The Music
Dive into the world of Tchaikovsky's beautiful, moody ballet score!
The Flop
Swan Lake was the first of Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s three big ballet scores, including Sleeping Beauty (1890) and The Nutcracker (1892). The original Swan Lake ballet premiered in 1877 to an unfavorable reception. Julius Reisinger’s choreography was not the popular version we know and love today. A tight budget necessitated the use of old sets, and some audiences thought Tchaikovsky’s enigmatic score was misaligned with ballet expectations. Choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov revived the work in 1895 and adapted it to their signature Russian Imperial style. Paired with Tchaikovsky’s music, this second production garnered the success that Tchaikovsky failed to see before his death in 1893.
The "Swan Theme"
Tchaikovsky’s music is a backbone of the ballet's heart-wrenching pas de deuxs (romantic partner dances) and dramatic entrances & climaxes, supporting character exposé and plot development with entrancing waltzes and the infamous leitmotif, “The Swan Theme.” In the ballet, the “Swan Theme” is first introduced at the beginning of Act II, when audiences hear the emotional strains of an oboe before even seeing dancers on stage. “The Swan Theme” is now so widely recognizable that people who don’t even know the ballet will likely be able to identify the music. It starts soft and delicate and evolves into a booming and moody reprise of the central thematic melody–a hint at the darkness that lies ahead in Siegfried and Odette’s journey. “The Swan Theme” reappears, intensified, at the very end of Act III as Odette and Siegfried escape the evil Rothbart. It mirrors the grace, tragedy, and hope with which Odette moves through life.
A Journey
"The Swan Theme” is emblematic of how Tchaikovsky uses music to clarify characters and plot, but also to connect with audiences. Like the story, the music journeys from mystery to despair to hope and triumph. Oboe, harp, and string tonally place us in dark forests and misty lakesides; wind instruments signal sadness and brassy tones foreshadow immense change. Swan Lake’s music is important to characterization and creates an environment that begets love, deceit, tragedy, and triumph. The music enables audiences to connect with characters’ qualities and their specific pathways and provides a richness in understanding that surpasses choreography alone.
