Confoundingly similar… Prince Siegfried falls in love with the beautiful Odette, but then mistakes his beloved for the alluring Odile. Blinded by Odile's seductive powers, he makes a fatal mistake: he breaks his vow of fidelity and condemns Odette to remain imprisoned in the body of a swan.
What Hamlet is to theater, Swan Lake is to classical ballet. The tale of the enchanted swan-maidens, set to Tchaikovsky's famous late-Romantic composition, thrills both die-hard fans and newcomers worldwide, and no ballet repertoire should be without it. John Cranko created his own version, considered groundbreaking for the further staging history of the ballet, in 1963.
Out of the hitherto one-dimensional role of the prince, Cranko formed a very human, flawed Siegfried. Oppressed by the social expectations of a future king, he escapes his entourage on the eve of his 18th birthday. He finds his way to the titular Swan Lake, where he meets a group of maidens, including Princess Odette. These have been transformed into swans by the evil magician Rothbart. Only true and loyal love for Odette can save them. For a brief moment, it appears as if Odette and Siegfried can save each other. But the next day Rothbart appears at the celebrations of Siegfried's birthday and brings with him the beautiful Odile, who looks exactly like Odette. The evil deception succeeds: Siegfried falls for the ruse and agrees to marry Odile. In the end, not only do Odette and her companions remain in the magician's power as swans, but Siegfried loses his life in the waves of the lake after a last reunion with her. Cranko’s decision to avoid a traditional happy end and to have Siegfried’s choices have real and tragic consequences makes his version relevant to this day.
What Hamlet is to theater, Swan Lake is to classical ballet. The tale of the enchanted swan-maidens, set to Tchaikovsky's famous late-Romantic composition, thrills both die-hard fans and newcomers worldwide, and no ballet repertoire should be without it. John Cranko created his own version, considered groundbreaking for the further staging history of the ballet, in 1963.
Out of the hitherto one-dimensional role of the prince, Cranko formed a very human, flawed Siegfried. Oppressed by the social expectations of a future king, he escapes his entourage on the eve of his 18th birthday. He finds his way to the titular Swan Lake, where he meets a group of maidens, including Princess Odette. These have been transformed into swans by the evil magician Rothbart. Only true and loyal love for Odette can save them. For a brief moment, it appears as if Odette and Siegfried can save each other. But the next day Rothbart appears at the celebrations of Siegfried's birthday and brings with him the beautiful Odile, who looks exactly like Odette. The evil deception succeeds: Siegfried falls for the ruse and agrees to marry Odile. In the end, not only do Odette and her companions remain in the magician's power as swans, but Siegfried loses his life in the waves of the lake after a last reunion with her. Cranko’s decision to avoid a traditional happy end and to have Siegfried’s choices have real and tragic consequences makes his version relevant to this day.
