Pyotr Ilyitch Tchaikovski (1840-1893)
Le Lac des cygnes op. 20, ballet en 4 actes

Natalia Osipova
Matthew Golding
Elizabeth McGorian
Gary Avis
Alastair Marriott
Valeri Hristov
Orchestre du Royal Opera House
Boris Gruzin, direction
Marius Petipa et Lev Ivanov, chorégraphie

This magnificent Royal Ballet production of Swan Lake is an unforgettable experience. Anthony Dowell’s interpretation of Petipa and Ivanov’s 1895 St Petersburg version set a standard and style that made it a ‘yardstick for others’ (New York Times). Wonderful choreography for the entire company includes the coveted double role of the gentle and vulnerable swan queen Odette and her predatory alter-ego, the black swan Odile. It is a challenge relished by principal ballerinas, and is danced here in a spell-binding performance by Natalia Osipova, partnered by Matthew Golding as a powerful and empathetic Prince Siegfried. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score shines, given the full force of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Boris Gruzin, and Yolanda Sonnabend’s detailed, Fabergé-inspired designs evoke the atmosphere of Imperial Russia in the era of the ballet's creation.