Swan Lake ballet in Paris , as performed by the world famous St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre, runs from November 1st to 3rd at the legendary Olympia music hall venue. In this new production of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, Jonathan Bidot and Lenaig Le Touze have been inspired by different versions of the Slavic folk tale on which the piece was based. Consequently they have presented a fresh and compelling new vision of one of the classical repertoire’s most renowned ballets. At the quiet and charming, family owned Hotel du Danube , you will be a pleasant walk across the Seine from the Olympia.
Swan Lake ballet in Paris should not be missed
The Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was inspired in his creation of his masterpiece Swan Lake by Russian folk tales which tell of a princess who is transformed by an evil sorcerer’s curse into the Queen of the Swans. She and a handsome prince fall in love and come to a tragic, though romantic, end. The story is certainly an evocative one and Tchaikovsky was so excited by it that he finished his composition rapidly during 1875 to 1876.
The ballet premiered on March 4th 1877 but was, interestingly enough, generally poorly received. This was largely due to unfortunate production values. There was a barrage of criticism concerning the dancers, the sets, the choreography and the orchestra, and the brilliant score was unfortunately overlooked to a great extent in the tumult. Many critics and audiences complained that the music was too complex for the ballet form.
Fortunately Swan Lake survived these initial problems and continued to be performed for a number of years, with improvements being made along the way. Plans were later put in place for a revival but Tchaikovsky died in 1893 and so his input was lost forever. However, the revived version proved more successful, both artistically and commercially, and the work has grown in stature ever since. From November 1st to 3rd you can judge this masterpiece, staging by the Saint Petersburg Ballet Theatre, for yourself at one of the most well regarded venues in Paris.
Picture copyright holder : SPBT Europe
The Hotel Danube Paris, at the heart of Paris Saint-Germain-des-Prés