In his biography of the composer, Modest Tchaikovsky named Begichev and Geltser as joint authors of the libretto. The newly discovered materials from the music archive of Bolshoy theatre fully support Nikolay Kashkin 's assumption and also give us the name of the dancer for whom the ballet was written, the prima ballerina Lidiya Geyten, who took part in rehearsals until she decided its music was not for her.
The ballet was commissioned from Tchaikovsky by the Directorate of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow during the spring of Nikolay Kashkin [6] recalled that the composer was persuaded to write a ballet on a mythical subject from the time of medieval knights, but there is very little reliable information on the process of composition. Kashkin insisted that the composer began to work on the ballet in the spring and that the first act "was already written by the end of the conservatory examinations", although he mistakenly dates this to the spring of by which time the ballet had been completely orchestrated.
In this same letter he mentions that he is tired, adding: I don't want to think about music this coming term" [7]. I worked rather diligently and, apart from the symphony , I wrote in outline two acts of a ballet. I took this work on partly for the money, which I need, and partly because I have long wanted to try my hand at writing this type of music" [8].
It is not possible to ascertain exactly when the sketches were completed and the instrumentation was begun. On the fair copy of the manuscript, after Act I, No. Evidently at this point the rough sketches had already been completed, and the composer had embarked on the instrumentation of the ballet. Besides composing Lake of the Swans , Tchaikovsky had to attend to a number of other tasks. Besides a ballet, which I am rushing to finish as soon as possible so that I can start on an opera, I have a mass of proofs and—worst of all—a commitment to write some musical articles" [10].
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In order to do the job properly, I need two weeks away from here otherwise nothing will get done" [13]. In the same letter he reported that he was going to see Konstantin Shilovsky at Glebovo. I want to get away from all the bustle and clamour of the festivities in Moscow , and to work properly on the ballet, which has to be finished as soon as possible. Yesterday in the hall of the Theatrical School there was a rehearsal of a few numbers from the first act of this ballet".
And below he added: The author's date at the end of the manuscript reads: Glebovo 10 April ". Evidently the full score of Act I was in the hands of the theatre before Tchaikovsky left on his foreign travels. In a report from the inspector of music, Yury Gerber, to the Directorate of the Moscow Theatres, we read: After finishing the ballet, Tchaikovsky was asked to write two supplementary numbers. The first of these pieces is described on the manuscript score as: This dance was performed by the principal ballerina in all productions of the ballet during the composer's lifetime.
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Highlights) by Philharmonia Orchestra & Robert Irving on Apple Music
The origins of this Pas de deux are described in Pavel Pchelnikov 's recollections of Tchaikovsky [16]. The former was told the story by the conductor Stepan Ryabov. Without naming the ballerina, Pchelnikov reported that she went to Saint Petersburg to ask the balletmaster Marius Petipa if he could furnish her with a Pas de deux. The number was set to music by the composer Ludwig Minkus. Not wanting to allow music by others in his ballet, Tchaikovsky wrote his own Pas de deux , preserving the length and divisions of Minkus' piece [17].
The Introduction alone was arranged for piano solo by the composer in or , and this was published with Nikolay Kashkin 's arrangement of the rest of the ballet, which had been made at the request of Tchaikovsky himself.
Would you like to hear it? Albrecht will be there as well" [19]. Nikolay Kashkin wrote about his work on the arrangement in his memoirs: When he came to review it, the author simplified a few places of little musical importance, while elsewhere he even added a few grace notes. These additions could not be played on the piano, but, probably imagining the printed orchestral score of the ballet, the composer inserted these details simply because he took it into his head that the music would read better that way" [20]. In Tchaikovsky considered creating a suite from the music to Swan Lake , but it was only seven years after his death that such a suite was finally published, and it is unknown who made the selection of numbers.
There are few surviving accounts by Tchaikovsky concerning his ballet. None of Tchaikovsky's other stage works were subject to such changes and misrepresentation in productions as Swan Lake. Unfortunately, up to the present time it is still not possible to find materials which would show conclusively how the ballet was performed during the composer's lifetime.
Some information can be gleaned by comparing posters from the first three productions of the ballet on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Judging by the list of dance numbers, Julius Reisinger did not introduce any significant changes to the full score. It is impossible to tell from the titles of the individual dances whether the music was authentic. Nevertheless, bearing in mind the history of the Pas de deux , we might suppose that at the first production the music was performed in accordance with the author's full score, apart from small changes in the order of numbers and, possibly, some cuts evidently a Pas de cinq and Pas de dix dances replaced the Pas de deux discussed above.
When the ballet was revived in , the choreographer Hansen took greater liberties with the score.
It is not known whether he introduced new music, but in any case much of the music was cut, including the Pas de six in Act III. It seems that the plot of the ballet was also changed, judging from some annotations to the list of dances performed. Website Release Date January February March April May June July August September October November December.
November Originally recorded in Composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
Swan Lake, Act III: No. 20, Hungarian Dance. Czardas
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Introduction - Act I: Dance of the goblets. Dances of the swans: Allegro moderato - V. Hungarian Dance - No. Spanish Dance - No.