Prince Siegfried falls in love with the beautiful Odette, but then mistakes his beloved for the lovely Odile. Blinded by Odile's seductive powers, he makes a fatal mistake: he breaks his vow of fidelity and condemns Odette to remain trapped in the body of a swan.
What Hamlet is to the theater, Swan Lake is to classical ballet. The ballet fairy tale about the enchanted swan women set to Tchaikovsky's late Romantic composition delights both die-hard fans and newcomers worldwide and should not be missing from any ballet repertoire. John Cranko also created his own version of Swan Lake - which was regarded as groundbreaking for the subsequent staging history of the material.
Cranko transformed the previously one-dimensional role of the prince into a very human, even flawed Siegfried. Crushed by the social expectations of a future king, he leaves home on the eve of his 18th birthday. He ends up at the titular Swan Lake, where he meets a group of women, including Princess Odette. They have been transformed into swans by the sorcerer Redbeard. Only unconditional love can save them. Siegfried swears his loyalty to her, but the next day, Redbeard appears at the celebrations for Siegfried's birthday and with him the beautiful Odile, who resembles Odette to a tee. The evil deception succeeds; Siegfried falls for the ruse. And so, in the end, not only does Odette remain a swan in the hands of the sorcerer, but Siegfried also loses his life in the waves of the lake after a final reunion with her.
April 6 to July 20, 2024
