The great Russian composer Tchaikovsky's four-act ballet "Swan Lake" was composed in 1876. The story is based on an ancient Russian fairy tale, written by Begichev and Geritsel, and is one of Tchaikovsky's most famous masterpieces. The plot is: Princess Odette is turned into a white swan by the devil on the shore of Swan Lake. The prince fell in love with Odette at first sight. On the night when the prince chooses his bride, the devil lets his daughter Black Swan disguise herself as Odette to deceive the prince. The prince found out in time and fought against the devil. The white swan regains her true form as a princess and marries the prince.
Originally there were two very different versions of Swan Lake. In the first version, the prince was deceived by an illusion, and the ending was tragic. But in the famous St. Petersburg version, there is a happy ending. Russia's top dance company, the Russian National Ballet, enjoys a high reputation in the industry. It has been awarded many gold medals by Italy and has been called "a pearl on the international art stage" by German newspapers and magazines. In 1991, the "Russian State Ballet" was hailed as "the showcase of ballet talents" by newspapers and magazines from various places, and was awarded the title of "The Best Ballet Group in Europe". Cities in several countries such as Germany, the United States, and Mexico even elect theater actors as their honorary citizens.
In 2004, the Russian National Ballet staged "Swan Lake" twice in Beijing, one with a happy ending and the other with a tragic ending.
Ending~
The scene on the stage is the same as in the second act, still by the lake at night.
Odette and the White Swan girls lost the opportunity to return to the world forever because of the prince's mistake, and were infinitely sad.
At this time, the prince with a sharp sword rushed over, knelt down in front of Odette to apologize for his stupidity, and once again expressed his love for Odette. Hug, blood and tears stained lapels.
The demon Rothbald appeared, and the prince drew his sword to meet him. After a fierce fight, he finally killed the demon.
The prince and Odette were sad that they could not be united forever in this life. In their pessimism, they threw themselves into the lake together. Then the strange chase appeared. Their great love broke the magic, and the white swans returned to their beauty. girl.
Almost all of Tchaikovsky's classic works encountered setbacks during their premieres. "Violin Concerto", "Pathétique Symphony" and this "Swan Lake" are all like this. Although "Swan Lake" was performed the year after his death, it was not recognized until 17 years later.
Tchaikovsky died suddenly of cholera in 1893. Relevant departments, led by the Royal Theater, immediately planned a commemorative performance, and "Swan Lake" was once again included on the agenda at this time.
French dance drama director Marius Petipa (1822-1910), who had always had doubts about the failure of "Swan Lake", came to Moscow at this time to find the script and score. After careful study, he was surprised to find that the script and music were very exciting. Therefore, he re-adapted the second act dance and performed the second act alone in 1894, which was indeed a success. Encouraged by the success, he and his disciple Ivanov adapted the whole play. On January 15, 1895, it was performed at the Mariinsky Theater in Deburg and achieved unprecedented success.
It should be mentioned that in addition to the achievements of Dipa and Ivanov, the outstanding performance of the famous Italian ballerina Belina Lenia who played Odette cannot be ignored. Therefore, it should be said that it is the trinity of them that revived "Swan Lake".
According to Tchaikovsky's brother Modeste, "Swan Lake" originally had a tragic ending, but now it often has a happy ending. Because the music at the end has been written as tragic, I thought maybe a tragic ending would be more appropriate.