Year 6 are going to London on Monday to see Swan Lake at The Royal Opera House
Here is an outline of the story.
Act I
Outside the Palace grounds a birthday party is being thrown to celebrate Prince Siegfried’s coming of age. His tutor, Wolfgang, is fussing over the preparations as Siegfried’s best friend Benno and the court arrive. When Siegfried arrives he is greeted by the peasants, and responds with gifts of wine for the men and ribbons for the women, before standi
ng back to enjoy the performance of three dancers (a pas de trios) who have been hired for the occasion.
Siegfried’s party, Act I - Photo by Dee Conway
Dancers entertain Prince Siegfried in Act I - Photo by Johan Persson
The celebrations are interrupted by Siegfried’s mother, the Princess. Worried about her son she tells him that he has to settle down. At the official birthday ball the following evening, she expects him to choose a wife. Siegfried reluctantly agrees and escorts her out, but a pall has fallen on the evening. The tutor tries to lighten the mood by dancing with two young girls but, by now fairly drunk, he spins out of control and collapses to the floor. As darkness falls, Benno sees a flock of swans in the sky and, still trying to distract the Prince, suggests a hunt. They take crossbows from the palace guards and, accompanied by some cadets, set off in pursuit.
Act I
Outside the Palace grounds a birthday party is being thrown to celebrate Prince Siegfried’s coming of age. His tutor, Wolfgang, is fussing over the preparations as Siegfried’s best friend Benno and the court arrive. When Siegfried arrives he is greeted by the peasants, and responds with gifts of wine for the men and ribbons for the women, before standi
ng back to enjoy the performance of three dancers (a pas de trios) who have been hired for the occasion.Siegfried’s party, Act I - Photo by Dee Conway
Dancers entertain Prince Siegfried in Act I - Photo by Johan Persson
The celebrations are interrupted by Siegfried’s mother, the Princess. Worried about her son she tells him that he has to settle down. At the official birthday ball the following evening, she expects him to choose a wife. Siegfried reluctantly agrees and escorts her out, but a pall has fallen on the evening. The tutor tries to lighten the mood by dancing with two young girls but, by now fairly drunk, he spins out of control and collapses to the floor. As darkness falls, Benno sees a flock of swans in the sky and, still trying to distract the Prince, suggests a hunt. They take crossbows from the palace guards and, accompanied by some cadets, set off in pursuit.
Act II
As Act II begins the cadets have overtaken Siegfried, and hurry through a lakeside glade. When the Prince arrives, the swans have settled on the water, and he is just about to shoot one of them when he is frozen by the sight of a swan transforming into a maiden. At first she is terrified of him, but when he promises not to harm her she tells him that she is the Swan Queen, Odette. She and her companions have been placed under a spell by an owl-like evil spirit called Von Rothbart.. By day they are swans, returning to human form only at night, beside this lake which, Odette says, was formed from the tears of her grieving mother. The spell can only be broken if a man who has never loved another woman swears to love her forever, and marries her.
The Swans - Photo by Johan Persson
Video Link > Join the corps de ballet backstage just before the entrance of the swans
The evil spirit appears, and Siegfried is about to shoot it when Odette stops him. If Von Rothbart is killed the spell will never be broken. The spirit disappears, and Odette’s companions suddenly fill the glade. Siegfried is only just in time to rescue them from Benno and the cadets, whom he dismisses.
Odette with the Swans - Photo by Johan Persson
Alone with the swan-maidens, Siegfried sets about winning Odette’s love and her trust. But as dawn arrives Rothbart beckons to her and, unwillingly, she is dragged back to the water, and the shape of a swan.
Odette and Siegfried - Photo by Johan Persson
As Act II begins the cadets have overtaken Siegfried, and hurry through a lakeside glade. When the Prince arrives, the swans have settled on the water, and he is just about to shoot one of them when he is frozen by the sight of a swan transforming into a maiden. At first she is terrified of him, but when he promises not to harm her she tells him that she is the Swan Queen, Odette. She and her companions have been placed under a spell by an owl-like evil spirit called Von Rothbart.. By day they are swans, returning to human form only at night, beside this lake which, Odette says, was formed from the tears of her grieving mother. The spell can only be broken if a man who has never loved another woman swears to love her forever, and marries her.
The Swans - Photo by Johan Persson
Video Link > Join the corps de ballet backstage just before the entrance of the swans
The evil spirit appears, and Siegfried is about to shoot it when Odette stops him. If Von Rothbart is killed the spell will never be broken. The spirit disappears, and Odette’s companions suddenly fill the glade. Siegfried is only just in time to rescue them from Benno and the cadets, whom he dismisses.
Odette with the Swans - Photo by Johan Persson
Alone with the swan-maidens, Siegfried sets about winning Odette’s love and her trust. But as dawn arrives Rothbart beckons to her and, unwillingly, she is dragged back to the water, and the shape of a swan.
Odette and Siegfried - Photo by Johan Persson
Act III
Act III opens on Siegfried’s official birthday celebration, as his mother orders him to dance with six princesses and choose one as a bride. He objects that he does not love any of them. The stalemate is broken by the arrival of Von Rothbart, in human form, with his daughter Odile, who is bewitched to resemble the Swan Queen. Before Siegfied can approach Odile, dancers from Spain, Hungary, Naples and Russia perform to honour the prince.
The Princess and Von Rothbart, Act III - Photo by Johan Persson
After the entertainment is over Siegfried dances with Odile. By cunningly echoing the movements of Odette she seduces the Prince, and although an apparition of the real Odette appears for a moment to warn him, it is quickly banished by Von Rothbart.
Odile and Siegfried - Photo by Johan Persson
Video Link > The challenges of dancing Odette/Odile: see the famous 32 fouettés
Dazzled, the Prince chooses Odile as his bride and swears to love her forever. In a flash Von Rothbart reveals a vision of the stricken Swan Queen, before disappearing with his daughter. Frantically, Siegfried hurries back to the lake.
Act III opens on Siegfried’s official birthday celebration, as his mother orders him to dance with six princesses and choose one as a bride. He objects that he does not love any of them. The stalemate is broken by the arrival of Von Rothbart, in human form, with his daughter Odile, who is bewitched to resemble the Swan Queen. Before Siegfied can approach Odile, dancers from Spain, Hungary, Naples and Russia perform to honour the prince.
The Princess and Von Rothbart, Act III - Photo by Johan Persson
After the entertainment is over Siegfried dances with Odile. By cunningly echoing the movements of Odette she seduces the Prince, and although an apparition of the real Odette appears for a moment to warn him, it is quickly banished by Von Rothbart.
Odile and Siegfried - Photo by Johan Persson
Video Link > The challenges of dancing Odette/Odile: see the famous 32 fouettés
Dazzled, the Prince chooses Odile as his bride and swears to love her forever. In a flash Von Rothbart reveals a vision of the stricken Swan Queen, before disappearing with his daughter. Frantically, Siegfried hurries back to the lake.
Act IV
Act IV returns to the lakeside where Odette has reconciled herself to death, as the other swan-maidens try to comfort her. To break the spell, she has decided to drown herself in the lake. As a storm rises, Siegfried desperately searches for Odette, who is hidden by her companions. When he finally finds her he swears he loves only her, and she forgives him, but Von Rothbart appears and insists that Siegfried marry his daughter, after which Odette will become a swan forever.
Odette mimes the gesture for death, as Von Rothbart watches over the Swans - Photo by Bill Cooper
Siegfried prefers to die alongside Odette. As the pair throw themselves into the storm-tossed lake, the spell is broken, Von Rothbart is destroyed and the souls of the lovers are finally reunited.
Like any good story Swan Lake has had many retellings. Anthony Dowell’s version of Swan Lake for the Royal Ballet sticks very closely to the scenario of the first ever Petipa-Ivanov production in St Petersburg in 1894. In Soviet Russia, the ballet often had a happy ending, in which Siegfried killed Von Rothbart and saved Odette. Some choreographers have added a prelude showing the enchantment of Odette, in order to reduce the amount of mime in the second act. Others have tried to remove the supernatural element altogether - Graham Murphy’s Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet is a tragic love-triangle between a Prince, his mentally unstable young wife and his older mistress (Baroness Rothbart).
Even the Petipa-Ivanov scenario is a long way from the Swan Lake story as originally imagined by Tchaikovsky. In the 1877 Moscow premiere, Odette is the daughter of a good fairy, who is being pursued by her wicked witch of a stepmother. Her maternal grandfather keeps her and her companions safe at the lake by night, but allows them to fly about as swans by day. Only the magical crown that she wears protects her. After Siegfried swears his love to Odette, and then betrays her at the ball, she refuses to forgive him, but in his blind passion he swears that they will never be parted and snatches the crown from her head. Odette and Siegfried are now at the mercy of the stepmother, and the waters of the lake engulf them both.
The Souls of Siegfried and Odette ascend together
Act IV returns to the lakeside where Odette has reconciled herself to death, as the other swan-maidens try to comfort her. To break the spell, she has decided to drown herself in the lake. As a storm rises, Siegfried desperately searches for Odette, who is hidden by her companions. When he finally finds her he swears he loves only her, and she forgives him, but Von Rothbart appears and insists that Siegfried marry his daughter, after which Odette will become a swan forever.
Odette mimes the gesture for death, as Von Rothbart watches over the Swans - Photo by Bill Cooper
Siegfried prefers to die alongside Odette. As the pair throw themselves into the storm-tossed lake, the spell is broken, Von Rothbart is destroyed and the souls of the lovers are finally reunited.
Like any good story Swan Lake has had many retellings. Anthony Dowell’s version of Swan Lake for the Royal Ballet sticks very closely to the scenario of the first ever Petipa-Ivanov production in St Petersburg in 1894. In Soviet Russia, the ballet often had a happy ending, in which Siegfried killed Von Rothbart and saved Odette. Some choreographers have added a prelude showing the enchantment of Odette, in order to reduce the amount of mime in the second act. Others have tried to remove the supernatural element altogether - Graham Murphy’s Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet is a tragic love-triangle between a Prince, his mentally unstable young wife and his older mistress (Baroness Rothbart).
Even the Petipa-Ivanov scenario is a long way from the Swan Lake story as originally imagined by Tchaikovsky. In the 1877 Moscow premiere, Odette is the daughter of a good fairy, who is being pursued by her wicked witch of a stepmother. Her maternal grandfather keeps her and her companions safe at the lake by night, but allows them to fly about as swans by day. Only the magical crown that she wears protects her. After Siegfried swears his love to Odette, and then betrays her at the ball, she refuses to forgive him, but in his blind passion he swears that they will never be parted and snatches the crown from her head. Odette and Siegfried are now at the mercy of the stepmother, and the waters of the lake engulf them both.
The Souls of Siegfried and Odette ascend together
Follow this link for VIDEO CLIPS
Tchaikovsky wrote the music for Swan Lake
Click on his picture to find out more about him.
