TXHAIKOWSKI SWAN LAKE - ANDRE KOSTELANITZ
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Swan Lake Ballet
Music
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SIDE 1 Wedding Dance Introduction to Act 2 Waltz - Corps de Ballet Dance of the Queen of the Swans Dance with Goblets Voyage of the Swans Spanish Dance Dance of the Swans |
SIDE 2 Mazurka (Act 3) Waltz of the Swans (Act 2) Dance of the Little Swans Scene and Waltz (Act 3) Pas d'action (Act I) Hungarian Dance - Czardas Grand Finale |
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Wedding Dance | ||
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Introduction to Act 2 | ||
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Waltz - Corps de Ballet | ||
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Dance of the Queen of the Swans | ||
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Dance with Goblets | ||
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Voyage of the Swans | ||
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Spanish Dance | ||
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Dance of the Swans | ||
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Mazurka (Act 3) | ||
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Waltz of the Swans (Act 2) | ||
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Scene and Waltz (Act 3) | ||
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Pas d'action (Act I) | ||
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Hungarian Dance - Czardas | ||
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Grand Finale | ||
T'CHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake Ballet Music, Op. 20a - ANDRE KOSTELANETZ and his ORCHESTRA
| Swan Lake is among the
greatest of all ballets ; and Tchaikovsky's score for it transports the
listener into a wondrous world of enchantment, 'romance and beauty. As the action of Swan Lake begins, Prince Siegfried is celebrating his twenty-first birthday. The scene is a corner of the castle garden where courtiers and villagers are holding a festival in honour of the occasion. The Prince's mother, appearing in the midst of the merriment, chides her son for the company he keeps and reminds him that at the court ball on the following day he must choose a bride. Seeing a flight of swans pass across the sky, Siegfried and his friends decide to go on a hunt. At midnight the hunters come upon a lonely lake. As Prince Siegfried, his companions concealed in the forest, stands watching, swans come to earth. But immediately they come to the ground they take on human features. Leading the group is a beautiful maiden in white dress adorned with feathers, and with a gold crown on her dark hair. To Siegfried she tells the story of herself and her companions, that they have been enchanted by the evil magician Rothbart and that they are condemned to be swans except for the hours from midnight to dawn when they may enjoy human guise. The swan-maiden, whose name is Odette, says that she may be rescued from this fate only if she meets a man whose love for her will be as great as hers for him. Siegfried already enamoured of Odette, invites her to the court ball. Siegfried's friends now appear armed with crossbows. They are about to shoot the swan-maidens, but Siegfried protects them and tells the hunters their story. As dawn comes, the evil Rothbart who disguised as an owl has been watching his victims, summons them away. The following scene is set inside Siegfried's palace where the ball is taking place. Suddenly in the midst of the ceremonies Rothbart appears with his daughter Odile whom he has caused to assume the likeness of Odette. Siegfried, unaware of the deception, pledges his troth to Odile while the real Odette desperately but vainly tries to attract his attention from outside. Now Rothbart and Odile disappear, and Siegfried, aware that he has been duped, hurries out in search of Odette. In the final scene, which again takes place by the lake, Siegfried and Odette are reunited. Rothbart causes a storm to spring up, and the swan-maidens are in terror of being drowned. Siegfried, however, carries Odette to a hill and there vows his readiness to die with her. This devotion breaks the evil spell that has lain upon Odette and the other swan-maidens. They are restored to human form, the evil sorcerer is routed, and Odette and Siegfried live happily forever after. The suite, here so brilliantly performed by Andre Kostelanetz and his Orchestra, consists 'of these sections in the following order : 1 (1.23) Wedding Dance (Act III). Guests at the court ball dance festively in celebration of Siegfried's impending nuptials. Especially prominent are the lovely princesses, dressed in exquisite finery and carrying handsome fans, each one hoping to be chosen as the Prince's bride. 2.(2.40) Introduction to Act II. This music vividly depicts the tragedy of the maidens doomed to remain swans by the sorcery of Rothbart. 3. (4.24)Waltz—Corps de Ballet (Act I) Here the village maiden's and youths and Siegfried's friends amongst the courtiers-all in brilliantly coloured costumes—perform a swirling dance in honour of the Prince s birthday. 4. (1.23)Dance of the Queen of the Swans (Act II). Here the oeautiful Odette, arching her neck from side to side like a swa,i préening its feathers, does that mysterious and graceful dance which arouses the interest of Siegfried as he stands by the lake and in amazement watches the transformation of the !swans into lovely humans. 5. (2.50)Dance with Goblets (Act I). This is another of the spectacular dances with which the ,townspeople and nobles delight Siegfried on his coming of age. 6. (4.42) Voyage or the Swans (Act II). The swan-maidens, the captive companions of Odette, suggest in incomparably graceful motions the effortless flight of swans. 7. (2.04) Spanish Dance (Act III). For the entertainment of the Prince and his mother various divertissements are offered at the court ball. Among them is this Spanish Dance, performed by two Spanish ladies. 8. (1.17) Dance of the Swans (Act II). Here is another memorably decorative episode danced by the swan-maidens as they captivate Siegfried and his fellow-hunters. 9. (2.57) Mazurka (Act III). This is another of the diversions offered at the court ball. It is danced by a group of Polish ladies and their caval'ers. 10. (1.47) Waltz of the Swans (Act II). The swan-maidens, partnered by Siegfried's friends from the court, express their gratitude for having been spared by the hunters. This section, the first phrase of which bears an amusing resemblance to Sweet Rosie O'Grady, is here recorded for the first time. 11. (4.24) Dance of the Little Swans (Act IV). Odette, believing that she has lost Siegfried forevers inconsolable. She summons a group of little swans who dance around her. 12. (3.33) Scene and Waltz (Act III). This is a dance at the court ball performed by Siegfried and Odile disguised as the beloved Odette. 13. Pas d'action (2.00) (Act I). Here is another of the brilliant dances offered for the entertainment of Siegfried on his birthday. 14. (2.22) Hungarian Dance—Czardas (Act III). Hungarian nobles and their ladies do one of the fiery nationaF^tic dances of Hungary at the court ball, as one of the most exciting of the divertissements. 15. (4.22) Grand Finale (Act IV). This dramatic section embraces the storm, the devoted action of Siegfried in refusing to leave Odette, the defeat of the evil Rothbart and the transformation of Odette and her swan-maidens into beautiful humans. Mr. Kostelanetz' enthusiasm for ballet is longstanding;. As a young man in what was then St. Petersburg he et-tended innumerable performances at the great Maryinsky Theatre, and thus he was instilled with a strong sense of the great tradition of Russian ballet. This knowledge and this enthusiasm bring about magnificent results in this truly exceptional performance of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake |
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