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A while back, I asked this question. Someone gave me an answer that John Neumeier's version entitled "The Illusions of Swan Lake" contained most of the music. I finally found a copy of this version. Here are the music sequences of Tchaikovsky;s music in the order that they were performed by the Hamburg Ballet Company in 2001. SWAN LAKE (Illusions of “Swan Lake”) Anna Polikarpova & Jirí Bubenicek Hamburg Ballet / Choreography by John Neumeier / Alexandra Danilova (Act II) No. 29. Scène finale (Andante - Allegro agitato - Alla breve - Moderato maestoso) (Partial) (Title Music) Introduction (Moderato assai) No. 1. Scène (Allegro giusto) No. 19. Pas de six: c. Variation 1(Allegro) No. 2. Valse No. 3. Scène (Allegro moderato) No. 4. Pas de trois: I. Intrada (Allegro) No. 4. Pas de trois: III. Allegro simplice - Presto No. 4. Pas de trois: IV. Moderato *** Danse des cygnes (Valse bluette) (Opus 72/No.11, orchestrated by Drigo) No. 4. Pas de trois: VI. Coda (Allegro vivace) No. 4. Pas de trois: II. Andante sostenuto *** Scene (Un poco di Chopin) (Opus 72/No. 15, orchestrated by Drigo) *** Numéro supplémentaire: NOTE: Inserted for Sobeshchanskaya - 1877: Pas de deux: a. Introduction; b. Moderato - Andante No. 7. Sujet No. 8. Danse des coupes (Tempo di polacca) Souvenir d'un lieu cher No. 1 (Méditation), Op. 42 ACT II: No. 10. Scène (Moderato) No. 11. Scène (Allegro moderato - Allegro vivo) No. 12. Scène (Allegro) No. 13. Danses des cygnes: a. Tempo di valse No. 13. Danses des cygnes: e. Pas d’action (Andante - Andante non troppo - Allegro) No. 13. Danses des cygnes: d. Allegro moderato No. 13. Danses des cygnes: f. Tempo di valse No. 13. Danses des cygnes: b. Moderato assai - Molto più mosso No. 13. Danses des cygnes: g. Coda (Allegro vivo) No. 14. Scène (Moderato) ACT III: No. 15. Allegro giusto No. 17. Scène (la sortie des invités et la valse) (Minus the Intro) No. 16. Danses du corps de ballet et des nains No. 20. Danse hongroise - Czardas No. 21. Danse espagnole No. 22. Danse napolitaine *** Numéro supplémentaire: Danse russe (NOTE: Written for Karpakova - 1877) No. 5. Pas de deux: I. Tempo di valse No. 5. Pas de deux: II. Andante - Allegro - Molto più mosso Pas de deux: Variation II: Odile (from Opus 72 for piano - No. 12 L’Espiègle) (orchestrated by Drigo) No. 5. Pas de deux: IV. Coda (Allegro vivace) No. 24. Scène (Allegro - Valse - Allegro vivo) ACT IV: No. 25. Entr’acte (Moderato) Hamlet, Entr'acte (Elégie). Andante non troppo (Op. 67a/No.9) No. 29. Scène finale (Andante - Allegro agitato - Alla breve - Moderato maestoso) Musical numbers missing: No. 4. Pas de trois: V. Allegro No. 5. Pas de deux: III. Tempo di valse No. 6. Pas d’action (Andantino quasi moderato - Allegro) No. 9. Finale (Andante) No. 13. Danses des cygnes: c. Danse des cygnes (Tempo di valse) No. 18. Scène (Allegro - Allegro giusto) No. 19. Pas de six: a. Intrada; b. Moderato assai; d. Variation 2 (Andante con moto); e. Variation 3 (Moderato); f. Variation 4 (Allegro); g.Variation 5 (Moderato - Allegro simplice); h.Coda (Allegro molto vivace) No. 23. Mazurka No. 26. Scène (Allegro non troppo) No. 27. Danse des petits cygnes No. 28. Scène (Allegro agitato) Pas de deux: c. Variation 1 (Allegro moderato); d. Variation 2 (Allegro) e.Coda (Allegro molto vivace) (*** Numéro supplémentaire: NOTE: Inserted for Sobeshchanskaya - 1877) Sadly, as you can see, there are quite a few musical numbers not used in this version. I guess that the quest is still on for that illusive version of ALL of Tchaikovsky's music.

Thanks, Natalia. I just read your comment today (May 16, 2011). I had given up trying to find an answer to my question. After reading Roland John Wiley's "Tchaikovsky's Ballets". I concluded that is was Ivanov. Now, thanks to you and your 1990 souvenir program, I have the answer. You are a God-send. Thank you.

You have me totally baffled. Since there is no commercial tape of the "Illusions Like Swan Lake", I had to resort to youtube to check it out. Sadly, there were only 3 clips there. Only one of them (the Black Swan Pas de deux - with Odile in a "white" tutu??) used Tchaikovsky's music from Swan Lake. The other two clips used music that is not from Swan Lake. Since you said that: "I believe pretty much all of that music in the ballet" is used, I remain confused. Neumeier uses more music from the score than most productions of Swan Lake, but not all of it. And a good thing, too, because some of Tchaikovsky's numbers (like the coda Ashton used for his pas de quatre) barely qualify as music. However, Neumeier doesn't always use it in the original order, and he also uses additional pieces by Tchaikovsky, such as the "Meditation" from Souvenir d'un lieu cher. Most of the ballet is rechoreographed, except for Act 2, which uses an older version of the choreography than most productions, and the "Black Swan" pas de deux. The ballet is reinterpreted as the story of a king very like Ludwig II of Bavaria (the one who built all those fanciful castles). "Odette" is actually a ballerina in a ballet within a ballet--a private performance of Swan Lake watched by the King. In the third act the pas de deux is danced by the King and his fiancée. Up until that point she had been unable to break through to the him (Ludwig is believed to have been gay), but after seeing him enraptured by "Odette," she decided to wear a similar dress to the third-act costume party. The King is overjoyed by her decision and apparent understanding of what makes him tick, and they dance the usual pas de deux together. http://www.hamburgballett.de/e/rep/schwanensee.htm Alas, you are correct. "Illusions Like Swan Lake" is available at amazon. com (German) and only offered in the PAl system. That is a shame. The video is available commerically in Europe, but as far as I know, it's in PAL format. I can't be certain since I own an earlier version of the DVD. http://www.amazon.de/Illusionen-Wie-Schwan.../dp/B002DU7MEW/

Since the only Boumeister production of Swan Lake that is available on dvd is the Svetlana Zhakarova version with the Scala Ballet company, I will check it out to see if all of the 1877 score was used in that performance. Unless, you know how to obtain (on dvd) another version of the Bourmeister production? I've viewed the Svetlana Zakharova & Roberto Bolle's version with the Scala di Milano Ballet Company. And yes, you are correct. Bourmeister follows closely Tchaikovsky's 1877 score except: No. 2. Valse (the middle section is omitted) No. 5. Pas de deux: II. Andante - Allegro - Molto più mosso (the last section is omitted) No. 5. Pas de deux: III. Tempo di valse No. 5. Pas de deux: IV. Coda (Allegro vivace) No. 9. Finale (Andante) No. 13. Danses des cygnes: c. Danse des cygnes (Tempo di valse) No. 19. Pas de six: a. Intrada; b. Moderato assai; c. Variation 1(Allegro); e. Variation 3 (Moderato); f. Variation 4 (Allegro) Pas de deux: d. Variation 2 (Allegro) e.Coda (Allegro molto vivace) (*** Numéro supplémentaire: NOTE: Inserted for Sobeshchanskaya - 1877) Danse russe (*** Numéro supplémentaire: (NOTE: Written for Karpakova - 1877) From 1895: Pas de deux: Variation II: Odile (from Opus 72 for piano - No. 12 L’Espiègle, orchestrated by Drigo) *** Danse des cygnes (Valse bluette) (Opus 72/No.11, orchestrated by Drigo) *** Scene (Un poco di Chopin) (Opus 72/No. 15, orchestrated by Drigo) I thank you for suggesting to view the Bourmeister's version. No comment on his staging, blocking and choreography.

Since the only Boumeister production of Swan Lake that is available on dvd is the Svetlana Zhakarova version with the Scala Ballet company, I will check it out to see if all of the 1877 score was used in that performance. Unless, you know how to obtain (on dvd) another version of the Bourmeister production?

You have me totally baffled. Since there is no commercial tape of the "Illusions Like Swan Lake", I had to resort to youtube to check it out. Sadly, there were only 3 clips there. Only one of them (the Black Swan Pas de deux - with Odile in a "white" tutu??) used Tchaikovsky's music from Swan Lake. The other two clips used music that is not from Swan Lake. Since you said that: "I believe pretty much all of that music in the ballet" is used, I remain confused.

Does anyone know if any ballet companies around the world at one time or another has danced (at one performance) to all the music that Tchaikovsky wrote for Swan Lake? That would include the 29 numbers usually found in the complete recordings of Swan Lake, and also: 1) Pas de deux (with Introduction, Variations and Coda) composed for Sobeshchanskaya in 1877; 2) Danse russe, composed for Karpakova in 1877; 3) Danse des cygnes (Valse bluette) (Op. 72/No.11, orchestrated by Drigo); 4) Scene (Un poco di Chopin) (Opus 72/No. 12, orchestrated by Drigo); 5) Black Swan Pas de deux: Variation II: Odile (from Opus 72 for piano - No. 12 L’Espiègle) (orchestrated by Drigo) Needless to say, if someone did, it would make for a very long evening at the ballet but an interesting concept. I hope that someone can help with this topic?

Melissa: The Pas de deux that you mentioned above uses the following music by Tchaikovsky: Scène dansante, orchestrated by Drigo from Tchaikovsky's Op. 72 for Piano - No. 15 (Un poco di Chopin). A few complete recordings of Swan Lake has the music that you want: 1) Viktor Fedotov - Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra 2) Evgeny Kolobov - Orchestra of Leningrad State Academic Kirov Theatre Note: Most of the Mariinsky (Kirov) DVD productions of Swan Lake include that piece of music. The music is also used by the Royal Ballet of London for their productions of Swan Lake. Occasionally, the ABT uses it as well.

I have a ballet question for you. It concerns: Swan Lake, Act III (formerly Act IV), as danced by the Mariinsky Ballet Company. Do you know who choreographed the following 2 interpolations: 1) Valse des cygnes (a.k.a Waltz of the White and Black Swans), orchestrated by Drigo from Tchaikovsky's Op. 72 for Piano - No. 11 (Valse Bluette) 2) Scène dansante, orchestrated by Drigo from Tchaikovsky's Op. 72 for Piano - No. 15 (Un poco di Chopin). I have not yet located a source that will explain when these two interpolations were first used by the Mariinsky. I would guess that it's Lev Ivanov, but it depends if they were added much later. Even though the choreography blends beautifully with Ivanov's for this act, somehow, it doesn't appear to his style. Maybe it's Nikolas Sergeyev?