Composer Partly Wanted The Money

Radio Record, Volume XII, Issue 33, 27 January 1939, Page 39

Composer Partly Wanted The Money

Why Tschaikovsky Wrote His Ballet

(COMPOSER Tschaikovsky, writing to Rimsky-Korsakov in 1875, gave his fellow musician some sidelights on Moscow’s musical doings, among which is this item of information: "The Opera Direction has commissioned me to write music for ‘The Swan Lake.’ I aceepted the work, partly because I want the money, but also because ‘I have long had a wish to try my hand at this kind of music." At first, however, the "Swan Lake Ballet" was not a success, because it was poorly staged and executed. The ballet master was devoid of imagination, and the orchestra was eonducted by an amateur unused to such complicated scores. "Swan wake" is the earliest of ¥schaikovsky’s ballets, and is an excellent example of the type of "ejassical" ballet which flourished in Russia in the hey-day of the Pzardom. Story of the ballet is about a young knight, Siegfried, who has reached marriageable years, but is still heart-whole. His mother wishes him to make his choice, and gives a great feast for this purpose. On the preceding evening Siegfried sees a flock of swans, and goes with his friends to hunt them, but the swans he Las seen are the Princess Odetta and her attendant ‘maidens, changed by magic and condemned by a demon to fly about in the daytime as swans, and resume their human form only at night. Siegfried sees Odetta and falls in love with her. She telis him of her pitiful fate, from which she can only be saved by the love and faithfulness of a pure heart. Siegfried declares he will be her knight. Odetta warns him that from the

moment he is unfaithful to her she will fall for all time into the power of the evil one. In order to prevent the betrothal of Odetta, the demon appears at the feast, accompanied by his daughter Odelia, to whom he has given the form of Odetta. Siegfried choses her for his bride, and is therefore unfaithful to Odetta, who must now be sacrificed to the demon. Odetta, however, escapes her fate by throwing herself into the water at night time, when she has human form. When Siegfried discovers his error and hears of Odetta’s death, he also puts an end to his life, but the souls of both are reunited in the magic world of everlasting happiness. 2YA listeners are to hear the music of Tschaikovsky’s "Swan Lake" Ballet, as an imaginary ’ broadcast re-creating the atmosphere of the theatre during the season of the Ballet. This will be a 2YA feature on Tuesday, January 31.