19 replies to this topic

[sejacko]

Mel Johnson, on Aug 13 2007, 07:15 PM, said:

When the fanfares sound again, and Odile and von Rothbart appear, then S. takes off with O.

Slighty    but...

In the original 1877 score, with those (what I call) "false starts", ie. several fanfares inbetween the bits of the Waltz of the Prospective Fiances (I think introducing 2 of them at a time before the full waltz is played), the last fanfares for Odile & v.Rothbart have a lot more impact. As if to say, "we thought we'd seen them all, but it seems we have another contender!"

[cubanmiamiboy]

The "Andante con Moto" music is also used as a pre-Entree of the Plisetskaya-Bogatirev Black Swan PDD 1976 performance DVD.  Plisetskaya dances with Bogatirev sorrounded by her own entourage of black swan maidens...

[EricHG31]

There's so much beautiful music in Swan Lake that isn't in the Petipa/Ivanov version.  that said, I vastly prefer that version--preferably, pretty much as it was performed in '95, even with the interpolations of Drigo's orchestrated Tchaikovsky waltzes in the final act.  But if I'm just *listening* to the score, I prefer the version as first written, much, much more.  And yes this piece, as well as the gorgeous Russian Dance are two of my faves.  (I could have sworn Nureyev used this piece as an Act I prince solo at some time--as suggested in the original post in this thread, from years ago, but it's been a long time, and I'm probably mistaken).

[cubanmiamiboy]

EricHG31, on 14 October 2011 - 12:24 AM, said:

There's so much beautiful music in Swan Lake that isn't in the Petipa/Ivanov version.  that said, I vastly prefer that version--preferably, pretty much as it was performed in '95, even with the interpolations of Drigo's orchestrated Tchaikovsky waltzes in the final act.  But if I'm just *listening* to the score, I prefer the version as first written, much, much more.

Agree.  The ballroom scene seems to have been more complex originally with the Pas de Six.  It looks to me as if all this variations-(Andante con Moto included)-were talking about specific particulates of the different princesses who dance them.  And then there's Sobeshchanskaya's Pas' music-(Tchaikovsky, or T's arrangement on Minkus...?)-which I think is more beautiful that the Merry Makers interpolation.

[Mel Johnson]

BUT (!) if you leave the pas de six in, can end up with an Act III which is about an hour long, thus threatening the 3B limitation on ballets - Boredom, Bottom, Bladder.

Examined AS MUSIC, the 1877 edition of the score is masterly.  If examined as a stage drama, other values come into the picture, and the ballet needs tightening and pointing, so that the audience goes along with the conventions.