Mikhail Pletnev, the conductor of this recording, won the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow in 1978 at the age of 21.
Recording & Production
The Russian National Orchestra's first CD release in 1991, featuring Tchaikovsky's music, was described by Gramophone magazine as 'an awe-inspiring experience'.
Critical Reception
Swan Lake received a mixed and generally negative critical reception during Tchaikovsky's lifetime, with some critics calling it 'undanceable' and 'too Wagnerian'.
Notable Performances
A completely new version of Swan Lake, with choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, was mounted in 1895 as a memorial to Tchaikovsky, establishing the work's greatness.
Compositional Technique
Tchaikovsky incorporated music from his earlier, rejected operas, The Voyevoda and Undine, into the score for Swan Lake.
Composition History
Swan Lake was Tchaikovsky's first ballet and the first ballet commissioned in Russia from a symphonic composer, rather than a ballet specialist.
Composition History
Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write Swan Lake by his friend Vladimir Petrovich Begichev, Intendant of the Russian Imperial Theatres in Moscow, for 800 roubles.
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