Schwanensee - Schedule, Program & Tickets

A ballet dream: "Swan Lake"

International Festival Ballet presents a feast of beauty, elegance and grace. A consummate work of art with live orchestral accompaniment

Music: P. I. Tchaikovsky

Choreography: L. Ivanov and M. Petipa

Editor Alex Bogutsky

Stage design and costumes: V. Okunev

The International Festival Ballet presents one of the most famous ballets to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake".

For many, "Swan Lake" is synonymous with ballet. The romantic fairy tale about the young Prince Siegfried, who falls in love with the swan princess Odetta and wants to free her from the evil spell of Duke Rothbart, is a story about the power of true love.

This ballet piece is part of the standard repertoire of all major companies. In particular, the Allegro Moderato from the Swan Dances of Act 2, choreographed by Lev Ivanov, has been the subject of countless parodies and is therefore known far beyond the ballet-interested public as the "Dance of the Four Little Swans". In short: an ingenious work by an ingenious composer and a crowd-puller for centuries.

"Swan Lake" is conjured up on stage by one of the best classical ballet ensembles, the International Festival Ballet. In addition, the grandiose stage design by the brilliant theater designer Vjatscheslav Okunev, who has worked for the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg and La Scala in Milan, among others, beautiful costumes and the boundless elegance and carefree lightness of the ballet ensemble ensure a dreamy and fairytale-like version of a classical ballet that continues to fascinate even after more than 100 years.

International Festival Ballet Ensemble dances on

Artistic Director Alex Bogutsky

Shocked and affected by Russia's inhumane war of aggression against Ukraine, the famous ballet changes its name to International Festival Ballet.

International Festival Ballet

With this change, the artists are expressing their crystal-clear position. The Festival Ballet is an international ballet that thinks beyond national borders and stands for understanding and coexistence in the poetry of art, music and dance. Since the beginning of the war, the artists have expressed their position against Russian aggression through numerous protest actions before each of their performances. This is why they are now also being threatened by Russia. The team, which also includes numerous Ukrainian dancers, naturally sees itself as a ballet of peace and cohesion between all peoples.

Artistically, the ballet represents the Russian school of classical ballet in its purest form. Strict elegance combined with modern and 21st century influences, in other words a dance performance in a class of its own - and all this in conjunction with magnificent costumes and splendid stage sets.

In the new season, the International Festival Ballet is once again presenting a very special jewel of classical ballet: "Swan Lake".

The immortal ballet classics by Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky are known all over the world and enchant people of all ages. Everyone knows the romantic story of "Swan Lake" with the white and the black swan, which has become synonymous with the elegance of classical ballet at the highest level. The centuries-old sleep of Sleeping Beauty, from which only the love of a prince can release her, has captivated audiences for generations. And the story of the ballet "Nutcracker" offers the perfect winter and Christmas magic for the whole family. The unique performances of the International Festival Ballet bring popular ballets to life in ravishing beauty and perfection.

Classical ballet has a long tradition in Eastern Europe, which is still cultivated today. The country has produced many famous prima ballerinas, dancers and choreographers. The renowned Russian ballet schools are known for their high standard and rigor, and the students for their motivation, ambition and enormous talent. The 42 dancers of the International Festival Ballet have also gone through this tough school, be it the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, the Moscow Choreography Academy, the ballet school in Ufa or the ballet academy in Perm. They have all worked at the most important ballet theaters in Russia, Ukraine and Moldova and have won numerous prizes at international ballet festivals and competitions. Together they have become one of the most aesthetically and technically successful ballet companies not only in Eastern Europe, but also worldwide as part of the International Festival Ballet. In addition to an absolutely precise dance technique, this ballet is characterized at a high level by a harmonious and coherent overall picture and elegant lightness. The International Festival Ballet shines with a perfect dance performance that takes the audience's breath away.

FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA

Artistic Director & Conductor Normunds Vaicis

The Festival Orchestra was founded by talented musicians from Moldova, Ukraine and Latvia. The artistic director and chief conductor is the renowned conductor Normunds Vaicis. The orchestra's repertoire includes works by Ravel, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Massenet, Faure and Albegis, Gounod and many others. Music from classical ballets such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Don Quixote and many others is a central part of the repertoire. The orchestra has worked with renowned ballet ensembles from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. The Festival Orchestra has performed with great success in France, Great Britain, Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and other European countries and, despite its relatively small size, has established itself as one of the best ballet orchestras in Europe. In the near future they will be performing Russian ballet seasons for the renowned International Festival Ballet in Scandinavia, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria.

Subject to change without notice.