Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

Featuring

Vladimir Jurowski
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia “Evgeny Svetlanov”
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Compositional Technique

Tchaikovsky's music for Swan Lake is deeply symphonic, applying characteristics of the romantic symphony, such as contrasting motifs and intensive thematic development, to the ballet.

Critical Reception

The 1877 premiere of Swan Lake at the Bolshoi was disastrous in terms of choreography, and the work only became a classic after a new production by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in 1895, after Tchaikovsky's death.

Performer Biography

Vladimir Jurowski, the conductor of this recording, was born in Moscow in 1972 and has held positions as Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Artistic Director of the State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia 'Evgeny Svetlanov'.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake was commissioned by the Directorate of the Bolshoi Theatre in the summer of 1875, with a fee of 800 roubles.

Historical Context

Around 1875, ballet as an art form was in crisis, having become trivialized with music often manipulated by choreographers to serve visual effects and prima ballerinas.

Interpretation

This recording presents the original 1877 version of Swan Lake, performed in concert without cuts, to highlight its symphonic qualities as Tchaikovsky originally conceived it.