Opera and Ballet as Audio Drama with Music, Episode 4: Swan Lake

"Swan Lake" tells the love story of Prince Siegfried and Odette, who has been transformed by the sorcerer Rothbart into the Swan Queen. Prince Siegfried comes of age and celebrates his twenty-first birthday in the palace gardens. The next day he is expected to choose his future bride at the court ball. Near the castle, on the shores of Swan Lake, the swan maiden Odette emerges from the water in the moonlight. Siegfried is overwhelmed by her beauty and at once vows his love and fidelity. The curse should now be broken, yet Rothbart has plans of his own for Odette.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was a Russian composer whose ballets "Swan Lake", "The Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker" became cornerstones of the repertoire. He studied at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory and later taught in Moscow, developing a melodic style that blends Western forms with Russian colour. His music gained international acclaim during his lifetime and he conducted the premiere of his "Symphony No. 6 'Pathétique'" in 1893 shortly before his death.