Swan Lake, The National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus

The National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus is the main musical and theatrical scene and one of the symbols of the country's culture.

The theater collects the best artistic people of the country. Ballet troupe consists of 120 artists; many of them have honorary titles and awards at prestigious international competitions.

The establishment of the national repertoire is always combined with the creative development of classical ballet. The directors and actors of the theater carefully recreate the performances, which were created by the classics of 18-19th-century Western European and Russian choreography. The performances of classical ballet take an important place in the repertoire: "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" by P.

Tchaikovsky, "La Bayadere" and "Don Quixote" by L. Minkus, "Giselle, or Vilis" by A. Adana, "Esmeralda" by C. Puni, "La Sylphide" by H. Levenskholda and others.

Performances created by a new generation of Belarusian choreographers are marked by unique conception, novelty of the creative pursuits, stylistic diversity.

Over the past 15 years, the ballet troupe of The National Academic Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus has visited more than 30 countries around the world, moreover, at some countries gave performance more than once.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake

ballet in three acts

Libretto: Vladimir Begichev, Vasily Geltser

Version by the People's Artist of Belarus Yury Troyan and Aleksandra Tikhomirova

The performance contains choreogrpahy by Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, Alexander Gorsky, Yury Troyan, Aleksandra Tikhomirova (the 3rd act)

Designer: laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Ernst Heidebrecht

Costume Designer – Eleonora Grigoruk

Conductors: Honoured Artist of Ukraine Viktor Ploskina, Honoured Art Worker of the Republic of Belarus Nikolai Koliadko, Andrey Galanov, Oleg Lesun

Running time: 2 hours 45 minutes

Performed with two intervals

The first act

The first sceneA young prince Siegfried celebrates his majority. The celebration is interrupted by his mother, the Sovereign Princess. She is displeased with the life of joy that her son lives and wants him to marry. A feeling of sadness stole over the prince: the time of youth and entertainment is over. After The Sovereign Princess leaves, the celebration continues. It’s getting dark. Siegfried is sad: he doesn’t want to part with the life of joy among his friends, but at the same time he dreams of pure and unearthly love.Obeying his vague hunches he leaves his company and goes out hunting. The second sceneThe prince comes to a bank of a fantastic lake. The swan maidens appear enchanted by the sorcerer Von Rothbart. Only at night they get their human shape back. Siegfried meets the Swan Queen, beautiful Odette. Her beauty fascinates the prince and he swears eternal love to her. Only a sincere and inevitably feeling can save the maidens from the sorcerer. Siegfried is secured in his affection – he’ll save Odette from the power of the enchanter. The dawn is at hand. The maidens have to turn into swans again.

The second act Noble men came to the ball at the castle of the Sovereign Princess with their daughters, among which the prince should choose his bride. In the midst of the ball an unknown knight with his beautiful daughter appears. It’s Von Rothbart with Odile that is amazingly similar to the Swan Queen. Siegfried is sure that it’s Odette. Von Rothbart orders Odile to draw love expression out of the prince. Siegfried announces his decision to marry the daughter of an unknown knight to his mother. The evil genius triumphs, the oath is broken, now Odette and the maidens will die. Odile and Rothbart disappear, and Siegfried understands that he broke the oath made to Odette. In despair he gravitates toward the lake.

The third act The bank of the lake. An obscure and anxious night. Waiting for Odette the maidens reel. Odette appears with tragic news: the prince broke the oath, the hope of rescue is lost. Von Rothbart appears. He makes a spell to perish Odette. But Siegfried comes to the rescue. He implores forgiveness, because there, in the castle he saw her and the words of love were spoken at her. And if nothing can save them, he’ll die together with her. Natural power, enchanted by Von Rothbart turns against the lovers. Good and evil match against each other for the last time. But nothing can do Siegfried and Odette apart: the spell of Von Rothbart dash against the power of love. The dawn is at hand. The unspelled swan maidens, Odette and Siegfried greet the rays of the rising sun.

May 30-31, 2017 Opera House, National Center for the Performing Arts