P. Tchaikovsky: overview of the main genres, style features. Ballets “Swan Lake”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “Nutcracker”

Swan Lake of Immortality.
...Prince Siegfried, celebrating his coming of age, by chance ends up on the shore of a lake, which is chosen by snow-white birds led by a beautiful swan girl, Odette, bewitched by Rothbart, the ruler of the mysterious lake. The prince loses his head over the beauty of the girl. Love promises, a fatal mistake in choosing a bride, lead to death...
The beautiful legend about the love of a prince and a swan girl formed the basis of the ballet “Swan Lake”, which has become an example of classical dance, a pearl of world ballet history.
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In 1875, the Imperial Theaters sent an order to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky with a request to write music for a ballet performance. The author of the libretto under the original title “Lake of Swans” was Vladimir Begichev, co-author Vasily Geltser. Tchaikovsky gave his consent to fulfill the order, despite the opinion of “venerable” musicians and composers that music for ballets should not be written by “serious” composers. By that time, Pyotr Tchaikovsky was already famous, he created four operas (“The Voevoda”, “Ondine”, “Oprichnik”, “Blacksmith Vakula”), 2 symphonies (NoNo 1, 2), the 3rd symphony had just begun ; quartets for string instruments and other works.
A creative person is inspired by what he sees around him and what he admires every minute. Feelings and thoughts, moments of daily life - everything resonates in musical creations. The prototype of the swan lake may have been a reservoir near the estate of Tchaikovsky’s sister, Alexandra Davydova, in the Cherkasy region of Ukraine, where the composer often came to visit, relax and spend a lot of time. Even before receiving the order, four years later, Tchaikovsky wrote the children's ballet “Lake of Swans”. This suggests that nature and talent determined the birth of the greatest masterpiece of dance art.
A thorough study of the dances, scores, and a lot of work on the composition led to the completion of the future ballet by the winter of 1875. The orchestration was completed by the composer in the spring of 1876. In the fall, the score was delivered to the customer. In Moscow, preparations have begun for the production of the play on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater.
The first production of the ballet (1877, March 4) by Vaclav Reisinger, a Czech choreographer who had been working in Russia for 5 years, was received by the public without enthusiasm, and the premiere was unsuccessful. The performance of Polina Karpakova, an aspiring ballerina, in the part of Odette-Odile was her debut. Alexander Gellert appeared on stage as Prince Siegfried, Rothbart was danced by Sergei Sokolov.
The prima of the Bolshoi Theater, a favorite of the public, Anna Sobeshchanskaya, refused to perform the main role at the premiere due to the lack of a solo dance. She persuaded Marius Petipa to create and choreograph the solo in Act 3 especially for her. And I chose the music of Ludwig Minkus!
A quarrel arose between Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Sobeschanskaya. The author did not introduce other people's music into his creation, but soon, nevertheless, he composed solos and individual variations. It turned out to be a pas de deux of Act 3. Sobeshchanskaya performed in the role of Odette-Odile in the fourth show, but the audience did not accept the ballet even then. It ran for another eight years, and then they stopped playing it on stage.
The rebirth of the performance occurred almost twenty years later, when the famous Marius Petipa and his colleague, choreographer Lev Ivanov, took a new approach to the embodiment of the ballet performance. The year 1893 was marked by the beginning of collaboration between Tchaikovsky and Petipa. But the unexpected death of the composer canceled all plans.
A new vision of the ballet took place in February 1894, at an evening dedicated to the life and work of the greatest composer of our time, Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Choreographer Lev Ivanov combined classics and romanticism, reality and fiction, music and movement, conveying the state of mind of the characters, their mood in the new edition of Act 2 of the ballet. Ivanov’s innovation in the ballet art of the 19th century has survived to this day. The second act is performed by theater companies as a complete performance.
The renewed premiere of the ballet, which later became the canon of performances of the masterpiece of dance and musical classics, took place on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on January 15, 1895. The production was carried out by Marius Petipa, who updated the script and corrected the choreography. With the participation of the composer's brother, Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky, the ending was changed. In the original version, the heroes went into the underwater world, where Rothbart reigns. Then the libretto was based on the principle of contrasts, real life and fictional life, running parallel in the plot. The real life is the prince and Odile, Rothbart, the engagement, and the fairy-tale side is the prince, Odette, the lake, the evil genius. But Petipa set the finale to a happy ending, which did not turn out quite well according to the librettists' plans - the heroes came from dreams to reality. The score was also subject to minor paraphrases when the choreographer-producer worked together with the composer and conductor Ricardo Drigo, who came to Russia from Italy in 1879. The choreography of acts 1 and 3, the apotheosis belongs to Petipa. Folk dances (Hungarian, Neapolitan) in act 3, act 2, act 4 were performed by Lev Ivanov.
More than a hundred years have passed, but the ballet “Swan Lake” lives on in the version created by Petipa and Ivanov. There were different approaches and options: classical and modernist. The directors rearranged the scenes, dances, and variations, which did not affect the general spirit of the ballet - a romantic fairy-tale story of two lovers. But the classic production by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov won true fame and love.
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The Russian composer “army” in the 70s of the 19th century considered ballet music as “simple and simple”, low class. And I didn’t take up writing them. In addition, Adolf Adam and Ludwig Minkus, who worked at different times in Russia, authors of famous ballets, the same pearls of world classical dance. But Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky brought great changes to the musical art of the second half of the 19th century, creating music with a genuine Russian spirit. Until that time, ballets were only part of a large opera performance or small dance numbers. Tchaikovsky showed with his creations that the character and psychological state of the heroes can be revealed with the help of music, creating with it the plot and the entire story of the heroes. “Ballet is the same symphony,” - the composer’s words. With the ballets Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky proved that a fairy tale can be made from beautiful music and beautiful body movements. Ballet is a fairy tale where good prevails over evil.

The greatest opera playwright and symphonist of the second half of the 19th century, part of world musical culture. Tchaikovsky alone created his own direction: the Moscow school of composers. His range of creativity is enormous: 10 operas, 6 symphonies, one program “Manfred”, overtures, one-movement and program, Italian capriccio, was the founder of Russian classical ballet, three piano concertos, one violin concerto, variations on a Rococo theme for cello and orchestra, 4 symphonic suites, over 100 romances, cantatas, choral music, three quartets, a piano trio, a sextet “Memories of Florence”, piano cycles, music for performances, piano miniatures. If the Kuchkists were more interested in: everyday life, the art of the people, the history of the nation, then Tchaikovsky paid attention mainly to the inner world of the individual. At the center of many of his works is the theme of a person’s struggle with fate, and often this conflict with fate ends tragically. This is not a struggle of the masses (like Beethoven), but an internal struggle of one person. He was influenced by the opera-dramas of Mozart and Bizet. He himself loved French composers: Gounod, Delibé. He combined all this in his work. In his melodic language he relied on the intonations of Russian romance. Tchaikovsky also has joyful, enthusiastic pages - the romance “Does the Day Reign”, a violin concerto, pieces from “The Seasons”.

Born in the city of Votkinsk, in the family of a mining engineer. Her mother was a musician, played the piano and sang, her father played the flute. Tchaikovsky early fell in love with the music of Mozart and Bellini. 1850-1859 Studied at the School of Law in St. Petersburg, which trained officials for the Department of Justice. At school I was interested in the operas of Glinka and Rossini. He sang in the choir and played the piano. 1862 He entered the newly opened St. Petersburg Conservatory and left the service. Graduated in 1965 with a silver medal. He studied with Zaremba and Rubinstein. He learned to play the flute, organ, and played in an orchestra. Thesis – cantata “To Joy” (according to Schiller). Wrote the overture “The Thunderstorm” (after Ostrovsky). In it he revealed his dramatic talent. In 1966, N. Rubinstein opened the Moscow Conservatory and invited Tchaikovsky there. Moscow period 1866-1877 During this period, Tchaikovsky attended meetings of the artistic circle, which was attended by artists of the small theater. This played a big role in shaping the drama in his operas. Communicated with N. Rubinstein, Ostrovsky, Odoevsky. Artists: Sadovsky, Zhivokini. I met L. Tolstoy, who admired his first quartet. He established friendly ties with the “Mighty Handful,” especially with Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. On the advice of Balakirev, he wrote the fantasy overture “Romeo and Juliet”, and on the advice of Stasov, the overture “The Tempest” (based on Shakespeare). During the Moscow period he wrote the operas: “The Voevoda”, “Ondine”, “The Oprichnik”, “The Blacksmith Vakula”, the ballet “Swan Lake”, 3 first symphonies, the fantasy overture “Francesca da Rimini”, the first piano concerto, variations on a Rococo theme , music for Ostrovsky’s fairy tale “The Snow Maiden”, “Seasons”, romances, a collection of folk songs. I started writing the 4th symphony and Eugene Onegin. At the conservatory he taught harmony, instrumentation, theory, and composition. (Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev was his favorite student.) He instilled in his students a love of the classics. Wrote “A Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony.” He acted as a music critic and wrote about Balakirev and Rimsky-Korsakov. 1878-1893 Last period. It began with a nervous breakdown associated with an unsuccessful marriage and overwork. I went to Italy. He completed the 4th symphony and Eugene Onegin. In 1879 he wrote “The Maid of Orleans” (based on Schiller). 1883 – opera-drama “Mazeppa”. 1887 – drama “The Enchantress” (based on Shpansinsky). 1890 - “The Queen of Spades” - the pinnacle of his work - opera-tragedy. In the 80s he wrote many chamber works, symphonic suites, and the program symphony “Manfred”. 1888 - 5th symphony, Hamlet overture, Hamlet overture, Italian Capriccio. After the death of N. Rubinstein, he wrote the piano trio “In Memory of the Great Artist” and romances. Sleeping Beauty was written in the late 80s. 1890s - string sextet “Memories of Florence”, “Iolanta” - operas based on Hertz’s drama. Ballet “The Nutcracker” after Hoffmann, romances. In 1893 - 6th symphony. At this time he traveled - he was in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Kamenka, St. Petersburg. He was engaged in conducting. Its popularity is growing around the world. He conducted in America on the occasion of the opening of the Carnegie Hall. He is elected director of Cambridge University. Since 1885 he lived in Klin. A few weeks after the performance of the 6th symphony, he died of cholera in St. Petersburg in 1893.

« Swan Lake". Big ballet in 4 acts. The libretto was presumably composed by Tchaikovsky himself, possibly with the participation of V.P. Begichev and V.F. Geltser. Plot: The four acts of the ballet alternate between real and fantastic scenes. Celebrating his coming of age in the palace park, Prince Siegfried is having fun among his friends, but a flock of swans flying over the park beckons him along. In the forest, on the shore of the lake, among the swan girls, the prince finds Odette, a good fairy with a crown on her head. Captivated by her beauty and shocked by her story of the persecution of the Owl Stepmother, Siegfried swears eternal love to Odette. At the ball in the castle, at the behest of Siegfried's mother, he must choose a bride for himself. However, the prince is indifferent until Odile appears, in whom Siegfried sees Odette, and he prefers her. Realizing that he has made a fatal mistake, Siegfried runs to the lake and begs Odette for forgiveness, but does not receive it. Tearing off the crown from Odette's head, Siegfried challenges the Owl Stepmother, who personifies the image of fate in the ballet (the crown saved Odette from her persecution). The prince hopes that the Swan girl will go with him to the world of people. But the stormy waves of the elements raging on the lake absorb Odette and Siegfried. Presumably, the libretto could have been based on romantic subjects: the fairy tale of the German writer Muzeus “Swan Pond”, as well as “Ondine” by Lamotte-Fouquet-Zhukovsky. Some figurative and plot motifs of the libretto are related to works of Russian literature. The premiere took place on the stage of the Moscow Bolshoi Theater on February 20, 1877. In the repertoire of the Swan Lake Theater until 1883, it was performed 39 times.

« sleeping Beauty". Script by I.A. Vsevolozhsky and M. Petipa based on fairy tales by C. Perrault. Period of creation - from October 1888 to August 1889 Plot: Princess Aurora, daughter of King Florestan XIV, falls into eternal sleep after pricking herself on a spindle on the day of the festivities on the occasion of her coming of age - such is the revenge of the evil fairy Carabosse, which the royal master of ceremonies Catalabute once forgot invite among other fairies to the princess's christening. One hundred years later, with the help of the good fairy Lilac, Prince Désiré, while hunting, enters the sleeping forest, where he sees Aurora and awakens her with a kiss. Their happy love breaks the evil spell of the fairy Carabosse. The concept of the production and the libretto belonged to the director of the Imperial Theaters I.A. Vsevolozhsky. The production plan-script was developed by the famous 19th-century choreographer M. Petipa. Having received the libretto, Tchaikovsky agrees to collaborate with Vsevolozhsky and Petipa. He immediately makes the first sketches on the cover of the newly received magazine "Russian Messenger".

« Nutcracker". The ballet was staged for the first time on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg on January 3, 1890. The press turned out to be very favorable to the performance. The Emperor and his family attended the dress rehearsal. The ballet was an unconditional success. Critics and viewers were unanimous in this case.

P.I. Tchaikovsky ballet "Swan Lake"

The ballet “Swan Lake” has captivated the hearts of classical music fans for more than a century. It is rightfully considered the standard of high art, and many world-famous dancers were proud that they were so lucky to perform a part in this performance. “Swan Lake” without a grain of exaggeration can be called a pearl of Russian classics, and P.I. Tchaikovsky - a great composer. The ballet is based on a fairy tale from the knightly era. This is a moving and beautiful love story, filled with many obstacles and trials that await young lovers.

Read a summary of Tchaikovsky's ballet "" and many interesting facts about this work on our page.

Summary of “Swan Lake”

The action of the ballet begins in an ancient castle, during the celebration of the coming of age of the heir to the throne, Siegfried. The plot is imbued with the spirit of the era, this is largely facilitated by the rite of knighting, which means that the heir enters adulthood. But he longs for love, and of course there are a sufficient number of beauties among the guests, each of whom would be happy to be next to him. The prince dreams of a bright feeling and, like a real romantic, cherishes the image of an ideal beloved in his soul.

Young Siegfried, thanks to the intervention of Fate itself, is transported to the shore of a magical lake and meets a charming girl, whose image has haunted him for so long in dreams and in reality. She turns out to be the Beautiful Swan Odette and the ardent young man immediately confesses his feelings to her and promises to remain faithful.

But in vain does the heir to the throne rejoice at such luck. Fate prepares real obstacles for him, preventing their mutual love and tests the beautiful couple with jealousy and betrayal. Turning into a mysterious knight and appearing in the prince’s castle with Odette’s double, she forces the young man in love, blinded by emotions, to break all his vows to his chosen one. But even after going through all the obstacles, the lovers are not destined to be together; no one is able to disrupt the plans of Fate, which hides his beloved from Siegfried, leaving him alone on the shore of a beautiful magical lake.

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Interesting Facts

• This fabulous ballet, incredibly popular these days, literally failed at its first premiere. The deeply upset author said that he would be appreciated, but later and the time for this work was still ahead. This “later” came 18 years later with the brilliant productions of Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa .
• By the way, have you heard the saying about “the ninth swan in the fifth row”? It denotes an artist who has not achieved success in his career, who is forced to constantly be content with minor roles and extras.
• The roles of Odette and Odile are performed by one ballerina.
• Maya Plisetskaya performed the role of Odette-Odile on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater for 30 years.

• In 1968 a new variety of white rose was named “Swan Lake”
• In his version of the famous ballet, Matthew Bourne for the first time replaced all the acting ballerinas with male dancers, which also brought huge success and public interest. This version received a standing ovation on stages in the USA, Greece, Israel, Turkey, Russia, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Korea, Japan, France, Germany and Ireland, and was also awarded more than 30 international awards.
• The ballet Swan Lake was first presented to the American public at the San Francisco Ballet Theater.
• The 2002 British production of Graham Murphy's Swan Lake was based on the scandalous split between Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
• The release of Ivanov and Petipa's production in 1894 was delayed for a long time due to the death of Emperor Alexander III and subsequent official mourning.
• Literally four years before Chaikovsky received this order, he had already composed a short ballet “Lake of Swans” for children, which was performed under the strict guidance of the composer in 1871, on the Kamenka estate.

• Work on the performance lasted about a year, with short breaks due to the fact that the composer was also composing the Third Symphony during this period.
• Many admirers of Tchaikovsky's work wonder what could have inspired him to write such soulful and beautiful music? There is an opinion that this is the merit of the lake in the Cherkasy region, where swans live. The composer rested there for several days, admiring the local nature. But in Germany they are sure that the ballet tells specifically about Swan Lake, which is located near the city of Vossen.
• Initially, prima Anna Sobeshchanskaya was chosen for the premiere in 1876, but she had a strong quarrel with the composer, so this role was offered to Polina Karpakova. As it turned out, the reason for the conflict was that Prima was not satisfied with the absence of at least one solo dance number in Act 3. There is information that Sobeshchanskaya even went specifically to M. Petipa and asked to insert a solo to his music into this action. If the choreographer complied with her request, the composer flatly refused to insert a fragment of music that was not his own. Soon Tchaikovsky offered to resolve the conflict and wrote a solo for her, a little later variations were added to it.

• The estimate for the premiere screening of “Swan Lake” was very small and amounted to about 6,800 rubles.
• The famous critic Hermann Laroche noted the music of the ballet after the premiere, but he called everything related to the dance side “boring and poor.”
• Only the work of the artist Carl Waltz, who specially developed a technology that provides the illusion of fog using steam, received praise from journalists.
• Researchers suggest that the literary source may be based on: the fairy tale “Swan Pond”, “The Stolen Veil” by Mazues, as well as an ancient German legend.
• Lev Ivanov, while working on the ballet, rethought the costumes of the dancers, removing the swan wings to free up their hands, giving them the opportunity to move. He also owns the already legendary “” from the second act.

• The laurels of the best performer of the role of Odette belong to Pierina Legnani, who performed all the dance movements with particular grace, even the 32 fouettés. For the first time in this role she performed on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater.
• Many residents of the former USSR remembered this ballet with very disturbing events in the life of the country, because during the August coup that occurred in 1991, this particular performance was broadcast by all television channels.
• In everyone’s favorite cartoon “Well, wait a minute!” (15th issue) shows a parody of the Dance of the Little Swans. In general, classical music can be heard quite often in cartoons . You can find out more about this in a special section.

Popular numbers from the ballet “Swan Lake”

Dance of the little swans - listen

Spanish dance - listen

Odette's Theme - listen

Neapolitan dance - listen

Great Waltz - listen

The history of the creation of “Swan Lake”

In 1875 P.I. Chaikovsky received a very unexpected order from the directorate of the imperial theaters. They invited him to take on “Lake of Swans”, but, as a rule, opera composers at that time almost did not work in the ballet genre, not counting Adan. However, Pyotr Ilyich did not reject this order and decided to try his hand. The composer was offered a script by V. Begichev and V. Geltser for work. It is noteworthy that it was mainly based on various fairy tales and legends in which there are girls turned into swans. By the way, several decades ago the imperial troupe already paid attention to this very plot and even created a custom-made “Lake of Sorceresses.”

Tchaikovsky plunged into his work headlong and approached every step very responsibly. The composer had to study the entire dances, their order, as well as what kind of music should be written for them. He even had to study several ballets in detail in order to clearly understand the composition and structure. Only after all this was he able to start writing music. As for the score, the ballet “Swan Lake” reveals two figurative worlds - fantastic and real, however, sometimes the boundaries between them are erased. The most tender theme of Odette runs through the entire work as a red thread.

In just a year, the ballet score was ready and he began orchestration. Thus, by the autumn of 1876, work had already begun on staging the play, which was entrusted to V. Reisinger. By that time, he had already worked for several years as a choreographer at the Bolshoi Theater. But many of his works, starting in 1873, were a fiasco.

Productions

The long-awaited premiere of Swan Lake in February 1877 was received rather coolly by the public, despite the enormous work done by the entire troupe. Connoisseurs of the time considered this work to be a complete failure and it was soon removed from the stage. The main culprits for such an unsuccessful production were mainly recognized as the choreographer Wenzel Reisinger and Polina Karpakova, who performed the part of Odette.

Almost twenty years later, the management of the imperial theaters again turned their attention to Tchaikovsky’s work in order to stage it in the new season of 1893-1894. Thus, the famous Marius Petipa developed a new script for the play, and work on it literally immediately began, together with Tchaikovsky. But the sudden death of the composer interrupted this work, and the choreographer himself was deeply shocked by this. A year later, Petipa’s student and assistant staged one picture from the ballet, which was very enthusiastically received by the public. After such success and the highest critical acclaim, the choreographer assigned Ivanov to work on other scenes, and Petipa himself was soon able to return to work on Swan Lake. Undoubtedly, thanks to the efforts of the two directors, the plot of the play was incredibly enriched. Ivanov decided to introduce the White Swan Queen, and Petipa suggested contrasting Odile with her. Thus, the “black” pas de deux from the second act arose.

The new premiere took place in January 1895 in St. Petersburg. It was from this moment that the ballet received well-deserved recognition both among the public and among music critics, and this version was recognized as the best.

The production on the stage of the Vienna Opera, which took place in 1964, caused incredible delight among the public. The performers of the part of Odette - Margot Fonteyn and Siegfried - Rudolf Nureyev were called for an encore eighty-nine times! It is curious that the director of the play was Nuriev himself. In his version, all the action was focused specifically on the prince.

It is worth noting that basically all academic productions of the ballet took the version of L. Ivanov and M. Petipa as a basis. Among subsequent works, it is worth noting the production by V.P. Burmeister in 1953. He introduced new characters and slightly changed the storyline. The choreographer also planned to change the tragic ending and make it bright. But contrary to expectations, the public did not immediately like this innovation. It was believed that it is the tragic ending that gives depth to the interpretation of the entire work.

Among the unusual interpretations, it is worth noting the work of John Normayer, for a production at the Hamburg Ballet. This is already an Illusion, like Swan Lake, where the main character turns into Ludwig II. There is nothing that reminds us of the original source - lakes, swans. Everything that happens around is nothing more than a fantasy of the protagonist’s sick mind.

Also, the work of British choreographer Matthew Bourne, staged in November 1995, is considered to be a rather bold and original version. If initially the idea of ​​​​replacing all the ballerinas with men caused disapproval of the public, over time, this version became a huge success. As Matthew Bourne himself admits, at first the men left the hall when the dance of the Swan and the Prince began, but soon the audience understood what modern choreography is and how it differs from classical ballet. It is surprising that this particular version made it into the UK school curriculum.

Directed by Australian choreographer Graham Murphy, Odette is a psychiatric patient and the swans are a figment of her imagination.

The work of Chinese director Zhao Ming is amazing. In his “Swan Lake,” dance takes on a different meaning. This is already closer to acrobatics, and some moves seem simply unrealistic, beyond human capabilities. Another interesting production was performed during the opening of the G20 summit of world leaders in China. There, ballerinas danced on the surface of Lake Xihu, and all movements were immediately reproduced by their holographic copies. The spectacle turned out to be breathtaking.

Among the film adaptations of the play, it is worth noting Herbert Rappoport’s film “Masters of Russian Ballet,” which includes fragments from the production at the Mariinsky Theater. It is curious that in the film “Waterloo Bridge” some of the performance numbers were used to show the main character, the ballerina Myra Lester. This legendary work also inspired Darren Aronofsky, who directed the psychological thriller Black Swan. It shows all the intrigues that occur in the theater around the distribution of roles.

Despite the initial harsh criticism and resounding success afterwards, numerous changes in plots and scenes, one thing remains unchanged in this ballet - the beautiful, eternal music of P.I., enchanting from the first sounds. Tchaikovsky. It is no coincidence that “Swan Lake” is recognized as the most famous ballet in the world and is a kind of standard. We invite you to enjoy this masterpiece right now and watch “Swan Lake” by P.I. Tchaikovsky.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky "Swan Lake"

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is a great composer who created an era in the history of world musical culture. Tchaikovsky's life is an example of continuous, persistent work. Composer-symphonist , author of wonderful operas Tchaikovsky combined the work of a composer with activities teacher, critic-publicist, conductor . The main idea of ​​his work is protest and passionate struggle against the dark forces of life that erect obstacles on a person’s path to happiness . Tchaikovsky's work spanned almost all musical genres , among which the leading place is occupied by the largest - opera and symphony . They most fully reflected the composer's artistic concept, at the center of which are the deep processes of a person's inner world, complex movements of the soul, revealed in sharp and intense dramatic clashes. However, even in these genres one can always hear the main intonation of Tchaikovsky’s music - melodious, lyrical, born from the direct expression of human feeling and finding an equally immediate response from the listener. Tchaikovsky also worked in the field choral (including spiritual ) music, wrote vocal ensembles , music for dramatic performances . Tchaikovsky's traditions in various genres found their continuation in the works of S. Taneyev, A. Glazunov, S. Rachmaninov, A. Scriabin, and Soviet composers. Tchaikovsky's music, which received recognition even during his lifetime, captured a huge era of Russian life and culture of the 19th century, went beyond their boundaries and became the property of all mankind. Its content is universal: it covers images of life and death, love, nature, childhood, everyday life, it generalizes and reveals in a new way the images of Russian and world literature - Pushkin and Gogol, Shakespeare and Dante, Russian lyric poetry of the second half of the 19th century. Tchaikovsky's music, embodying the precious qualities of Russian culture - love and compassion for man, extraordinary sensitivity to the restless quests of the human soul, irreconcilability towards evil and a passionate thirst for good, beauty, moral perfection - reveals deep connections with the work of L. Tolstoy and F. Dostoevsky, I. Turgenev and A. Chekhov.

"Swan Lake"

Plot

In the park of the Sovereign Princess's castle, friends are waiting for the prince Siegfried . The celebration of his coming of age begins. To the sound of fanfare, the princess appears and reminds Siegfried that tomorrow at the ball he will have to choose a bride. Siegfried is saddened: he does not want to bind himself while his heart is free. At dusk, a flock of swans is visible flying by. The prince and his friends decide to end the day with a hunt.

Swans are swimming on the lake. Hunters with Siegfried and Benno come ashore to the ruins of the chapel. They see swans, one of which has a golden crown on its head. The hunters shoot, but the swans swim away unharmed and in a magical light turn into beautiful girls. Siegfried, captivated by the beauty of the swan queen Odette , listens to her sad story about how an evil genius bewitched them. Only at night do they take on their real appearance, and with sunrise they become birds again. Witchcraft will lose its power if a young man who has never sworn love to anyone falls in love with her and remains faithful to her. At the first rays of dawn, the girls disappear into the ruins, and now swans are swimming across the lake, and a huge eagle owl is flying after them - their evil genius.

There's a ball at the castle. The prince and princess greet the guests. Siegfried is full of thoughts about the swan queen; none of the girls present touches his heart. Trumpets sound twice to announce the arrival of new guests. But then the trumpets sounded for the third time; it was the knight Rothbart who arrived with his daughter Odile, who was surprisingly similar to Odette. The prince, confident that Odile is the mysterious swan queen, joyfully rushes towards her. The princess, seeing the prince's passion for the beautiful guest, declares her Siegfried's bride and joins their hands. The swan Odette appears in one of the windows of the ballroom. Seeing her, the prince understands the terrible deception, but the irreparable has happened. The prince, overcome with horror, runs to the lake.

Lake Shore. The swan girls are waiting for the queen. Odette runs in in despair over the prince's betrayal. She tries to throw herself into the waters of the lake, her friends try to console her. The prince appears. He swears that he saw Odette in Odile and that is why he uttered the fatal words. He is ready to die with her. The evil genius in the guise of an owl hears this. The death of a young man in the name of love for Odette will bring him death! Odette runs to the lake. The evil genius tries to turn her into a swan to prevent her from drowning, but Siegfried fights him and then rushes after his beloved into the water. The owl falls dead.

Ballet "The Nutcracker"

History of creation

Plot

Christmas Eve at home Zilbergauzov . Guests gather for a holiday. To the hall Klara and Fritz are introduced and their little guests. Everyone is delighted with the decorated Christmas tree. Gifts are given to children. The clock strikes midnight, and with its last strike Clara Drosselmeyer's godfather appears. A skilled craftsman, he brings as a gift huge mechanical dolls - the Cantante, the Soldier, the Harlequin and Columbine. The children joyfully thank their kind godfather, but Zilberghaus, fearing that they will spoil the gifts, orders them to be taken to his office. Consoling the distressed Clara and Fritz, Drosselmeyer takes a funny little Nutcracker out of his pocket and shows him gnawing nuts. Children are happy with a new toy, but then they quarrel over it. Fritz forces the Nutcracker to crack the hardest nuts, and the Nutcracker's jaw breaks. Fritz irritably throws the Nutcracker to the floor, but Klara picks him up, rocks him like a small child, puts him on the crib of his favorite doll and wraps him in a blanket. Zilberghaus orders the furniture to be taken out of the living room in order to arrange a general dance in it. At the end of the dancing, the children are sent to bed. Guests and hosts disperse. Moonlight falls through the window of the empty hall. Clara enters: she cannot sleep because she is worried about the Nutcracker. Rushing, running and scratching can be heard. The girl becomes scared. She wants to run away, but the large wall clock begins to chime the time. Clara sees that instead of an owl, the Drosselmeister is sitting on the clock, flapping the skirts of his caftan like wings. Lights flicker from all sides - the eyes of mice filling the room. Clara runs to the Nutcracker's crib. The tree begins to grow and becomes huge. The dolls come to life and run around in fear. Gingerbread soldiers line up. The battle with the mice begins. The Nutcracker, rising from bed, orders the alarm to be sounded. Boxes with tin soldiers are opened, the Nutcracker's army is formed into a battle square. The mouse army attacks, the soldiers bravely resist the onslaught, and the mice retreat. Then the Mouse King enters the duel. He is ready to kill the Nutcracker, but Clara takes off her shoe and throws it at the King. The Nutcracker wounds him, and he, along with the rest of the army, flees the battlefield. The Nutcracker with a naked sword in his hand approaches Clara. He turns into a handsome young man and asks the girl to follow him. Both are hidden in the branches of the Christmas tree. The hall turns into a winter forest. Snow is falling in large flakes and a blizzard is rising. The wind blows the dancing snowflakes. Gradually the snowstorm subsides, the snow sparkles elegantly in the moonlight. The fairy-tale city of Confiturenburg. At the Palace of Sweets, the Sugar Plum Fairy and Prince Whooping Cough await the arrival of Clara and Prince Nutcracker. Everything is prepared for the ceremonial reception of dear guests. Clara and the Nutcracker sail down the river in a boat made of gilded shells. Everyone bows respectfully to the newcomers. Clara is amazed at the wealth of the city spread out before her. The Nutcracker says that he owes his salvation to Clara. The holiday begins, in which the mistress of sweets, the Sugar Plum Fairy, Mother Zhigon and other fairy-tale characters take part.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). This is a real treasure of Russian musical art. She is bright, heartfelt, emotional, memorable. Most of the parts are regarded by both experts and ordinary listeners as masterpieces.

The list of Tchaikovsky's ballets consists of only three performances. The article briefly summarizes the plots of Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, as well as their production stories.

"Swan Lake"

This is a ballet production consisting of four acts. The music for the ballet, which was originally called "Lake of Swans", was written by Tchaikovsky in 1875-1876. The play premiered in 1877 on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. The libretto was written by Russian playwright Vladimir Begichev. According to some information, the theater soloist Vasily Herzel and Tchaikovsky himself took part in the creation of the libretto. The choreographic part lay on the shoulders of the Czech choreographer V. Reisinger.

However, the performance was actually a failure, and the production was considered unsuccessful. Perhaps it is for this reason that Tchaikovsky did not work on composing music for ballets for a long time. However, attempts to rework this particular production were made from time to time.

Only in 1895, after the death of the composer, did the performance finally premiere in its final version, which became a classic. The new production of Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake" took place thanks to the collaboration of choreographer Marius Petipa and his student Lev Ivanov. The composer's brother Modest Tchaikovsky took part in revising the libretto. We can say that only from these years on did the famous ballet begin its triumphant march around the world.

However, in 1953, at the request of the Soviet government, which believed that all fairy tales should have a happy ending, the play acquired a different ending.

Let's talk about the plot of Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake". It is based on the story of an enchanted girl, found in many folk tales.

Plot. First act

The first act begins with a celebration of the coming of age of Prince Siegfried, the son of the Sovereign Princess. It takes place in the park in front of the palace. The hero of the occasion and his friends drink and have fun. The appearance of Siegfried's mother upsets the fun, but not for long.

It's getting dark. The guests leave. The prince, who saw a flock of swan flying across the sky, decided to hunt.

Second act

The events take place in the forest, on the shore of a lake, not far from the ruins of an ancient castle. Swans circling in a round dance turn into girls. One of them, a beauty named Odette, tells the prince who came here that the curse of the evil sorcerer Rothbart hangs over her and her friends. Only at night can they take on their former girlish appearance, and during the day they must remain birds.

Siegfried is ready to kill the sorcerer, but Odette objects that this will not dispel the evil spell - only the love of a young man who has never loved anyone and has not uttered the words of an oath could save her from this misfortune. And Siegfried swears his eternal love to her.

Dawn is coming. A flock of swans is swimming on the lake again.

Third act

Next they show a ball taking place in the palace of the Sovereign Princess. On it, the prince must choose a bride for himself, as his mother insists. But Siegfried hesitates. Suddenly an unknown knight enters with his daughter, who bears a striking resemblance to Odette. This is Odile. Mistaking her for a swan maiden, the prince announces his decision to marry her.

But the knight turned out to be the evil wizard Rothbart, and Odile was his daughter. This means that Siegfried broke his oath of allegiance to Odette. Now she and her friends are destined to die. The prince, realizing that he has become a victim of deception, hurries to Swan Lake.

Act Four

The final scenes of the play take place on the shore. The girls to whom Odette brings the sad news are grieving. Siegfried cries out for forgiveness - after all, he was deceived. He is even ready to accept death with his beloved.

A storm breaks out on the lake, huge waves rise. Siegfried, trying to return the girl who does not want to forgive him, tears the crown from her head. He is picked up by Rothbart, who has turned into an owl. Odette and Siegfried die in the ensuing disaster.

In a later version of the libretto, the ending is remade into a happy ending: the Swan Maiden and the Prince fight and defeat the evil wizard - after all, nothing can defeat true love. Odette becomes a girl again.

"Sleeping Beauty"

Only 13 years after writing the famous “Swan Lake” did Tchaikovsky again turn to ballet. This performance was conceived as a colorful performance based on the fairy tale by Charles Perrault with a final extravaganza of quadrilles performed by the heroes of other Perrault fairy tales - from Bluebeard to Puss in Boots.

The production premiered in January 1890 at the Mariinsky Theater (St. Petersburg).

It is known that the music for the ballet "The Sleeping Beauty" was commissioned by Tchaikovsky on the initiative of Ivan Vsevolozhsky, the then director of the imperial theaters. He wrote the libretto for the production in collaboration with choreographer Marius Petipa. Vsevolozhsky also came up with costume designs for this, as well as for some other ballets to the music of Tchaikovsky.

The ballet is successfully staged in many theaters around the world. As a rule, they are based on Petipa’s choreography, which is considered classic.

The characters of the play: Princess Aurora, her father, King Florestan, seven fairies (the main ones are the evil fairy Carabosse and the good fairy Lilac), Prince Désiré.

Let's briefly look at the plot of Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Sleeping Beauty".

The christening of a little princess named Aurora is celebrated magnificently in the kingdom of Florestan. The good fairies who visited the holiday and brought gifts to the baby take turns performing their dances.

Suddenly a carriage pulled by disgusting rats drives in - they forgot to invite the evil fairy Carabosse to the christening, and she appeared herself. The frightened royal couple asks the sorceress for forgiveness, but she has prepared a terrible curse for Aurora. The princess, she predicted, would fall asleep forever after pricking herself with a spindle on the day she came of age. The Good Fairy Lilac commutes the sentence: Aurora will only have to fall asleep for a hundred years, and she will wake up from the kiss of the handsome prince who will become her husband.

First action

And now the princess is celebrating her coming of age. She is offered candidates for marriage, but she is in no hurry to choose. The master of ceremonies announced a decree banning sharp objects in the kingdom.

But suddenly Aurora sees an old woman sitting in the corner with a spindle in her hands. The girl grabs it and dances, twirling it in her hands. Receives an injection and falls dead. Everyone recognizes the old woman as the evil Carabosse. They try to grab her, but she disappears laughing.

But the Lilac Fairy consoles everyone. She sends a magical dream over the king, queen and courtiers. The people around fall asleep in anticipation of the hero who will appear to wake Aurora with a kiss. At the behest of the fairy, the trees grow and form an impenetrable thicket around the castle.

Second act

A century has passed. Prince Désiré and his retinue, carried away by the excitement of the hunt, accidentally ended up in these parts. Suddenly the rocks move apart, the image of a sleeping Aurora, tender and beautiful, appears and then disappears. The prince is fascinated by her. The fairy Lilac appears and invites the prince into the boat, and they sail through a dense forest. So the prince gets to the palace. There is desolation, dust and cobwebs all around. The king, queen and all those close to him are fast asleep. The prince calls out to Aurora, but she does not wake up, lying on the bed under her canopy.

Then Desiree kisses the princess. And she opens her eyes. And everyone around her wakes up with her. The fireplace and candles light up with a bright flame. The web disappears.

Apotheosis

It is sometimes called the third act of the ballet.

The prince asks the king and queen for Aurora's hand and receives their consent. Parents join hands of lovers. At the wedding celebration, which takes place in front of the palace, the guests, the heroes of other Perrault fairy tales - Cinderella, Puss in Boots, Bluebeard, Thumb with his brothers, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, the Ogre and his wife, etc., dance merrily.

"Nutcracker"

The Nutcracker was added to Tchaikovsky's famous ballets in December 1892. Its premiere took place at the Mariinsky Theater. The libretto was written by the same M. Petipa, reinterpreting the fairy tale of the German romantic writer Hoffmann “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” and the story of A. Dumas the Father, written on its basis.

The parts of Fritz and Clara (in some editions this name was replaced by Marie, later the main character in Russian versions was called Masha) were performed by young students of the St. Petersburg Imperial Theater School.

This ballet has two acts. Let's take a closer look at its plot.

Brief summary of the libretto. First action

Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker is based on a Christmas story, so the action begins the day before, on Christmas Eve. Guests are gathering at Dr. Stahlbaum's house. Following the adults, children also come into the room in anticipation of Christmas gifts. The last of the guests turns out to be the godfather of the children of Doctor Marie and Fritz. This is a puppet maker, watchmaker and inventor Drosselmeyer. He gives the girl a Nutcracker and says that this toy, which now helps crack nuts, was a real Prince, but the evil Mouse King bewitched him.

Marie's brother Fritz forces the Nutcracker to chew on a nut that is too hard, and it breaks. The distressed Marie regrets the broken toy, and Fritz's friends, having fun and wearing mouse masks, tease her.

But now the holiday is over, everyone leaves. The room with the New Year's tree is empty and filled with mysterious moonlight. Marie quietly makes her way to the Nutcracker left here and already loved by her. Drosselmeyer also arrives. Now he is a good wizard and brings toys to life. The interior is also transformed: the walls move apart, the Christmas tree increases in size. Former toy soldiers, commanded by the Nutcracker, are joining forces. There will be a battle with the army of the Mouse King.

But there are more and more mice - the forces are clearly unequal. Marie, in desperation, throws her shoe at the leader of the army of gray rodents, causing him to flee. This battle is won. And the Nutcracker's face begins to change - suddenly from an ugly toy he turns into a handsome prince.

"Nutcracker". Second act

Masha and the Prince find themselves in a magical forest, under a starry sky, among swirling snowflakes. The heroes find themselves in a magical castle, where a ball is given in their honor. But the holiday is disrupted by a new mouse attack. This time the brave Prince and his army defeat them. Dolls, fairies and their pages dance in honor of Marie and the Prince. They are happy, everyone is preparing for the wedding.

But suddenly Drosselmeyer appears again. And all this action turns into a dream: rocking the Nutcracker, Marie dozed off herself. She is still in the same room, and nearby there is a tree decorated with New Year's toys...

It should be noted that in some productions of the ballet “The Nutcracker” by Tchaikovsky, the second battle with the mouse army is omitted. As a result, the ballet becomes a one-act ballet.

The article talked about what ballets Tchaikovsky wrote.