Show: Swan Lake
Location: Empire Theatre, Liverpool
Date: Wednesday 28th February 2022
Time: 19.30
Running Time: 170 minutes incl. intervals
Production Company: English National Ballet
The ageless theatre story of love and betrayal, Tchaikovsky’s timeless classic is one that has to be seen to be believed. The English National Ballet’s production dazzles with its array of gravity-defying performers and a dynamic orchestra, working together to create a performance that you must see once in your life, even with no prior knowledge of ballet.
Synopsis Of Swan Lake
Divided into a Prologue and four Acts, Swan Lake tells the story of Princess Odette, who is kidnapped and turned into a swan by Rothbart, a wicked and cunning sorcerer. Half-man, half-bird, his spell condemns her to a life by the lakeside, and she is powerless to act.
We are then introduced to Prince Siegfried, who is soon to celebrate his birthday. However, the joy and preparations for his celebration are overshadowed by his mother, the Queen’s request for him to find a woman to marry. The prince is left alone to think about this sudden quest. Gifted with a crossbow, he sets off towards the lake in pursuit of the swans flying overhead, which we learn are swan maidens, doomed by Rothbart to live out the same fate as Odette, Queen of the Swans.
Upon first glance, Siegfried is enthralled by Odette’s beauty and swears undying love and faithfulness to her. However, the swans are still under the ever-looming eye of the sorcerer, who swoops in to separate the lovers.
Celebrations
At the Great Hall of the Palace, celebrations begin, with guests from all around the world arriving. The Queen’s best efforts to secure her son a wife, presenting six princesses for him to select from, are in vain as his heart is set on marrying Odette. However, evil comes into play as Rothbert arrives with his daughter Odile, who is disguised as Odette. Quite literally dancing into his trap, Prince Siegfried falls for who he believes is his beloved Odette, while the real Swan Queen frantically pleads at the window.
Through this performance we watch the prince spiral into his own hamartia: his promise to Odette is broken without his knowledge, as he swears undying love to Odile. Rothbert gleefully reveals the deceit, summoning the Swan Queen to show the prince his betrayal of Odette for Odile. Devastated and desperate, Siegfried immediately flees to find Odette and plea for her forgiveness.
With a kingdom in chaos and love in peril, Siegfried eventually finds Odette at the lake’s edge. The pair reconcile, and for a fleeting moment it is believed that all can be saved: Odette forgives the prince. However, in a final devastating blow, Rothbert returns to taunt Siegfried with a reminder of his promise to Odile, and following a fight, the Swan Queen throws herself into the lake with her lover following.
Yet all is by far lost: this act of true love destroys Rothbert’s evil spell and the lovers are finally united in eternal love. The final stage shows the lovers gliding away together, surrounded by the elegant swans.
Analysis Of Swan Lake
It is truly impossible to pinpoint any flaws to Swan Lake. For anyone who is a total newbie to ballet, the story is set to music and there is no dialogue spoken throughout. The sheer passion and power of the live orchestra does everything that speaking could do and more; no words could convey the story better and there is simply no place for dialogue here. Every twirl, step, leap, and lift is matched to music down to the minute detail; not one move is missed.
Aside from this, the music captures every drop of emotion conveyed by the performers. Through alternating speed and dynamics, the orchestra is layered to create the softness of love, the joviality of playfulness, and, most memorably, the danger and fear of battle and pain of betrayal. This thunderous and roaring music of the battle, accompanied by interjections of lightning, is a particular moment that stayed with me as a first-time viewer.
Music aside, the performers can only be summarised as ethereal – I am still trying to comprehend how human beings can emulate the soft fluttering motions of swans with such elegance and precision. The image of the swan maidens enveloped by the cool billowing mist is a particularly poignant example of the ballet’s mis-en-scène: the performers are synchronised down to every minute head tilt, and work to truly captivate the audience. However, this is not to say that the swans play the same character.
Heartbreaking
Through the various different performances delivered by individual swans throughout the production, they capture their playfulness (enter Dance of the Little Swans) but also their fear when the sorcerer appears, and a sense of sorrow that is both beautiful and heartbreaking. Furthermore, the performers show with such effortless the power of ballet to be not only gentle and softly spoken, but also powerful, brutal and domineering. We are witness to this in the sorcerer’s unforgiving command of the swan maidens and the passionate blows delivered in the struggle between Siegfried and Odette against Rothbert.
The array of dances in the celebration scene of Swan Lake was another particularly illuminating moment for me. The display of national dances kept the audience ever enthralled and as though we too were celebrating. The warmness of the stage through its use of lighting and costume made us feel joyous, yet darkness is woven in through the interjection of the cunning Odile and the illuminated window which shows Odette’s frantic pleading from the cold outside. We are thoroughly enchanted and hypnotised, ready for the sharp jolt back into the story’s dark ending.
Summary Of Swan Lake
As an audience member, I was truly moved by the performance, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, not to be. Swan Lake proves that a million words can be spoken through the power of music and dance. A truly mesmerising experience, this is a performance that is not to be missed.
Notes
Target Audience: Ages 10+
Content: Death
Recommendation?: Yes
Overall Rating: 9/10 – Outstanding
The Review
As an audience member, I was truly moved by the performance, and it would be difficult, if not impossible, not to be. Swan Lake proves that a million words can be spoken through the power of music and dance. A truly mesmerising experience, this is a performance that is not to be missed.
