Swan Lake. Performance of the "Kremlin Ballet"
State Kremlin Palace
The Kremlin, The State Kremlin Palace
Moscow,
103132
RU
74956207846
Ballet, two acts, four scenes
P.I.Tchaikovsky
Libretto by V.Begichev and V.Geltzer
Choreographer-director is Andrei Petrov, people’s artist of the Russian Federation, Moscow Award laureate.
Scene designer is Stanislav Benediktov, People’s Artist of the Russian Federation, State prize laureate of the Russian Federation
Costume designer is Olga Polyanskaya
The performance contains choreographical episodes by Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, Alexander Gorsky.
The “Swan Lake” ballet with brilliant music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky is currently the most famous ballet in the world, and a symbol of the Russian ballet.
The base of the story is an old German legend telling about a beautiful princess Odette turned into a swan by the curse of an evil wizard Rothbart.
The “Swan Lake” as performed by the Kremlin Ballet Theatre is an ever young lyrical charm of a classic dance inspired plasticity of pattern, a mysterious harmony of music and choreography.
The ballet’s Stage director Andrei Petrov preserved the classical edition of the ballet made by the great Russian choreographers A.Gorsky, M.Petipa and L.Ivanov having added and having turned into one several separate episodes for the sake of the performance integrity.
Esthetic perception of the ballet is accompanied by the wonderful works of scene designer Stanislav Benediktov and costume designer Olga Polyanskaya.
The performance is constantly in the company’s repertory and is invariably of great success among spectators. In this staging immortal power of the national school of the Russian ballet is felt which upon its right has acquired world acknowledgement.
The performance is accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra Radio Orpheus (Artistic managing director and Principal conductor - Sergey Kondrashov).
Act One
The garden before the Princess Mother’s castle. Young people are making merry on the lawns. The Fool’s amusing capers give way to the dances of young maidens and their admirers. The Princess Mother tells her son, Prince Siegfried, that tomorrow at the ball he must choose his bride-to-be from among the young girls who will be present. Siegfried remains indifferent to his mother’s words.
Left on his own as dusk begins to gather, the Prince dreams of a girl he can truly love. His friends invite him to take part in a night-time hunt. The prince notices a flock of swans flying overhead and he follows the noble birds deep into the forest.
The Evil Genius, Rothbart, inhabits the ruins of a gloomy castle, on the shores of a mysterious lake. Beautiful swan-maidens float serenely on the waters of the lake then, emerging on to the shore, they circle in a graceful round dance. Siegfried is very taken by one of the maidens – Odette. Her tale of how Rothbart’s sorcery had turned them into swans touches him. Only disinterested love can lift the spell. At daybreak, the maidens become swans again and float away.
Act Two
The ball at the Princess Mother’s castle. The time has come for the Prince to choose his bride from the young girls who have been invited specially for this purpose. But he is nowhere to be seen. The brides-to-be are disconcerted. The Fool starts his comical capers. Siegfried appears. Remembering his oath, he turns his back on the young girls. The Evil Genius Rothbart and his daughter Odile, who bears a striking resemblance to Odette, appear among the guests. Mistaking Odile for his loved one, the Prince announces that she is his bride-to-be. Siegfried has broken his vow. Pointing to Odette who is now visible in the distance, the triumphant sorcerer vanishes together with his daughter.
In the course of the gloomy and uneasy night, the grief-stricken Odette tells her friends about Siegfried’s treachery. The swan-maidens now lose all hope of being liberated. Siegfried comes running in. He has kept his promise – it was just he mistook Odile for Odette. A furious Rothbart summons the forces of nature. A storm gets up, lightening flashes, huge waves toss the lovers to and fro, concealing them in their depths.
But nothing can destroy Odette and Siegfried’s pure, youthful love or force them to part. The Evil Genius has been overcome, his evil powers are shattered.
