«Swan Lake», P.I. Tchaikovsky

Ballet in four acts.

Composer: P. Tchaikovsky.

Libretto: V.Begichev and V.Geltser.

Production: M. Petipa and L. Ivanov in the edition of T. Baltacheyev

Production designer: Sergey Dmitriev

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes

 The first production on the stage of the SABT named after A.Navoi took place in 1950

The last production on the stage of the SABT named after A.Navoi A.Navoi was held in 2005

The first act

Garden in front of the castle of the influential princess. Young people are having fun on the lawn. Funny dances of buffoons are replaced by dances of girls and gentlemen.

The princess informs her son Prince Siegfried that tomorrow at the ball he will have to choose a bride among the girls invited to the feast. Her words do not find a response in Siegfried's soul: he does not know a girl who would be close to his heart.

Twilight comes. Young people is leaving. Siegfried is sad. Only a flock of swans swimming on the lake attracts his attention. Siegfried goes to the lake.

The second act

Ruins of a gloomy castle on the shore of the lake. When they come ashore, the swans swirl in a slow dance. Siegfried's attention is attracted by a beautiful white swan, suddenly turning into a beautiful girl. The girl reveals to Siegfried the mystery of the charm that hangs over her and her friends: an evil wizard turned them into swans, and only at night, near these ruins, they can assume their human form. Touched by the sad story of swan-girl Odette, Siegfried is ready to kill the sorcerer. Odette sadly replies that this will not dispel the spell. Only the true love of a young man who has never sworn to anyone in love can remove an evil curse from her. Siegfried, captured by a sense of love for Odette, gives her an oath of eternal loyalty.

Odette and Siegfried's conversation was overheard by the evil genius who lived in the ruins of the castle.

It's dawn. Girls again must turn into swans. Siegfried is confident in the strength and immutability of his feelings. He will free Odette from the power of the sorcerer!


The third act

A solemn ball in the castle of an influential princess. The guests are invited to the celebration. Girls come to the ball. Of these, Siegfried must choose a bride. The prince appears. He turns away coldly from the girls: Siegfried is full of memories of the beautiful Odette.

But here comes an unfamiliar guest, he brought his daughter Odile, strikingly similar to Odette, to the ball. Odile seeks to charm Siegfried.

The prince takes Odile for Odette and announces to the mother about his decision to marry her.

Odile and her father, who turned out to be an evil genius, triumph: the prince violated his oath given to Odette, and now she and her friends will never be free from sorcery. Siegfried hurries to the lake in despair.

The forth act

Shore of the lake. Gloomy, disturbing night. Shocked by her grief, Odette tells her friends about the siege of Siegfried. Girls-swans yearn: their hope of liberation is lost.

Siegfried rushes in. He did not violate his oath: there, in the castle, he took Odile for Odette, and her love confession was drawn to her.

Evil genius in a fury calls nature forces against the lovers: a storm begins, and lightning flashes. But nothing can separate Odette and Siegfried. Then the evil genius himself enters into single combat with the prince and perishes. With his death, his evil spells disappear.