mussel Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 ABT's. It is the best rendition of the double suicide original version. Agreed. SL must have a tragic ending. And ABT's has the most dramatic tragic ending. If Kevin restores the 4th act, it could be the most definitive of all current productions. All current productions have major flaws, let's see if Ratmansky's SL for Zurich and La Scala will end the drought. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Agreed. SL must have a tragic ending. And ABT's has the most dramatic tragic ending. If Kevin restores the 4th act, it could be the most definitive of all current productions. All current productions have major flaws, let's see if Ratmansky's SL for Zurich and La Scala will end the drought. Kent Stowell's production for Pacific Northwest Ballet is very faithful to the original intent, and includes significant chunks of what we understand to be original choreography (as it's been handed down -- he staged this in 2003, before the extensive use of the Stepanov scores) I have some quibbles with the sets, but the choreography is spot on. Very effective dance drama. Odette returns to Rothbart, leaving Siegfried alive but bereft, if we're keeping score. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 Odette returns to Rothbart, leaving Siegfried alive but bereft, if we're keeping score. But...the original libretto calls for a double suicide, so I don't see how keeping Odette and Siegfried alive can be considered a faithful rendition. Link to comment
Syrene Hvid Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 My favourite ending to Swan Lake will forever remain Hübbe & Schandorff's new version (for RDB) where (after Odette has disappeared off-stage, forever cursed to be a swan) Siegfried is forced by Rothbart to marry Odile. The entire political intrigue of it is wonderful, not to mention that there's something haunting about having to live with the consequences of your mistakes in life, rather than those mistakes necessarily leading to your demise. However, I also really liked the ending to Wright's production for Swedish Royal Ballet. It felt genuine and fittingly dark for the production. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 25, 2016 Share Posted January 25, 2016 My favourite ending to Swan Lake will forever remain Hübbe & Schandorff's new version (for RDB) where (after Odette has disappeared off-stage, forever cursed to be a swan) Siegfried is forced by Rothbart to marry Odile. The entire political intrigue of it is wonderful, not to mention that there's something haunting about having to live with the consequences of your mistakes in life, rather than those mistakes necessarily leading to your demise. Similar to the recovered ending to Giselle (which is in the Pacific Northwest Ballet reconstruction), where Bathilde approaches Albrecht at Giselle's grave, implying that she forgives him. Link to comment
sofiabn Posted October 11, 2019 Share Posted October 11, 2019 Performances with happy end. 1957, Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet, N. Fadeyechev, M. Plisetskaya, A. Messerer 1968, Swan Lake, Kirov Ballet, J. Markowsky, Y. Yevteyeva, K. Sergeev 1976, Swan Lake, Bolshoi, A. Bogadirev, M. Plisetskaya, Y. Grigorovitch 1983, Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet, A. Bogadirev, N. Bessmertnova, Y. Grigorovitch 1986, Swan Lake, Kirov Ballet, K. Zaklinsky, G. Mezentzeva, K. Sergeev 1989, Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet, Y. Vasyuchenko, A. Mikhalchenko, Y. Grigorovitch 1991, Swan Lake, Kirov Ballet, I. Zelensky, Y. Makhalina, K. Sergeev 1992, Swan Lake, S. Petersburg Ballet, A. Bogatiriev, L. Kunakowa, N. Pavloba, M. Petipa-Lev Ivanov 1992, Swan Lake, Perm Ballet, A. Fadeyechev, N. Ananiashvilli, M. Petipa-Lev Ivanov 1992, Swan Lake, POB, P. Dupond, M. C. Pietragalla, V. Bourmeister 1997, Swan Lake, Universal Ballet 2003, Swan Lake, Stanislavsky Ballet, D. Zababurin, T. Chernobrovkina, V. Bourmeister 2004, Swan Lake, Scala di Milano, R. Bolle, S. Zakharova, V. Bourmeister 2006, Swan Lake, S. Petersbourg Ballet, D. Akulinin, I. Kolesnikova, K. Sergeev 2006, Swan Lake, Tokyo Ballet, J. Martinez, M. Ueno, M. Petipa-Lev Ivanov 2007, Swan Lake, Mariinsky Ballet, D. Korsuntsev, U. Lopatkina, M. Petipa-Lev Ivanov 2008, Swan Lake, SNG Maribor (Slovenia), A. Bogov, Al. Ribic Laufer, V. Bitoinov 2009, Swan Lake, Zurich Ballet, Stanislas Jermakov, P. Semionova, H. Spoerli 2012, Swan Lake, Mikhailovsky Ballet, V. Lebedev, E. Borchenko, A. Messerer 2013, Swan Lake, Mariinsky Ballet, T. Askerov, E. Kondaurova, K. Sergeyev And without happy end 1966, Swan Lake, Vienna Ballet, R. Nureyev, M. Fonteyn, R. Nureyev 1976, Swan Lake, ABT, I. Nagy, N. Makarova, D. Blair 1982, Swan Lake, ROH, A. Dowell, N. Makarova, F. Ashton, R. Nureyev 1988, Swan Lake, London Festival Ballet, P. Schaufuss, E. Hart, N. Makarova 1990, Swan Lake, Cullbert Ballet, Y. Auzeli, A. Laguna, Mats Ek 1993, Swan Lake, Berlin Ballet, J-L Massot, Chr. Camillo-K. Gdaniec, P. Schaufuss 1996, Swan Lake, Sadler's Wells, Adam Cooper, Scott Ambler, F. Ambler , M. Bourne 1997, Swan Lake, Berlin Opera Ballet, Oliver Matz, Steffi Scherzer, Patrice Bart 1999, Swan Lake, NYCB, D. Woetzel, M. Weese, P. Martins 2002, Swan Lake, Swedish Royal Ballet, Anders Nordstrom, Nathalie Nordquist, P. Wright 2002, Swan Lake - Illusion like, Hamburg Ballet, J. Bubenichek, E. Loscavio-A. Polikarpova, J. Neumeier 2002, Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet, E. Ivanchenko, A. Volochkova, Y. Grigorovich 2003, Swan Lake, Moscow Classical Ballet, Ivan Korneev, E. Beresina-N. Burak, Kasatkina-Vasiliov 2003 , Swan Lake, K-Ballet, T. Kumakawa, V. Durante, M. Perego, T. Kumakawa 2004, Swan Lake, Hanover Ballet, , , Stephan Thoss 2005, Swan Lake, ABT, A. Corella, G. Murphy, K. McKenzie 2005, Swan Lake, Moscow Classical Ballet, Nikolay Chevychelov, Marina Rzhannikova, Kasatkina-Vasiliov 2006, Swan Lake, Australian Ballet, R. Curran, M. Eastoe, D. Rowe, Gr. Murphy 2006, Swan Lake, POB, J. Martinez, A. Letestu, R. Nureyev 2009, Swan Lake, ROH, Th. Soares, M. Nunez, M. Petipa-Lev Ivanov 2010, Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet, A. Skvortsov, M. Alexandrova, Y. Grigorovich 2011, Swan Lake, Sadler's Wells, R. Winsor-D. North, , M. Bourne 2012, Swan Lake, ROH, N. Kish, Z. Yanowsky, D. Bintley 2013, Swan Lake – Le Lac, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, St. Bourgond, An. Behrend-Ap. Ball, J-Ch Maillot 2013, Swan Lake reloaded, Fr. Rydman 2014, Swan Lake, Norwegian Ballet, Al. Ekman 2014, Swan Lake, Vienna Ballet, Vl. Shishov, O. Esina, R. Nureyev 2015, Swan Lake, Bolshoi Ballet, D. Rodkin, S. Zakharova, Y. Grigorovich 2015, Swan Lake, ROH, M. Golding, N. Osipova, D. Bintley 2015, Swan Lake, Hungarian Ballet, I. Kekalo, Sh. Nakamura, Rudi van Dantzig 2015, Swan Lake, Danish Royal Ballet, Al. Lendorf, J’aime Crandall, N. Hubbe-S. Schandorff 2016, Swan Lake, Universal Ballet, O. Vinogradov 2016, Swan Lake, POB, M. Ganio, A. Albisson, R. Nureyev 2017, Swan Lake, Georgian Ballet, V. Akhmeteli, N. Ananiashvili, A. Fadeechev 2018, Swan Lake, ROH, V. Muntagirov, M. Nunez, L. Scarlett 2018, Swan Lake, Dusseldorf Ballet, M. Schlapher 2019, Swan Lake, POB, G. Louvet, L. Baulac, R. Nureyev There are many other performances but I listed only those that have been released on vhs/dvd/BD or broadcast on tv/cinema. If I missed any, please let me know. Link to comment
Fosca Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 On 5/10/2008 at 5:57 PM, bart said: I just came upon a description of Cranko's production for Suttgart in the 50s. (I don't know if this is still used, or if it has been adopted by other companies). Cranko said that he was opposed to the idea of a happy ending. ("I believe Tchaikovskky intended to write a tragic ballet. ... Siegfried is a tragic hero and must be vanquished.") John Percival writes, in his biography of Cranko: Does anyone know how the Cranko "flood" was accomplished? Ws his the first use of billowing cloth to simulate the waves that engulf Siegfried? (It's interesting that La Scala uses the drowning sequence as something Siegfried has to overcome on the way to his happy ending, a la Bournmesiter, but not Cranko.) A very late answer to this post: Cranko's Swan Lake premiered in Stuttgart on Nov 14, 1963 and was revised in 1972. You can still see the production at Stuttgart. It was never adopted by another company until recently, in March 2019, by the Czech National Ballet a Prague with different sets and costumes. The flood is made of three cloths that fly in from the wings, left and right, in a huge bow and then billow wildly on the floor. Siegfried moves between them, he fights and drowns, comes up again and dies, then the floods calm down, all very beautifully suited to the music. In the background, we see the swans (as birds) crossing the lake, they will not be redeemed. Fonteyn and Nureyev guested in Cranko's production in May 1964 at Stuttgart, so we can assume that Nureyev's 1966 Vienna version was influenced by Cranko. It seems that the Soviet versions at the time preferred the happy ending, so Cranko's sad ending was seen as a change then, back in the 1960s. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 (edited) It is so interesting to see how whole assessments of the ending gravitate around what we believe to be a "happy" ending versus a "tragic" one. What some might consider "tragic"-(the double suicide)- didn't have to be so necessarily in Petipa's or Tchaikovsky's minds. The fact that the music changes to a major key to a triumphant tune to the souls of the two lovers reunited in heaven-(ABT)- is more than enough to be seen as happy by many, particularly those with religious beliefs. The whole happy=human form/stay on earth idea was Soviet, although I can see how many in the audience who don't share such religious beliefs see it as the only "happy" possibility. I myself have always considered the original ending, as ABT does it, perfectly happy. Evil Rothbart is defeated by the power of love and faith. The kingdom is restituted and the two lovers are reunited in a place where only goodness exist. Which is exactly the same in La Bayadere. Fair enough. Edited October 14, 2019 by cubanmiamiboy Link to comment
Drew Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 (edited) Tragedy doesn't mean "sad" in any conventional sense--tragic emotion is more complex. The Oresteia resolves itself in favor of Orestes, the founding of a jury system, reconciliation between different gods/values etc. and it's one of the foundational "tragic" trilogies of the Greek tradition. One can judge the ending of Swan Lake with the double suicide, Rothbart defeated, and the lovers united in the land of the dead to be "tragic" without thinking it's simply sad or unhappy. I think it's also not exactly "happy" in any earthly, ordinary sense--certainly evil isn't banished by laughter (or the "happily ever after" of procreative sex) as in classic comedy but by sacrifice and forgiveness. It's something more profound than earthly happiness, at least for the lovers. Edited October 14, 2019 by Drew Link to comment
cranedragon Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 I was intrigued by the Royal Danish Ballet production, which I saw in the summer of 2018 -- it is the first production, to my experience, that shows "what comes next": Odette has died, Siegfried survives and is trapped in marriage to Odile, with von Rothbart pulling the strings at the royal court. Link to comment
aqualia2008 Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 On 1/16/2009 at 3:46 PM, rg said: i assume earlier Messere, post-Gorsky production for the Bolshoi also presented a happy ending. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OFua6ONOsg Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted October 31, 2020 Share Posted October 31, 2020 (edited) Bumping up a bit this thread, although not to offer yet another "alternative" ending. I just watched an interview from Beverly Sills to Peter Martins during the intermission of his Swan Lake, from the "Live from LC" video. At some point she asks him a very direct question: "How is it possible to change a ballet finale...? I mean, as much as I wanted for Violetta to survive in La Traviata, that's just not possible. Don't you have to follow a certain original text?" To which Martins answers her not exactly addressing her question but more like dwelling into the dramatic components of his SL ending vs many others. "There are so many endings out there", he says. If I could have answered that question, it will be something along the lines of "Yes...there is an original libretto, which states a particular finale, the double suicide and ascension to heavens of the leading characters. I just, like many other choreographers out there, took the liberty to change it. This is quite easy to do, since we don't have to change the score" Damian Woetzel is also in the interview, and he also offers somehow an explanation, altough he gets his facts wrong. He hints at the double suicide being a Soviet product, which we know is not the case. Edited October 31, 2020 by cubanmiamiboy Link to comment
Fleurfairy Posted February 17, 2022 Share Posted February 17, 2022 I have always liked Peter Martins' Swan Lake ending. Siegfried made a huge mistake and he'll have to live with that. Much more haunting than double suicide, in my opinion. Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted February 18, 2022 Share Posted February 18, 2022 16 hours ago, Fleurfairy said: I have always liked Peter Martins' Swan Lake ending. Siegfried made a huge mistake and he'll have to live with that. Much more haunting than double suicide, in my opinion. I would love Butterfly to kill Pinkerton. Link to comment
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