The Swan Lake Suite

Swan Lake is a fairy tale told in seductive melodies and rich orchestral colours. Tchaikovsky composed the ballet in 1875-76 for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. At a time when ballet music was typically simple and brief, his score was unusual for its intense emotions and vivid characterisations. In the story, Odette has been transformed into a swan. The first movement of the suite is her solo, introducing the swan motif on the oboe. The other enchanted swans dance gracefully together in the third and fourth movements (“Danse des cygnes” and “Scène”). Prince Siegfried falls in love with Odette. The elegant second movement, “Waltz”, and the fourth, a regal “Hungarian Dance”, are from celebrations at his palace. But Siegfried fails to break the spell cast on Odette. The couple resolve to die together and leap into the lake. In the final movement, we hear how their sacrifice transforms the other swans back to human form, and evil is vanquished as the lovers ascend into the heavens to the sound of Tchaikovsky’s intensely passionate music.