A Rattraper
Léonce et Lena
Don Quixote
Lady Chatterly’s Lover
In 2012, I took my first yearly subscription of the Ballet Corps that Montreal is so lucky to have access to.
This is the comprehensive summary of those years as evidenced by playbills, tickets and annotations from a file several inches thick that need to be noted and recycled.
2012-13
Le Lac des Cygnes/Swan Lake
I brought my friend and neighbour Marie-Claude to this first show on Thursday March 8th, 2012 at 20h00. We sat in the Mezzanine B17 at Wilfred Pelletier auditorium at Place-des-Arts. It was a beautiful ballet, and the graceful movements of the National Ukrainian Ballet really did evoke the movements of the swan’s wings (probably known to me more like the Canada Geese that I have much more experience watching). I loved the unchanged classic ballet, but I understood the sacrifice and unnecessary suffering that comes with young dancers on point, and always hoped that my subscription, that included modern dancing would fund an openness to do things differently, which I believe I saw over time.
The ballet is a musical score by P. I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), and choreographed by Alexandre Gorski (after Marius Petipa 1818-1910 and Ivanov), and was artistically directed by a principal dancer, Denis Matvienko, with Oleksiy Balkan as guest conductor. Natalia Matsak was the principal dancer with Denis Nedak. Maria Levitska was the set and costume designer.
This is the explanation from the pamphlet that was eventually going to become obsolete:
CHOREOGRAPHIES OF SWAN LAKE
Until the 19 century, a ballet's choreography took precedence over its score. But in the latter half of that century, Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and choreographer Marius Petipa (1818-1910) shattered this convention by irrevocably linking music and dance. Aware of what was happening in France, Tchaikovsky wrote much of Swan Lake in Paris under the influence of Léo Delibes' dramatic ballet Sylvia (1876). The subject of Swan Lake is derived from water mythology, very much in vogue at the time n Slavic nations. Odette, a princess transtormed into a swan personifies the unattainable woman and represents the transcendent love for which Tchaikovsky yearned. With Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, the composer virtually founded symphonic ballet. A masterpiece of orchestration, Swan Lake is structured around the leitmotif known as the "Swan's Theme."
Together with Giselle, Swan Lake is a monument of the classical repertoire, often considered the pinnacle of Romantic ballet. First choreographed by Julius Reisinger, it premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 1877. But it was not until 1895 (after the death of Tchaikovsky, with the version by Marius Petipa and his assistant Lev Ivanov, presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, that the work entered the annals of history. It marked the beginning of both the great Russian tradition and a myth that would inspire countless choreographers for well over a century.
Inspired by Petipa-Ivanov, the three-act version of the National Ballet of Ukraine, which features the happy rather than dramatic ending, was adapted by Alexander Gorsky, the first ballet master of the Bolshoi Imperial Theatre from 1902 to 1924. The sets were designed by Maria Levitska, chief stage designer of the Ukrainian National Opera.
The demanding role of Odette/Odile requires a balance between dramatic expression and technique; in Act Il, as Odile, the black swan and disguised evil rival of Odette, the dancer must execute 32 spectacular fouettés. It is a dual role of unmatched beauty, a combination of aesthetic and technical brilliance, dependent on a perfectly synchronized corps de ballet. Outdoing each other in precision and prowess, the dancers verge on perfection.
There is much to marvel at in this timeless work: the elegance and grace of Odette, the Swan Queen; the treachery of the sorceress Odile; the love of the deceived prince expressed in a technically flawless performance; the cascade of dazzling ballerínas, perfectly aligned in their diaphanous tutus; the ethereal arm movements of the swans; the music by Tchaikovsky charged with dramatic and emotional tension...
Pure enchantment.
Reinterpretations and legacy of Swan Lake
The Petipa-Ivanov version spawned a European tradition of Swan Lake, with countless reinterpretations and pertormances Choreographers were inspired to offer their own readings of the myth; the ending was alternately happy or tragic, and the prominence of the secondary characters varied. By the 1940s, the complete ballet was regularly produced in Europe. Vladimir Bourmeister's version was staged at the Opéra de Paris in 1960.
In 1976, for the Hamburg Ballet, John Neumeier interpolated the story of Ludwig I of Bavaria into the Swan Lake plot. Rudolf Nureyev's version, staged at the Opéra de Paris in 1984, was psychoanalytic in nature, with Siegfried assuming a predominant role. Mats Ek, for the Cullberg Ballet in 1987, moved away from the original myth with a contemporary drama and bold musical approach in which the swans were played by dancers of both sexes, bald and barefoot. Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake of 1995 was transposed to the British royal court of 1950-1960, and featured a male swan. The female corps de ballet was replaced by a menacing male cast.
It’s a three act ballet with the following synopsis from the playbill:
Act l
The local noblemen have gathered together for a hunt in celebration of Prince Siegfried's 21st birthday. But the guests' amusements do not please the young man, who is more attracted by the beauty and grandeur of the world. In quest of pure souls, as pure as nature itself, he longs to escape from the petty intrigues of the court. When he spots a group of peasants, he approaches them.
His mother, the Sovereign Princess, arrives at the celebration, accompanied by ladies of the court.
Astonished at Siegfried's attraction to common-ers, she scolds him severely, insisting that he return to his noble guests. The Prince must choose his bride at tomorrow's ball. Left alone, Siegfried is absorbed in thought. He is not in love, and it is difficult for him to imagine himself engaged to a woman he does not know.
A flock of swans flies overhead, towards the secret lake. The young Prince senses somehow that they are in fact young women who have been transformed into white swans. He is irresistibly drawn to the legendary lake and to discovering its secrets. And he is prepared to surmount any obstacles to do so.
Act Il
A moonlit night. The realm of von Rothbard is imbued with a mysterious light. The evil magician has a premonition of danger: a stranger has entered his realm. Does this stranger not realize that anyone encroaching upon his territory risks losing his life?
With an imperious gesture, von Rothbard forces the defenceless swans down to earth. Siegfried appears. An extraordinarily beautiful woman stands before him, surrounded by her charming companions. She is Odette, the Swan Queen. The presence of a stranger frightens her companions.
But Siegfried gains the women's confidence: he has come with a pure heart and good intentions, and he inspires them with the hope of being released from the spell. The Swan Queen recounts that once upon a time, they were transformed into swans by the evil sorcerer von Rothbard. Only at night, by the lake, are they able to turn back into women. The spell can only be broken if someone falls in love with Odette, someone who has never been in love before. Siegfried, as if on cue, falls immediately and irretrievably in love with her. He pledges his undying love, and vows to rescue the women from the evil magician. At dawn, Odette bids farewell to the Prince. Von Rothbard's shadow foretells the many ordeals in store for Siegfried.
Act III
A ball is held at the castle. The guests respectfully bow when the Sovereign Princess and Siegfried arrive. Charming young women, one after the other, parade by the young man and his mother.
But none of them can touch the Prince's heart, as his affections lie with Odette. The heralds announce the arrival of some unexpected guests.
Von Rothbard, disguised as a noble knight, enters the hall with his daughter Odile, who looks ven much like Odette. The young Siegtried, thinking that she is his beloved, falls into the trap. The Prince's tutor, who senses danger, attempts to warn the young man, but Siegfried, under the spell of the sorcerer and blinded by Odile's beauty, offers his hand to her. Von Rothbard hastens to join the couple in marriage. As the Prince pledges his love to Odile, Odette's silhouette appears in a castle window. Siegfried realizes his mistake. He runs out of the hall in despair, to the dismay of all the guests.
By the shore of the lake, the swans anxiously await the return of Odette. With great emotion, she recounts Siegfried's inadvertent treachery. The women are filled with despair: now, nothing can break the evil spell. Siegfried appears, He implores Odette to forgive him. Although she believes wholeheartedly in his sincerity, she feels that nothing can change their unhappy fate: Odette and the women will die, and Siegfried will marry Odile. The Prince is prepared to atone for his mistake at the cost of his own life. He challenges von Rothbard to a duel.
Exhausted in the unequal struggle that follows, the Young man gathers his final ounce of strength to snatch the crown, the source of von Rothbard's power and witchcraft, from the sorcerer's head. The Sky is pierced by lightning bolts. The evil sorcerer dies. The spell has been broken, and Odette holds out her hand to her true love and saviour.
