Libretto by Valentin Elizariev, based on the scenario by Vladimir Begichev and Vasily Geltser
Choreography and staging: People’s Artist of the USSR and Belarus, laureate of State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Valentin Elizariev
The production contains choreography by Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, Alexander Gorsky, Asaf Messerer (Act 2, Scene 4 ©Asaf Messerer), and Valentin Elizariev
Musical director: Vladimir Ovodok
Sets and costumes: People's Artist of Russia, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Vyacheslav Okunev
Lighting designer: Nina Ivankina
Video designer: laureate of the Golden Mask Russian National Theatre Award Stas Svistunovich
Assistant designer: Lyubov Sidelnikova
Conductors: Honoured Art Worker of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Koliadko, People's Artist of the Republic of Bashkortostan Artem Makarov

Running time: 2 hours 35 minutes with one interval
Premiere: 15 May 2021

Act I

Scene 1

The young Prince Siegfried celebrates his coming of age. Young people are having fun in the park in front of the castle. The jester’s funny dances are followed by the dances of Siegfried’s friends. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of the Prince’s mother, the Sovereign Princess. Displeased with a frolicsome life her son leads, she decides to marry him off and tells Siegfried that tomorrow she will give a big ball in the castle, during which he is to choose his wife-to-be. When the Sovereign Princess leaves, the celebration continues.

Dusk falls. The guests leave. Siegfried is distraught: he doesn’t want to part with a carefree life among his friends, but at the same time he dreams of a girl whom he could fall in love with. But where is this girl? 

The Prince’s attention is attracted by a flock of flying swans. Siegfried and his friends take crossbows and go hunting.

Scene 2

The Prince follows the swans and finds himself on the bank of an enchanted lake. The flock of swans swims on the dark surface of the water. When they come ashore, they turn into beautiful girls. Bewitched by the evil wizard Von Rothbart, only at night they can regain their human form.

Siegfried sees the Swan Queen Odette, who is the most beautiful maiden. Her beauty captivates the Prince. Odette can be freed from the spell of the evil wizard by the selfless love of a young man who has never sworn love to anyone. Siegfried, who has never taken a pledge of love before, is confident in the strength of his feeling. He is determined to save Odette from the power of the evil genius!

Odette is charmed by the young man’s tender feelings, but warns him that the evil genius will do everything to make Siegfried violate his promise.

Dawn breaks. The maidens are to turn into swans again. Von Rothbart appears and separates Odette and Siegfried.

Act II

Scene 3

Guests from different countries come to the ball in the castle of the Sovereign Princess. Siegfried has to choose a bride from the invited beauties. But none of the girls attracts his attention – all his thoughts are only about Odette.

In the midst of the ball an unknown knight appears with his beautiful daughter. It’s Von Rothbart and Odile, who bears a striking resemblance to the Swan Queen.

Siegfried is certain that it’s Odette, his chosen one. Von Rothbart orders Odile to entice the Prince to declare his love to her. 

Intending to warn her beloved about the spell of the evil genius, Odette appears in the window of the castle. But Siegfried doesn’t notice her. He announces his decision to marry the daughter of the unknown knight and vows eternal love. At that very moment he sees Odette in the window. Siegfried realizes that he has been deceived, but it is too late: the oath is given. Odile and Von Rothbart disappear. Odette will remain in the power of the evil genius forever. In desperation, the Prince heads towards the swan lake.

Scene 4

The bank of the lake. A dark worrisome night. Overcome with grief, Odette tells her friends about Siegfried’s infidelity. The swan girls are saddened: their hope for salvation is gone.

Siegfried appears. He begs Odetta’s forgiveness. It is her that he loves, and he swore an oath of loyalty to Odile only because he saw Odette in her. And if nothing can save them, he’ll die together with her.

Outraged, von Rothbart summons the forces of nature for help. A storm begins, lightning flashes, thunder rolls. But nothing can break the power of pure love or make Odette and Siegfried part. Then the evil genius himself enters into single combat with the Prince – and dies.

His spell is broken, and love triumphs. The disenchanted maidens, Odette and Siegfried greet the first rays of the rising sun.

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