Swan Lake

Swan Lake (Russian: Лебединое озеро/Lebedinoye ozero), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular of all ballets.

The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger. The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 4 March [O.S. 20 February] 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their stagings both choreographically and musically 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 the St. Petersburg Imperial Theatre's chief conductor and composer Riccardo Drigo.

History

Origins of the Swan Lake story

The Swan Princess

The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated musical fantasy film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". Starring the voice talents of Jack Palance, John Cleese, Steven Wright, and Sandy Duncan, the film is directed by a former Disney animation director, Richard Rich, with a music score by Lex de Azevedo. It was released theatrically on November 18, 1994 where it received mixed reviews from critics. The film was followed by four direct-to-video sequels: The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain (1997), The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom (1998), The Swan Princess Christmas (2012), and The Swan Princess: A Royal Family Tale (2014).

Plot

King William (Dakin Matthews), widowed father of newborn Princess Odette, and Queen Uberta (Sandy Duncan), widowed mother of young Prince Derek, decide to betroth their children in the hopes of uniting their kingdoms. Rothbart (Jack Palance) is an evil sorcerer who wishes to take William's kingdom for himself, but before he can make his move, he is attacked by William's men. Although banished from the kingdom, Rothbart vows to return to get his revenge.

The Swan Princess (franchise)

The Swan Princess is a franchise consisting of five films and a soundtrack, along with some other media. It commenced in 1994 with the release of The Swan Princess.

Films

The Swan Princess

The Swan Princess is a 1994 American animated musical fantasy film based on the ballet "Swan Lake". It was produced by Nest Family Entertainment / Rich Animation Studios, and follows the story of Princess Odette and Prince Derek.

The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain

The Swan Princess: Escape from Castle Mountain is a 1997 direct-to-video musical sequel which takes places a year after the wedding of Derek and Odette.

The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom

The Swan Princess: The Mystery of the Enchanted Kingdom is a 1998 direct-to-video sequel featuring antagonist Zelda, a sorceress who aims to use Forbidden Arts to destroy the happiness of Odette and Derek.

The Swan Princess Christmas

The Swan Princess Christmas is a 2012 direct-to-DVD computer-animated and sees Odette and Derek celebrating their first Christmas together.

The Swan Princess (soundtrack)

The Swan Princess: Music From The Motion Picture is the soundtrack to the Animated Feature The Swan Princess. "Far Longer Than Forever" was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. There is also an alternate Swan Princess soundtrack titled The Animated Classic Soundtrack.

Track listings