Immortal song of swan

by Petar PLAMENOV

The Swan Lake
Ballet by Tchaikovsky
23 June (Thursday), 20:00
25 June (Saturday), 20:00
Military Academy Park
Oborishte №1

Conducted by Boris Spassov
Choreography: Oleg Danovski

CAST: Nikola Hadzhitanev, Marta Petkova, Darina Bedeva, Kiril Ivanov, Maria Ilieva
Dilyana Nikoforova, Emil Yordanov,Rosen Kanev, Maria Ilieva
Ensemble of the ballet of Sofia Opera and Ballet

The world’s most famous and critically acclaimed ballet, a Romantic classic and a perennial favorite, Swan Lake has it all. The secret of such exceptional popularity can be explained, by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s great music. Tchaikovsky’s stunning score, gorgeous corps work and a sumptuous setting combine in one electrifying event. “Swan Lake” was the composer’s 1rst experience of cooperating with a ballet theatre. Tchaikovsky’s music turned out to be very innovative; his music became the dramatic and ideological cornerstone of the ballet performance and opened philosophic/ poetic depths that were unthinkable in Russian ballets of the past. Such innovative music demanded an equally innovative approach to its choreography which to this day remains stunning and beautiful.

The story revolves around the princess Odette, who has been turned into a swan by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. Each night she and her companions enjoy a few precious hours as human beings. On one such occasion, she meets and falls in love with Prince Siegfried. Will her prince be able to rescue her? Swan Lake is above all a love story. From hope to despair, from terror to tenderness, from melancholy to ecstasy, this ballet will take you on an unforgettable journey. Only true love can break the evil spell that makes Odette, a swan by day and a beautiful maiden by night. Prince Siegfried must choose a wife, but will the wicked magician fool the Prince by disguising his daughter as the beautiful Odette?



Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was composed in 1875 as a commission by Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, the intendant of the Russian Imperial Theatres in Moscow. Like The Nutcracker, Swan Lake was unsuccessful after its first year of performance. Conductors, dancers and audiences alike thought Tchaikovsky's music was too complicated and hard to dance to. The production’s original choreography by German ballet master, Julius Reisinger, was uninspiring and unoriginal. Much is unknown about the original production of Swan Lake – no notes, techniques or instruction concerning the ballet was written down. Only little can be found in letters and memos. It wasn’t until after Tchaikovsky’s death that Swan Lake was revived. Much of the Swan Lake we know of today was a revision by the famous choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in 1895.



In August 1875 he wrote to Rimsky-Korsakov, "I took this work partly for money, which I need, and partly because I have long wanted to try my hand at this kind of music." To familiarize himself with the demands of the art form he studied the ballet music of the period, which was of rather a poor standard. Thankfully his natural gifts and imagination enabled him to surpass this research and to produce a score that undoubtedly changed the public perception of music for ballet. Most of the music appears to have been written in Moscow, although just one month before he completed the work he wrote to his brother Anatoli, "I am up to my eyes in the orchestration of my ballet which must be ready by St. Thomas’ week. As I still have to finish two and a half acts, I have decided to work at this most boring task both in Holy and Easter weeks; to be able to do this I must get away from here [Moscow]." The score was completed by April 1876. After subsequently hearing Delibes’ score for Sylvia, Tchaikovsky wrote, "If I had known this music earlier, I would of course not have composed Swan Lake, for it is poor stuff compared to Sylvia."

Although Swan Lake was Tchaikovsky's first ballet score, the first production in Moscow wasn't well-received. Although several versions exist, most ballet companies stage the ballet according to the choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov for their St.  Swan Lake is traditionally presented in four acts.

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