Metropolitan Opera: Swan Lake Tickets

Performed by the American Ballet Theatre, Swan Lake remains till today- the quintessential ballet, one that continues to define the standards of the Company, test its dancers, and ennoble the spirit of the audience. Written between 1875 and 1877, Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in March 1877 and was a failure when it opened. However, despite its initial failure, Swan Lake is now seen as the height of classical ballet. Performed in 4 acts, this technically complex ballet was fashioned from Russian and German folklore. As the fabled lake of the swans rises into view, breathtaking choreography and visually magnificent sets evoking a Renaissance court, work together to captivate and stun the audience.

Duration: 2 Hours & 18 Minutes

Set to Tchaikovsky’s glorious score and woven around two girls, Odette and Odile, Swan Lake is a tale of ill-fated passion, dreamlike transformation and ultimate forgiveness.

Act I

It is Prince Siegfried's birthday and the kingdom is celebrating. As the prince and his friends revel, the Prince’s mother enters and hands him a crossbow. She pronounces that since he is now of age, he must choose a bride from the young women presented to him at the ball. The revelry continues until darkness suddenly descends, and a flock of swans appear. Hit with the sudden realisation of his responsibilities, Prince Siegfried along with his hunting mates runs to the woods.

Act II

Leaving his group behind, the Prince finds himself a peaceful spot by the banks of a lake, where a flight of swans led by their Queen glide past him. The Swan Queen assumes her human form- that of Odette and tells the Prince her story. Cursed by an evil magician, Von Rothbart, she and her friends turn into swans by day, a curse that will be broken only when she marries. Dropping his crossbow, the Prince begins to dance with Odette and her flock. As they profess their love for each other, Von Rothbart intervenes and they must part.

Intermission(20 minutes)

Act III

Amidst royal fanfare, Siegfried is presented with four foreign princesses, one of whom he must choose as his bride. The princesses, all hoping to win his approval and love, remain unsuccessful as he refuses to choose a bride from amongst them. Suddenly, Baron Rothbart makes an appearance with his daughter- a mysterious figure in black, Odile. Odile resembles Odette so closely that the Prince himself gets fooled, and believing that she is his beloved, he chooses her as his bride. The stage then ominously darkens, a window flies open and Odette appears, hurt and enraged at this betrayal.

Act IV

Escaping the catastrophe brought upon the court by his unwitting betrayal, Prince Siegfried runs to the woods. On finding Odette and her friends by the lake, he apologises and explains to her the trickery of the evil Rothbart. Odette grants him her forgiveness and a brief moment of reconciliation shines brightly. However, Von Rothbart appears once again to separate the lovers and summons a violent storm that destroys all in its path. A fight follows, Rothbart’s spell is broken, and he is destroyed by the swans released from their enslavement. Alas, like any truly great love story, despite their victory over the evil curse, Odette and Siegfried’s story also meets a tragic end.

Composer: Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky

Choreographers: Lev Ivanov, Kevin McKenzie, Marius Petipa