T H E R O YA L B A L L E T
APPROXIMATE TIMINGS DIREC TOR KEVIN O’ HARE
FOU NDER DAME NINET TE DE VALOIS o m c h d b e
Live cinema relay begins at 7.15pm FOU NDER CHOREOGR APHER
Introduced by Darcey Bussell SIR FREDERICK ASHTON o m c h c b e
FOU NDER M USIC DIREC TOR CONSTANT L AMBERT
Acts I and II 70 minutes PRIMA BALLERINA ASSOLUTA
DAME MARGOT FONTE YN d b e
Cinema interval
Act III 34 minutes
Cinema interval
S WA N L A K E
Act IV 21 minutes
The live relay will end at approximately 10.25pm
Tweet your thoughts about tonight’s performance before it starts, BALLET IN FOUR ACTS
during the intervals or afterwards with #ROHswanlake
THESE PERFORMANCES ARE DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF
DEREK RENCHER , 1932–2014, FORMER PRINCIPAL DANCER
AND PRINCIPAL CHAR AC TER ARTIST OF THE ROYAL BALLET
2014/ 1 5 LIVE C I N EMA S E A SO N
CHOREOGRAPHY MARIUS PETIPA AND LEV IVANOV
RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY WEDNESDAY 1 APRIL 2015
ADDITIONAL CHOREOGRAPHY FREDERICK ASHTON (ACT III NEAPOLITAN DANCE)
LA FILLE MAL GARDÉE TUESDAY 5 MAY 2015
AND DAVID BINTLEY (ACT I WALTZ)
LA BOHÈME WEDNESDAY 10 JUNE 2015
GUILLAUME TELL SUNDAY 5 JULY 2015 MUSIC PYOTR IL’YICH TCHAIKOVSKY
PRODUCTION ANTHONY DOWELL
DESIGNS YOLANDA SONNABEND
POINTE SHOES LIGHTING DESIGN MARK HENDERSON
Royal Ballet dancers use more than 12,000 pairs of shoes every Season. PRODUCTION RESEARCH ROLAND JOHN WILEY
You can help support their extraordinary work. A gift of just £39 could buy STAGING CHRISTOPHER CARR
a pair of shoes for one of the swans. Visit www.roh.org.uk/pointe BALLET MISTRESS SAMANTHA RAINE
PRINCIPAL COACHING ALEXANDER AGADZHANOV, LESLEY COLLIER,
JONATHAN COPE, OLGA EVREINOFF
DANCE NOTATORS ANNA TREVIEN, GREGORY MISLIN
SWAN L AKE DIGITAL PROGR AMME
CONDUCTOR BORIS GRUZIN
Royal Opera House Digital Programmes bring together a range of specially
selected films, articles, pictures and features to bring you closer to the ORCHESTRA OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE
production. Buy yours to explore the story, the music and the background CO-CONCERT MASTER SERGEY LEVITIN
to The Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake, and for the most recent pictures
DIRECTED FOR THE SCREEN BY
and exclusives, visit www.roh.org.uk/publications
ROSS MACGIBBON
LIVE FROM THE
For more information about the Royal Opera House, to watch the ROYAL OPER A HOUSE
extra features from this performance again and to explore TUESDAY 17 MARCH 2015
our work further, visit www.roh.org.uk/cinema
AT 7.15PM
Siegfried and Odile then dance, and Odette, appearing as a vision, tries in vain to warn
THE STORY Siegfried that he is being deceived. Captivated by the beauty of the new guest and unaware
of the deception, Siegfried chooses Odile for his bride. Von Rothbart triumphantly takes his
ACT I daughter’s hand and gives it to Siegfried, who promises a vow of marriage and eternal love.
Final preparations are being made to celebrate Prince Siegfried’s coming of age. His tutor Von Rothbart reveals the vision of Odette, and Siegfried realizes his error. Grief-stricken, he
arrives to see that all is in order, followed by Benno (Siegfried’s close comrade), cadets and returns to the lake.
ladies of the court. Siegfried receives flowers from the peasants, and offers ribbons to the
Interval
girls and drink to the men. Three dancers perform a pas de trois as an entertainment for all.
Siegfried’s mother learns of the unofficial party and, as she approaches, hurried attempts
ACT IV
are made to conceal evidence of drinking. But she knows full well Siegfried’s love of the
By the lake, the swans are awaiting Odette’s return. She appears, distraught, and tells them
carefree life. She tells him he must choose a bride from among the eligible girls who will
of Siegfried’s betrayal. They try to console her, but she is resigned to death. To be free from
attend a ball the following evening. The tutor and Benno try to cheer Siegfried’s mood, and
the evil power she must perish in the waves of the lake. Siegfried’s desperate search through
convince him at last to resume the festivities.
the storm ends at the lakeside. Odette forgives him and they reaffirm their love.
The tutor, now drunk, insists on dancing with two young daughters of the ladies-in-
waiting. After he falls to the ground he is persuaded to return to the palace with Siegfried. Von Rothbart appears and declares that Siegfried must fulfil his vow to marry Odile.
Seeing a flock of swans in the evening sky, Siegfried and the cadets decide to finish the If he does, Odette will become a swan forever with the coming of dawn. Siegfried resolves
day’s festivities with a hunt. instead to die with her, which will destroy Von Rothbart. The lovers run to the cliff and
throw themselves into the lake below to be united in death.
Short pause Anthony Dowell
ACT II
Benno and the cadets stop in a clearing by the lakeside ruins of a chapel. Here an evil spirit
lurks in the form of an owl. The cadets move on to look for Siegfried, who arrives at the CAST
moment a flock of swans flies in to settle in the ruins. Siegfried hides as one of the swans
transforms into a beautiful maiden, the Swan Queen Odette. Frightened, she tells him that ODETTE/ODILE NATALIA OSIPOVA
she and her companions are victims of the evil spirit, who has cast a spell over them, making
them swans by day. Only at night by the enchanted lake, a lake of tears shed by Odette’s PRINCE SIEGFRIED MATTHEW GOLDING
mother, can they return to human form. The spell can be broken only if one who has never THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH MCGORIAN
loved before swears to love Odette forever. The evil spirit appears but Odette prevents SIEGFRIED’S MOTHER
Siegfried from shooting at him – if the spirit dies the spell can never be broken. AN EVIL SPIRIT GARY AVIS
The swan maidens appear from the ruins and surround Benno. He calls on his colleagues LATER VON ROTHBART
to fire, but Siegfried arrives and stops them. Odette begs the cadets not to harm the swan THE TUTOR ALASTAIR MARRIOTT
maidens. The cadets retire, leaving Siegfried alone with Odette and the maidens.
BENNO VALERI HRISTOV
Odette and Siegfried express their love for each other, but as dawn approaches the power
of the spell draws Odette and the maidens back to the ruins to become swans again. PAS DE TROIS (ACT I) FRANCESCA HAYWARD, YUHUI CHOE,
ALEXANDER CAMPBELL
Interval
CYGNETS (ACT II) FRANCESCA HAYWARD, MEAGHAN GRACE HINKIS,
ACT III EMMA MAGUIRE, YASMINE NAGHDI
Guests arrive in masks for a costume ball and Siegfried and Benno, also masked, mix with TWO SWANS (ACTS III AND IV) MELISSA HAMILTON, ITZIAR MENDIZABAL
them. The Princess commands Siegfried to dance with six young princesses and to choose
one to be his bride; he refuses, telling her he does not love any of them. SWANS, CYGNETS, PEASANTS, ARTISTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET
A fanfare announces the arrival of Von Rothbart, the evil spirit now in human form, his LADIES-IN-WAITING, CADETS, STUDENTS OF THE ROYAL BALLET SCHOOL
daughter Odile, who by magic resembles Odette, and an entourage. Siegfried cannot believe SERVANTS, PAGES, DWARVES
that Odette has appeared at the ball and asks Von Rothbart who she is. He tells him that she
is his daughter and, before Siegfried can approach her, starts an entertainment of national
CASTING IS CORRECT AT TIME OF PRINTING. DETAILS OF LIVE PERFORMANCE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
dances.
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