About the work
Swan Lake (Russian: Лебединое озеро) is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular ballets of all time.
The scenario, initially in two acts, was based on Russian and German folk tales, telling a story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse.
The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The choreographer of this original production was Julius Reisinger (Václav Reisinger).
Most ballet companies now base their performances on the 1895 revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. For this revival, Tchaikovsky's score was revised by Riccardo Drigo.
More ballets by the composer
All ballets by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (29) →
Other works by the same choreographer
The Nutcracker
Cinderella
1893
Trepak
Le Réveil de Flore
1894
The Haarlem Tulip
1887
The Daughter of the Snows
1879
The Traveling Dancer
Raymonda
Credits from Wikidata (Q199786), CC0.