Synopsis

Setting
Time: Baroque
Place: Europe

Prologue

King Florestan the XIVth and his Queen declare a grand christening ceremony to be held to celebrate the birth of their first child, Princess Aurora. Six fairies are invited to the ceremony to bestow gifts on the child. Each fairy represents a virtue or likeable trait, such as beauty, courage, sweetness, musical talent, and mischief (the names of fairies and their gifts vary in productions). The most powerful fairy, the Lilac Fairy, arrives with her entourage, but before she can bestow her gift, the palace grows dark. With a clap of thunder, the evil fairy Carabosse arrives (typically played by a female character dancer, or a male dancer in drag) with her minions (generally several male dancers depicted as rats or insects). Carabosse furiously asks the King and Queen why she had not received an invitation to the christening. The blame falls to Catallabutte, the Master of Ceremonies who was in charge of the guest list. Carabosse gleefully tears his hair out and beats him with her cane, before placing a curse upon the baby princess as revenge to her parents: Aurora will indeed grow up to be a beautiful, virtuous and delightful young lady, but on her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The King and Queen are horrified and beg Carabosse for mercy, but she shows none. However, the Lilac Fairy intervenes. Though she does not have enough power to completely undo the curse, she alters it, allowing the spindle to cause a peaceful 100-year sleep for the princess, rather than death. At the end of those 100 years, she will be woken by the kiss of a handsome prince. Relieved that Aurora's life will ultimately be spared, the court is set at ease.

Act I

It is the day of Princess Aurora's sixteenth birthday. Celebrations are underway, though the King is still unsettled by Carabosse's omen. Catallabutte discovers several peasant ladies knitting nearby (a forbidden activity, as it involves spindles potentially harmful to the princess) and alerts the King, who initially sentences the women to prison (or death, in some versions). The Queen gently persuades him to spare the innocent citizens, and he agrees. The townsfolk perform an elaborate dance with flower garlands, and Princess Aurora arrives afterward. Carefree and lovely, she is introduced to four suitors by her doting parents. Aurora and the suitors perform the famous Rose Adagio, one of the most notoriously difficult sequences in all of ballet. Presently, a cloaked stranger appears and offers a gift to the princess: a spindle. Having never seen one before, Aurora curiously examines the strange object as her parents desperately try to intervene. As predicted, she pricks her finger on the spindle. While initially appearing to recover quickly, she falls into a swoon and collapses. The cloaked stranger reveals herself to be Carabosse, who believes that her curse still stands and that the princess is dead. Once again, the Lilac Fairy quells the hubbub and reminds the King and Queen that Aurora is merely asleep. The princess is carried off to bed, and the Lilac Fairy casts a spell of slumber over the entire kingdom, which will only be broken when Aurora awakens. She then uses her magic to cover the castle in layers of vines and brambles.

Act II

One hundred years later, Prince Désiré is at a hunting party with his companions. He is in a mopey mood, unhappy with his bossy countess girlfriend. His friends try to cheer him up with a game of blind man's bluff and a series of dances. Still unhappy, he asks to be alone and the hunting party departs. Alone in the forest, he is met by the Lilac Fairy, who has chosen him to awaken Aurora. She shows him a vision of the beautiful princess, and the prince is immediately smitten. The Lilac Fairy explains the situation, and Désiré begs to be taken to the princess. The Lilac Fairy takes him by boat to the castle, and has him cut away the layers of vines with his sword. Carabosse appears and attempts to deter him, but he and the Lilac Fairy finally manage to defeat her. Once inside the castle, Désiré awakens Aurora with a kiss. The rest of the court wakes as well, and the King and Queen heartily approve when the prince proposes marriage and the princess accepts.

Act III

The royal wedding is underway. Guests include the Jewels: Gold (male), Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, and Silver (all female). Fairytale characters are in attendance, including Puss in Boots and the White Cat, Princess Florine and the Bluebird, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, and, in some versions, Cinderella and her Prince. Aurora and Désiré perform a grand Pas de Deux, and the entire ensemble dances a mazurka. The prince and princess are married, with the Lilac Fairy blessing the union.

The ballet ends with an apotheosis (apothéose) where all the characters make a final bow.

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Bach: A Passionate Life - John Eliot Gardiner. 1 hr. 29 min.

BBC Tchaikovsky - The Creation of Greatness.

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La Fille Mal Gardee (Herold) 1 hr. 54 min. Royal Ballet: London

A Misummer Night's Dream. Felix Mendelssohn. Ballet. 1 hr. 44 min.
P. Tchaikovsky "Eugene Onegin" - Polonaise. 4 min.
Opera Naples La Traviata - drinking song 3:36 min.
La Traviata - Libiamo ne' lieti calici (Brindisi) 4.20 min.
La donna e mobile y Libiamo ne' lieti calici (Los tres Tenores) 6 min.

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Tchaikovsky The Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet. 2 hr. 05 min.

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Swan Lake Ballet

Odette (The Queen of the Swans), the heroine of the story; a beautiful Princess, who has been transformed into a swan Prince Siegfried, the hero of the story; a handsome Prince who falls in love with Odette Von Rothbart, the antagonist of the story; an evil sorcerer, who has enchanted Odette Odile (The Black Swan), his daughter, the secondary antagonist Benno von Sommerstern, the Prince's friend The Sovereign Princess, Siegfried's mother Wolfgang, his tutor Baron von Stein The Baroness, his wife Freiherr von Schwarzfels His wife A herald A footman Court gentlemen and ladies, friends of the prince, heralds, guests, pages, villagers, servants, swans, cygnets By 1895 Benno von Sommerstern had become just "Benno", and Odette "Queen of the Swans". Also Baron von Stein, his wife, and Freiherr von Schwarzfels and his wife were no longer identified on the program. The sovereign or ruling Princess is often rendered "Queen Mother". Rothbart ("Redbeard") may also be spelled Rotbart.

Odette[edit source]

Princess Odette is the lead ballerina role. Von Rothbart's daughter Odile is danced by the same ballerina; this facilitates the scene in which Odile, disguised as Odette, tricks Prince Siegfried into being unfaithful. Odette appears in many adaptations of the ballet.

Odette was transformed into a swan by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart; she can only regain her human form at night. She has many companions under the same spell, and they have made her their queen, hence her title "The Swan Queen." She is forced to live by a lake that was magically formed from the tears of her grieving mother after Rothbart kidnapped Odette; his reasons for kidnapping and enchanting her are never revealed in the ballet. The only way for the spell to be broken is by the power of eternal love between Odette and a young man who will remain faithful to her, for if the vow of eternal love is broken, she will remain a swan forever.

One day, the young Prince Siegfried ventures upon the lake while out hunting and sees Odette transform from her swan form into her human form. He falls in love with her and she with him, and after a night at the lake together, Siegfried vows to love Odette for all eternity. With Siegfried's love, the love of one who has never loved before, the spell can be broken. But all hope seems to vanish when Siegfried is tricked into declaring his love for Rothbart's daughter, Odile, condemning Odette to remain under Rothbart's power. The only way Odette can be free now is if she dies, and she would rather die than live without Siegfried and forever as a swan. After she forgives Siegfried, he declares that he will die with her. When Rothbart appears, Odette throws herself into the lake and Siegfried follows her. In the climax of their sacrifice, Rothbart's powers are destroyed and the spell is finally broken; Odette's companions are freed from the enchantment. As the sun rises, Siegfried and Odette ascend into Heaven together, united in love for all eternity.[citation needed]

Siegfried[edit source]

Prince Siegfried is the lead male ballet dancer role. Like Odette and Von Rothbart, he appears in many adaptations of the ballet, although he has a different name in almost every one, despite retaining some or all of his characteristics.

Siegfried is a young Prince, full of bright spirit and enthusiasm, and seems to have little interest in his role as a Prince. His favourite hobby is hunting and he often hunts with his best friend Benno. He is celebrating his 21st birthday with his friends and tutor, but the celebrations are interrupted and almost ruined by the arrival of his mother, the Queen. After presenting him with a new crossbow, she tells him that it is time for him to settle down and marry. Siegfried, however, has no intention to marry because he is not in love and is enjoying life as it is, but his mother makes it clear that he is expected to choose a bride at an upcoming Royal Ball before she departs, leaving Siegfried depressed by what is expected of him. However, things then take an ironic turn. A flock of swans flies over the castle, and, armed with their crossbows, Siegfried and Benno head into the forest with their companions.

Deep in the forest, Siegfried and his friends arrive at a lake, where Siegfried spots a beautiful swan wearing a crown swimming towards the lakeside. But before he can shoot it, the swan transforms into the most beautiful girl he has ever seen: Princess Odette, the Queen of the Swans. Struck by her beauty, Siegfried falls in love with her at once. She tells him her story, explaining that she is under a spell of the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. It is at this point in the ballet that Siegfried's carefree spirit is overcome by his growth to manhood out of his love for Odette. When the sorcerer appears, Siegfried tries to kill him, but Odette intercedes, explaining that Rothbart's death will only make the spell permanent if it is not already broken. Siegfried is able to stop Benno and his other companions from shooting the Swan Maidens and sends them away so he can stay at the lake with Odette. They spend the night dancing together, falling more and more in love, and Siegfried vows to love Odette for eternity, promising to save her from Rothbart's evil enchantment. He invites her to attend the Ball at his castle and promises to choose her as his bride. When dawn breaks, Odette is forced to return to the lake as a swan, leaving Siegfried alone in despair.

On the night of the Ball, Siegfried is thinking of nothing but Odette. His mother introduces him to various potential brides, but he rejects them all because he is in love with Odette. He is waiting for her when two more guests arrive, and he sees joyful that one of them appears to be Odette. But the mystery guests are actually Rothbart and his daughter Odile in disguise. It is here that everything takes a turn for the worst. Rothbart has magically disguised Odile in the shape and form of Odette to trick Siegfried into breaking his vow. Siegfried falls for Rothbart's deception and pledges eternal love to Odile, thinking she is Odette. Triumphant, Rothbart reveals his trick and declares that Odette is now forever in his power. Horrified to discover that he has been tricked into breaking his promise to Odette, Siegfried hastily flees the Ball in search of her.

Siegfried follows Odette back to the lake and finds her amongst her companions and, begging her to forgive him, swears that he loves her only. She forgives him, but explains that she is now under Rothbart's spell forever and that death is the only way she can escape the enchantment. Rothbart appears to part the lovers and reminds Siegfried of his vow to Odile. Siegfried declares he would rather die with Odette than marry Odile, and when Odette throws herself into the lake, Siegfried follows her. In the climax of their sacrifice, Rothbart and his powers are destroyed and Odette's companions are finally freed from the spell. As the sun rises, Siegfried and Odette ascend to Heaven together, united in love for all eternity.

Odile[edit source]

Odile is the daughter of Von Rothbart, who is willing to follow in her father's footsteps. She only appears in the third act, dressed in black and magically disguised as Odette in order to help her father trick Siegfried into breaking his vow of love to Odette. In some productions, Odile is known as the Black Swan and, rather than being magically disguised as her, is actually Odette's evil twin or double; an example of this type of portrayal is seen in the production by the Bolshoi Ballet. There are also some productions where Odette and Odile are danced by two different ballerinas.

Rothbart[edit source]

Rothbart is the central antagonist in the ballet. Rothbart is rarely seen in human form, as he appears as a giant owl in the second and fourth acts. His human form is seen only in the third act with his daughter Odile, when she dances with the Prince Siegfried.

Rothbart is a powerful sorcerer who casts a spell on Odette that turns her into a swan every day and returns her to human form at night. The reason for Rothbart's curse upon Odette is unknown; several versions, including two feature films, have suggested reasons, but none is typically explained by the ballet.

When Rothbart realises that Odette has fallen in love with Prince Siegfried, he tries to intervene by tricking Siegfried into declaring his love for his daughter Odile. The plan succeeds, yet in the end, Rothbart is not triumphant. When Siegfried and Odette make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their love by throwing themselves into the lake, Rothbart's powers are overcome and he is destroyed.

However, his fate is different in some versions, as there are productions where Rothbart is triumphant and survives. One example is the Bolshoi Ballet's version, where he is portrayed as an Evil Genius and plays a wicked game of fate with Siegfried, which he wins at the end, causing Siegfried to lose everything. In the second American Ballet Theatre production of Swan Lake, he is portrayed by two dancers. One of them depicts him as young and handsome; it is this von Rothbart that is able to lure Odette and transform her into a swan (this is shown during the introduction to the ballet in a danced prologue especially created by choreographer Kevin McKenzie). He is also able to entice the Prince to dance with Odile, and thus seal Odette's doom. The other von Rothbart, a repulsive, reptilian-like creature, reveals himself only after he has performed an evil deed, such as transforming Odette into a swan. In this version, the lovers' joint suicide inspires the rest of von Rothbart's imprisoned swans to turn on him and overcome his spell, which ultimately defeats him.

Synopsis[edit source] Swan Lake is generally presented in either four Acts, four Scenes (primarily outside Russia and Eastern Europe) or three Acts, four Scenes (primarily in Russia and Eastern Europe).

Prologue[edit source]

A dark forest

Act 1[edit source]

A magnificent park before a palace.

Prince Siegfried is celebrating his birthday with his tutor, friends and peasants. The revelries are interrupted by Siegfried’s mother, the Princess, who is concerned about her son’s carefree lifestyle. She tells him that he must choose a bride at the royal ball the following evening. Siegfried is upset that he cannot marry for love. His friend Benno and the tutor try to lift his troubled mood. As evening falls, Benno sees a flock of swans flying overhead and suggests they go on a hunt. Siegfried and his friends take their crossbows and set off in pursuit of the swans.

Act 2[edit source]

A lakeside clearing in a forest by the ruins of a chapel. A moonlit night.

Siegfried has become separated from his friends. He arrives at the lakeside clearing, just as a flock of swans land nearby. He aims his crossbow at the swans, but freezes when one of them transforms into a beautiful maiden, Odette. At first, she is terrified of Siegfried. When he promises not to harm her, she tells him that she is the Swan Queen Odette. She and her companions are victims of a terrible spell cast by the evil owl-like sorcerer Von Rothbart. By day they are turned into swans and only at night, by the side of the enchanted lake – created from the tears of Odette's mother – do they return to human form. The spell can only be broken if one who has never loved before swears to love Odette forever. Von Rothbart suddenly appears. Siegfried threatens to kill him but Odette intercedes – If Von Rothbart dies before the spell is broken, it can never be undone.

As Von Rothbart disappears, the swan maidens fill the clearing. Benno and his companions also arrive and aim their crossbows at the maidens; Siegfried stops them just in time and dismisses them. Now, alone with Odette and the swan-maidens, Siegfried sets about winning Odette’s trust. They fall in love with each other. But as dawn arrives, the evil spell draws Odette and her companions back to the lake and they are turned into swans again.

Act 3[edit source]

An opulent hall in the palace.

Scene from Act 4 of Swan Lake.

Vienna State Opera, 2004

Guests arrive at the palace for a costume ball. Siegfried's mother commands him to dance with six princesses and choose one as a bride. Siegfried complains that he does not love any of them. Von Rothbart arrives in disguise with his daughter Odile. He has transformed Odile so that she appears identical to Odette in all respects except that she wears black rather than white. The prince mistakes her for Odette and dances with her. Odette appears as a vision and vainly tries to warn Siegfried that he is being deceived. But Siegfried remains oblivious and proclaims to the court that he intends to make Odile his wife. Von Rothbart shows Siegfried a magical vision of Odette and he realises his mistake. Grief-stricken, Siegfried hurries back to the lake.

Act 4 By the lakeside.

Odette is distraught at Siegfried’s betrayal. The swan-maidens try to comfort her, but she is resigned to death. Siegfried returns to the lake and finds Odette. He makes a passionate apology. She forgives him and the pair reaffirm their love. Von Rothbart appears and insists that Siegfried fulfill his pledge to marry Odile, after which Odette will be transformed into a swan forever. Siegfried chooses to die alongside Odette and they leap into the lake and are united in death. This breaks Von Rothbart's spell over the swan maidens, causing him to lose his power over them and he dies.

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- Antwone Fisher Movie - Nutcracker Ballet videos

Earth Viewed from Space

World Clock

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