Famous works · Romantic
Swan Lake, Op. 20
Composed 1875–1876 · premiered 1877, Moscow
Tchaikovsky's first ballet, a failure at first and later the most famous ballet of all.
The story behind it
The Bolshoi Theatre commissioned it. The 1877 premiere was poorly staged and received coolly.
Its triumph came after Tchaikovsky's death, in the 1895 St Petersburg revival choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov.
Tchaikovsky treated ballet music as seriously as a symphony, which was unusual at the time.
What to listen for
- The oboe's swan theme over shimmering strings.
- The Dance of the Little Swans.