When Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake first premiered in 1877 at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, it was met with unanimous criticism and chastised as “too noisy”, “too ‘Wagnerian’" and “too symphonic” for audiences. Well, fast forward centuries – and countless iterations – later, Swan Lake has pirouetted itself from a noisy duckling into possibly the greatest ballet ever.
And now, to celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Australian Ballet is delivering a brand new interpretation of Swan Lake. Directed by David Hallberg, the production will revisit the traditional ballet through a contemporary lens, paying homage to its past while celebrating its future.
Running from September 19-30 at Arts Centre Melbourne, Swan Lake tells the story of Prince Siegfried who falls in love with Princess Odette. But Odette and her companions transform into swans under the spell cast by evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart and spend their days gliding on a lake only to return to human form at night. The only thing that can break the curse is true love and Rothbart will do anything in his power to stop it.
Unfolding to Tchaikovsky’s immortal score, Swan Lake is a story of doomed love and no doubt this new interpretation from the Australian Ballet will spring new life into the timeless fairytale.
Swan Lake will run at the Arts Centre Melbourne from September 19-30, 2023. To view performance times and purchase tickets, visit the Australian Ballet website here.
