Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Swan Lake
ballet in three acts Wednesday | 15 January 2025|19:00
Age 12+ |
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Libretto: Vladimir Begichev, Vasily Geltser
Version by the People's Artist of Belarus Yury Trayan and recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Aleksandra Tikhomirova
The production contains choreography by Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, Alexander Gorsky, People's Artist of Belarus Yury Trayan, recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Aleksandra Tikhomirova (Act 3)
Designer: laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Ernst Heidebrecht
Costumes: Eleonora Grigoruk
Conductors: Honoured Art Worker of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Koliadko, recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Andrei Galanov, Aleh Lessoun, recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal Vyacheslav Chernukho-Volich
Running time: 2 hours 35 minutes with two intervals
Premiere: 21 February 1986
New version: 4 November 2012
The first act
The first scene
A young prince Siegfried celebrates his coming of age. The festivities are interrupted with the arrival of his mother, the Sovereign Princess. She is displeased with the frolicsome life he leads and wants him to marry. The prince is overcome with sadness: the time of youth and cheer is over. After the Sovereign Princess leaves, the celebration continues.
Dusk is falling. Siegfried is distraught: he doesn’t want to part with the carefree life among his friends, but at the same time he dreams of pure and eternal love.
On a vague impulse, he leaves his company and goes hunting.
The second scene
The prince comes to a bank of an enchanted lake. The swan maidens appear, Rothbart, the evil sorcerer has cast a spell on them. Only at night does he allow them to regain their human form.
Siegfried meets the Swan Queen, the beautiful Odette. Her beauty captivates the prince and he vows eternal love for her.
Only a sincere and everlasting feeling can save the maidens from the spell of the evil sorcerer. Siegfried is confident in the power of his love – he’ll save Odette from the power of the spell.
Dawn is breaking. The maidens are to turn into swans again.
The second act
Noble guests come to the ball at the castle of the Sovereign Princess accompanied by their daughters, the prince is to choose one of them for his bride. In the midst of the ball an unknown knight appears with his beautiful daughter. It’s Rothbart and Odile, who bears a striking resemblance to the Swan Queen.
Siegfried is certain that it’s Odette, his chosen one. Rothbart orders Odile to entice the prince to declare his love to her. Siegfried announces his decision to marry the daughter of the unknown knight to his mother.
The evil genius triumphs, the oath is broken, and now Odette and her companions will die. Odile and Rothbart disappear, and Siegfried realizes his grave error: he broke the oath made to Odette. In despair he heads toward the lake.
The third act
The bank of the lake. A worrisome night. The swan maidens anxiously await Odette. She brings tragic news: the prince broke his oath, the hope of salvation is gone.
Rothbart appears. He casts a spell aiming to doom Odette. But Siegfried comes to the rescue. He begs forgiveness from her, because there, at the castle, he saw her and it was to her that he declared his love. And if nothing can save them, he’ll die together with her.
The forces of nature, bewitched by Rothbart, turn against the lovers. The good and the evil engage in the ultimate battle. But nothing can set Siegfried and Odette apart: Rothbart’s spell disintegrates against the power of love.
Dawn breaks. The disenchanted swan maidens, Odette and Siegfried greet the first rays of the rising sun.
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