. Я. Вагановой © Михаил Логвинов © Михайловский театр, фотограф Стас Левшин. The famous traditional Variation of Prince Siegfried that is danced by nearly every ballet company today has been credited to Vakhtang Chabukiani. Tchaikovsky's dramatic music and the masterful choreography of Petipa and Ivanov, which brings together the essence of classic ballet techniques, have combined to create an enduring masterpiece which remains tremendously popular throughout the world---so much so that Swan Lake has become synonymous with ballet today. Sergei Sokolov, choreographer of The Fern, was cast as Von Rothbart and Wilhelm Verner was cast as Wolfgang. Here are descriptions of some of the scenes and dances of his and Ivanov's 1895 edition of Swan Lake. Between 1880 and 1883, Hansen staged several revivals of Swan Lake, although information on these stagings is very scarce, with many details about the productions unknown. However, the reaction at the première was not what Tchaikovsky had hoped for – the ballet was not well received by the audience or critics, with many criticising the dancers, orchestra and décor. In 1941, Nikolai Sergeyev staged the second scene from his notation scores for the première performance of Mona Inglesby’s International Ballet, which took place on the 19th May 1941 at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow. According to Karl Valts, it was due to a scandal involving Sobeschanskaya and a government official. The corps de ballet, which danced behind these waves of tulle, represented a band of bathing and swimming swans – Moskovskie vedomosti, 15th January 1880 (p. 4). In the 1880s Tchaikovsky was commissioned by Ivan Vsevolozhsky, director of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatres, to score what would become two of his greatest works: the operas The Enchantress (1886) and The Queen of Spades (1890). What became known in modern times as The Black Swan Pas de Deux, which ends with glittering virtuosity from the ballerina as well as the danseur, was originally staged by Petipa as a Grand Pas de Deux à Quatre demi d'action - Prince Siegfried (Pavel Gerdt) and an additional suitor (danced by Alexander Gorsky) partnered Odile (Pierina Legnani), while Rothbart (danced by Alexei Bulgakov) did most of the acting/mime. The principal roles of Prince Siegfried and Odette/Odile were given to the Bolshoi Theatre’s Premier Danseur Victor Gillert and the ballerina Polina (Pelagaya) Karpakova, the ballet’s first performance was held as a benefit for Karpakova. My Uncle Modeste Ilyich performed the role of the prince. Ivanov’s original Pas de deux à trois scheme was used in early to mid 20th century productions, with one example being several of Dame Ninette De Valois’s productions for the Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet. Tchaikovsky was delighted at the prospect of his first ballet being restaged by Petipa, of whom he held the greatest respect, proclaiming that “never with anyone but Petipa would I produce ballets.” However, just when plans to recreate Swan Lake were beginning to come into fruition, Tchaikovsky died on the 6th November [O.S. It seems this was a collaboration in which the two men decided on a scenario for their new ballet and then went their separate ways to prepare their material – Tchaikovsky composed the score, to which Reisinger set his choreography only after it was completed. The actual creation of Swan Lake with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov which became the reference version took place on 27th January (15 January according to the old Russian calendar) in 1895, two years after the disappearance of the composer. Партнёры проекта: СПбГБУК «Санкт-Петербургская государственная Театральная библиотека». At the time the only part of Swan Lake that was known in the west was the famous second scene (or the "White Act" as it is sometimes called). Petipa was born in Marseilles. The trickery against Prince Siegfried was also retained, except the purpose is not to condemn Odette to death, but to condemn her to forever remain a swan. Many Saint Petersburg dancers continued a long practice of guest appearing in Moscow. The first production, barely in my memory, was ‘Swan Lake’. Perhaps the only company to dance this Waltz today in Petipa's original version is the Royal Ballet. All is finished; the evil genie has triumphed and there is no rescue for Odette: the evil spell will last forever. According to press accounts of the production the ballerina "did not move at all from the place she started.". One prime example of a ballerina who followed Preobrazhenskaya’s example on this matter was the great Bolshoi Prima Ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. 15 Un poco di Chopin, a piece which is not danced by very many companies today, except for the Royal Ballet and the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet. Ivanov's choreography for the memorial concert was unanimously hailed as wonderful and though the concert itself was not a success (due to high ticket prices the turnout was poor), Ivanov nevertheless won laurels for his work. According to the notation the choreography called for forty dancers (20 men and 20 women), with sixteen of them using footstools painted both red and green to form geometric patterns and make various poses, with the corps de ballet at all times remaining inside the space made by the footstools. The heroine Odette is the daughter of a good fairy and a knight. Odette’s backstory and references to her grandfather were omitted; the only insight into her backstory is that she was kidnapped by the Evil Genie and forced to live at an enchanted lake that was formed by her mother’s tears. Nevertheless, Drigo's revision of the score is often used as the foundation. It is better for her to die while there is time. Eventually, however, this pas de deux disappeared from the Moscow repertoire and was not published with the full Swan Lake score. He loves her alone and swore fidelity to Odile because he thought she was Odette. The premiere of the Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo was quite a success, with Legnani enchanting the audience with her versatile portrayal of the Swan Queen Odette and the evil enchantress Odile, but the 1895 version was still not the colossal triumph that has been accepted as fact in modern times. One of Swan Lake’s most striking qualities is the diversity in its choreography. After Prince Siegfried made his entrance, the third of the additions to the ballet was a Pas d'action for his reconciliation with Odette. The tipsy Wolfgang sees to Siegfried's wishes. This was mostly because the aging Pavel Gerdt (who was fifty years old in 1895) was performing nearly all of the lead male roles in the repertory. The critic of the Modest Observer, one of the papers who criticised the 1877 production, also commented warmly on Hansen’s revival, stating that the dances for the corps de ballet were the most successful part. Night. Ivanov choreographed this Waltz, based on Petipa's sketches, for both white and black Swans. In Alexei Ratmansky’s reconstruction of Petipa and Ivanov’s Swan Lake, Odile wears a multi-coloured, glittered costume, based on the costume worn by Pierina Legnani in 1895, as designed by French designer Jérôme Kaplan. Swan Lake made its London première in 1910 when it was staged at the Hippodrome Theatre by another group of dancers from the Imperial Ballet led by Olga Preobrazhenskaya. The main antagonist is Odette’s evil stepmother, a sorceress who is trying to kill her, but she is protected by a magical crown she wears that was given to her by her maternal grandfather. According to Alexander Shiryaev, Legnani performed “arabesque fouettés”, as he called them, meaning she performed them en dedans, rather than en dehors as they are performed today. Another ray of hope for the Moscow arts came from an idea of Nikolai Rubenstein. Originally, the Bolshoi Theatre’s Prima Ballerina Anna Sobeschanskaya was cast as Odette/Odile, but she was withdrawn from the première and was given the role in the ballet’s fourth performance instead, though the reason for this change in the casting is unclear. Siegfried still promises that no spell will take Odette from him. Tchaikovsky attended rehearsals, but he would watch as a spectator rather than a collaborator. Reisinger applied for the post of Premier Maître de Ballet of the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, but was rejected due to some disagreements regarding his conditions for accepting the post. The swans greet her joyfully but despair when they learn of Siegfried's betrayal. The Tableau of Swan Lake in the second scene was planned with great talent and permeated with true poetry, gloomy and expressive. Prior to commissioning The Sleeping Beauty, Vsevolozhsky had considered reviving one act of Swan Lake for the 1886–1887 season and had even written a letter requesting the music from Tchaikovsky's publisher Jurgenson, who recommended that the fourth scene be staged. Evgenia Obukhova The Minister of the Imperial Court, however, rejected this idea, but nonetheless, Petipa was still sent to Moscow to stage several ballets between 1868 and 1870. Google apps. Swan Lake was the first ballet by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Three years after Swan Lake was withdrawn from the Moscow repertoire, Vsevolozhsky expressed interest in reviving one act of the ballet for the 1886-87 season in Saint Petersburg. Alternative libertaire - Perdre sa vie … à la gagner Visually similar work. From 1861 to 1864, the great Italian Ballet Master Carlo Blasis served as Ballet Master at the Imperial Bolshoi Theatre, where he produced three ballets, several separate pas and wrote a book. Although this list indicates the most prominent changes to each individual dance/scene, it does not list such changes as deletions of bars of music, etc. In Petipa’s original Grand Pas de deux, there are no swan movements for Odile. The National dances are rarely if ever, performed as Petipa and Ivanov first staged them (Petipa staged the Spanish Dance and the Mazurka, Ivanov staged the Neapolitan Dance and the Hungarian Dance). There was also the fact that at the time, the contract of the Ballet Master of the Saint Petersburg Imperial Ballet made him responsible for both the Moscow and Saint Petersburg companies. Even more surprising, the ballet was only given four times in 1898 and 1899. Throughout the 20th century, Petipa and Ivanov’s Swan Lake has been staged in countless revivals all over the world. Plot Evgenia Obukhova The Grand Adagio of the second scene (the Pas de Deux of Odette and Prince Siegfried sometimes referred to as the Love Duet) was choreographed by Ivanov as a Pas de deux à Trois - Pierina Legnani was partnered by both Pavel Gerdt (who danced Prince Siegfried) and Alexander Oblakov (who danced Benno). Ivanov and Petipa chose to collaborate on the production, with Ivanov retaining his dances for the second scene while choreographing the fourth, and with Petipa staging the first and third scenes. The Swan Lake,1959 Depicts similar person. Odette takes leave of her beloved and disappears with her friends into the ruins. As Ballet Master, however, Reisinger’s tenure appears to have been an artistic failure. It premiered at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877, although it wasn't the immediate hit we might imagine it to be – that came later with the 1895 revival by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg. The ballet in question was entitled The Fern, which was based on an old Russian folk tale and was adapted into a ballet libretto by Konstantin Shilovsky, who would later work with Tchaikovsky on the libretto for his opera Eugene Onegin. The unfortunate girl embraces Siegfried one last time and runs to the cliff to jump from its height. The ballet belonged solely to Legnani until she left St. Petersburg for her native Italy in 1901. The dancers pick up the ends of the ribbons, forming thereby a kind of umbrella; it turned out to be quite an effective picture.". The master of ceremonies gives last-minute orders to the servants. Other ballerinas had performed fouettés in various works on the Russian stage before, for example, the ballerina, Emma Bessone had performed 14 fouettés in Ivanov’s three-act ballet The Haarlem Tulip. – Tchaikovsky in a letter to his brother, Modeste, dated 5th October 1870. Ultimately, the first production of Swan Lake was deemed a failure, which left Tchaikovsky distraught. Odette responds that she cannot because at that time she can only fly around the castle as a swan. After long discussions, he promised to compose a new pas de deux for Sobeschanskaya, but this did not immediately resolve the problem because the ballerina did not want to change the choreography that Petipa was created for her, nor did she want to travel to Saint Petersburg again. Although Plisetskaya performed fouettés in other ballets, she rarely performed the 32 fouettés in Swan Lake. 28 the third addition from Tchaikovsky's, No. But tomorrow a number of beautiful women will come to his mother's court, and he must choose one of them as his spouse. A magnificent hall. The group of hunters, who accompanied Siegfried and Benno to the lake, also took part in the pas d’action, standing at the sides of the stage with the Swan Maidens. Although the ballet is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies today base their stagings both choreographically and musically on this revival by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, staged for the Imperial Ballet, first presented on 15 January/27 January 1895, at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia instead of the original version. Odette and her friends were transformed from supernatural swan maidens into mortal women under an evil spell that forces them to turn into swans during the hours of the day, allowing them to resume their human forms only at night. Siegfried rushes to her assistance, and with her throws himself into the lake. By the time Tchaikovsky arrived in Moscow in 1866, the ballet company was on the verge of acceptable quality. Below is a list of the most striking changes made by Drigo to the score of Swan Lake, many of which have remained the standard of ballet companies today. There have been countless reinterpretations and redesigns, including many performances of Swan Lake … Martine Kahane. Unfortunately, Tchaikovsky’s score was also lost in the debacle of the poor production and though there were few critics who recognised its virtues, most considered it too complicated for ballet. Petipa and Ivanov’s Swan Lake was notated between 1901 and 1907 in the Stepanov notation method and is part of the Sergeyev Collection. The lake and swan scenes, famous for their perfection, are undoubtedly his alone. A band of white swans swims around the lake, In front a swan with a crown on its head. Their master, in the form of an owl, stands guard over them. Although this production was never materialised, Vsevolozhsky continued to show interest in Swan Lake and it was eventually agreed that Petipa would mount a new production of the ballet. Siegfried listens, enchanted. On the 17th and 22nd February 1894, Vsevolozhsky held a memorial concert for Tchaikovsky at the Mariinsky Theatre, in which the Imperial Ballet and Opera participated. Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux. The 1895 Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo edition of Swan Lake was notated in the method of Stepanov Choreographic Notation in or around 1901, and completed between April 1906 and April 1907, documenting a performance of the work with the Ballerina Vera Trefilova as Odette/Odile. The Hungarian Dance was performed by the Danseur Alfred Bekefi and Petipa's daughter Marie Petipa (famous for creating the role of the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty), who wore 12,000 roubles worth of diamonds for the performance. Petipa is one of the most influential ballet masters and choreographers in ballet history. Claudia Kulichevskaya. From Swan Lake to The Sleeping Beauty, it's time to look again at the work of Marius Petipa. Odette runs in. Just as it was a tradition in the Imperial Ballet that an additional suitor partner the Ballerina, it was also tradition that this additional suitor dance the lead male character's variation, being that the aging Pavel Gerdt could not. He created a huge number of ballets among which were "Swan Lake", "The Nutcracker" and "Sleeping Beauty". The national dances are all preserved in Petipa and Ivanov's original choreography with the exception of the Spanish Dance, which is only preserved in Alexander Gorsky's 1913 version. Nevertheless, The Fern plays an important role in the history of the Moscow ballet. 25th October] 1893. A second possible source were the works of Richard Wagner, specifically Der Ring, Lohengrin and Tannhäuser. The only insight into collaboration between Tchaikovsky and Reisinger are the holograph score and a published poster that listed numbers from the ballet, but this only proves that the collaboration was very distant. Although it has no direct connections to the origins of Swan Lake, many historians believe that it was within the Artistic Circle that the idea of what would be Tchaikovsky’s first ballet began, since some of those who collaborated on the original production were members of the club. There is no evidence to prove who wrote the original libretto, or where the idea for the plot came from. Choreography by Lev Ivanov (second and fourth scenes) and Marius Petipa (first and third scenes) After celebrating his coming-of-age with friends and receiving a crossbow as a gift from his mother, Prince Siegfried, caught up in romantic dreams, goes chasing after the white swans that are flying towards the lake. Libretto by Vladimir Begichev, edited by Modeste Tchaikovsky The reconstruction premiered on 6 February 2016 at the Zurich Opera House. Leaving the drunken Wolfgang behind, the youths depart. The dawn brightens. Siegfried runs in. Prince Siegfried enters with Wolfgang. When he first encountered Odette, there was (as is preserved in the notation) an extensive mime sequence between the two characters, a passage which is rarely performed in modern times (American Ballet Theatre director Kevin McKenzie created a mime sequence in the same manner as the original for his recent production of Swan Lake, while the Royal Ballet still performs a rendition of Ivanov's original mime). The famous Dance of the Little Swans is the only number of the original 1895 Swan Lake to be danced in modern times exactly as Ivanov choreographed it. The notation documents Petipa's original choreography - one of his signature lavish dances for a massive corps de ballet. Although Tchaikovsky’s first ballet Swan Lake had not been the success he had hoped for, ... Meisner, Nadine (2019) Marius Petipa, The Emperor’s Ballet Master. The 1860s also saw the rivalry between Saint-Léon and Petipa and when the rivalry was at its peak, it was considered by the Directorate of the Saint Petersburg Imperial Theatres to transfer Petipa to Moscow permanently. Most of the reviews in the St. Petersburg newspapers were positive. Marius Ivanovich Petipa (Russian: Ма́риус Ива́нович Петипа́), born Victor Marius Alphonse Petipa (11 March 1818 – 14 July [ O.S. However, when Tchaikovsky learned of this, he was justifiably furious, making it clear that whether his ballet was good or bad, he alone should have full responsibility for the music. The evil genie vanishes in terror: death for the sake of Odette's love is his end. He will kill it and so free Odette. He had used this storyline in his operas Undine (1869) and Mandragora (1869-70) – both operas never premièred because Tchaikovsky destroyed the score for Undine and abandoned Mandragora – and Ostrovsky’s play The Snow Maiden (1873), for which he composed incidental music. 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