Tchaikowsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20 - André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra (Complete Ballet)

TCHAIKOVSKY Swan Lake The Complete Ballet, Op. 20 Swan Lake has long been established as the most popular of classic ballets, a summit of achievement in the theatre for every major classical ballet company, and a continuing delight to listeners through the eloquence and charm of Tchaikovsky's music. Its humble beginnings are to be found in a short children's entertainment by the famsky's sister, Alexandra Davidova and their friends at Kamenka, the Davidov home in the Kiev region where the composer often went to stay in the summer. It was performed there as a children's ballet in 1871 and, although no score of this has survived, there is evidence to suggest that some of the musical ideas were used again when, four years later, Tchaikovsky received a commission from the directorate of the Moscow theatres for a four-act ballet on the Swan Lake subject, at an agreed fee of 800 roubles. Tchaikovsky at this time was a melancholy, introspective man of 35, with his first three symphonies already composed, as well as the B-flat minor Piano Concerto which Nikolai Rubinstein the director of the Conservatory where Tchaikovsky taught, had dismissed as worthless and unplayable the previous December. Tchaikovsky told Rimsky-Korsakov that he accepted the commission partly because he needed the money and also because he had in any case wanted to compose a ballet - there had been an earlier plan in 1870 for a Cinderella hallet, but this never went beyond the preliminary ideas. The composition of Swan Lake occupied him at Kamenka and elsewhere throughout most of 1875 and was finished the following April. As well as the children's ballet, there are other thematic ideas taken from his earlier operas, The Voyevode and Undine. Another year went by before the ballet first reached the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow on February 20, 1877 (according to the Old Style calendar then in use). Track List 00:00 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: Introduction - No. 1, Scene. Allegro giusto 05:45 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 2, Waltz 13:01 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 3, Scene. Allegro moderato 16:45 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 4, Pas de trois 26:43 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 5, Pas de deux for Two Merry-Makers 38:28 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 6, Pas d'action. Andantino, quasi moderato - Allegro 40:27 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 7, Sujet 41:11 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 8, Dance with Goblets 46:16 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 1: No. 9, Finale. Andante 48:55 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 10, Scene. Moderato 51:42 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 11, Scene. Allegro moderato - Moderato - Allegro vivo 56:41 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 12, Scene. Allegro - Moderato assai quasi andante 1:00:01 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 13, Dances of the Swans 1:17:52 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 2: No. 14, Scene. Moderato 1:20:52 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 15, Scene. March - Allegro giusto 1:23:22 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 16, Ballabile. Dance of the Guests and the Dwarfs 1:26:04 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 17, Entrance of the Guests and Waltz 1:34:14 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 18, Scene. Allegro - Allegro giusto 1:35:51 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 19, Pas de six 1:48:51 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3, Appendix I: Pas de deux 1:57:15 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 20, Hungarian Dance "Czárdás" 2:00:10 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3, Appendix II: No. 20a, Russian Dance 2:04:33 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 21, Spanish Dance 2:07:03 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 22, Neapolitan Dance 2:09:23 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 23, Mazurka 2:13:33 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 3: No. 24, Scene. Allegro - Valse - Allegro vivo 2:17:14 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 4: No. 25, Entr'acte 2:19:05 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 4: No. 26, Scene. Allegro ma non troppo 2:21:28 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 4: No. 27, Dance of the Little Swans 2:25:52 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 4: No. 28, Scene. Allegro agitato 2:28:57 - Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act 4: No. 29, Finale André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra Solo Violin: Ida Haendel Solo Cello: Douglas Cummings Recorded: 26-28.V & 8-10.VI.1976, Kingsway Hall, London (STEREO) Producer: Christopher Bishop · Balance engineer: Christopher Parker First release as EMI SLS 5070 Remastered in 2011 from original master tapes at Abbey Road Studios