Swan Lake - Romantic Ballet
SWAN LAKE
Swan Lake' was re-choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in1895, after initially being choreographed by Julius Reisinger in 1877. The musical score was composed by Pytor Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake' was created towards the end of the romantic period, so the culture and style of romanticism was prominent, with glimpses of the beginning of the classical era. Because of this, it contains elements of both eras. Some of the romantic characteristics include the pursuit of the unattainable, romance, fantasy, focus on the female role, gas lighting and simple sets, pointe work, soft and feminine technique for females and the bell tutu. Some of the classical features include the length of the ballet, the classical tutu and more advanced technique for both males and females. Swan Lake' was first performed in 1877 at the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow, by the Imperial Bolshoi Ballet. Swan Lake' was choreographed originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger, and later re-choreographed more successfully by Marius Petipa an admired and well known choreographer. The Petipa and Ivanov version is the one we still see today. The score was written by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a composer who often worked closely with Petipa. During the romantic period, a rapid development in society had occurred. Scientific advances lead to a rise in education, huge interest in poetry the arts, particularly the opera and the ballet, and a rebellion against traditionalism. The romantic era took risks, and tested society in what is acceptable, by raising issues such feminism, religion, and breaking free from the conformity that had been around for years. When Swan Lake' was first performed, it wasn't a success, but not, as some critics said, a failure. The first production of Swan Lake' was performed 41 times with 3 productions over 6 years. This was well above norm of a new ballet. During this first production, it's claimed that the music was far too
Swan Lake' was re-choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in1895, after initially being choreographed by Julius Reisinger in 1877. The musical score was composed by Pytor Tchaikovsky. Swan Lake' was created towards the end of the romantic period, so the culture and style of romanticism was prominent, with glimpses of the beginning of the classical era. Because of this, it contains elements of both eras. Some of the romantic characteristics include the pursuit of the unattainable, romance, fantasy, focus on the female role, gas lighting and simple sets, pointe work, soft and feminine technique for females and the bell tutu. Some of the classical features include the length of the ballet, the classical tutu and more advanced technique for both males and females. Swan Lake' was first performed in 1877 at the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow, by the Imperial Bolshoi Ballet. Swan Lake' was choreographed originally choreographed by Julius Reisinger, and later re-choreographed more successfully by Marius Petipa an admired and well known choreographer. The Petipa and Ivanov version is the one we still see today. The score was written by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a composer who often worked closely with Petipa. During the romantic period, a rapid development in society had occurred. Scientific advances lead to a rise in education, huge interest in poetry the arts, particularly the opera and the ballet, and a rebellion against traditionalism. The romantic era took risks, and tested society in what is acceptable, by raising issues such feminism, religion, and breaking free from the conformity that had been around for years. When Swan Lake' was first performed, it wasn't a success, but not, as some critics said, a failure. The first production of Swan Lake' was performed 41 times with 3 productions over 6 years. This was well above norm of a new ballet. During this first production, it's claimed that the music was far too
Bibliography: http://www.balletmet.org/Notes/SwanHist.html www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swan_Lake Stories of the Ballets ‘Swan Lake ' Ann Nugent Aurum Press – class handout www.jagjaguwar.com/artist.php?name=swanlake