Swan Lake

Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is a title that seems never to leave the playbills, despite a poor reception when it initially premiered in 1877 at the Bolshoi. The work took on its most popular form two years after the composer died, thanks to unforgettable choreography by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. The subtle musical layer keeps charming the audiences 140 years later, with the story of Odette, magically transformed into the Swan Queen, inspiring artists worldwide. Excerpts from the ballet have been used in many films, including the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman.