PIOTR TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)

Selections from Swan Lake (1875-76)

Notes by Michael-Thomas Foumai

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Following a poorly staged premiere in 1877, the 1895 posthumous re-staging of Tchaikovsky's (1840-1893) first ballet, Swan Lake (1875-76), propelled the work to stardom. Swan Lake's four acts recount the tale of a timeless love with a prince, a princess cursed to transform into a White Swan, and a malicious sorcerer and his daughter (Black Swan). This program features 13-minutes of music from the suite: the Overture (Introduction to Act 1), the opening Scène from Act 2 (the prince meets the princess in human form), and the Valse (waltz) from Act 1 (a matchmaking ball arranged by the prince's mother).