3 Dances from Swan Lake (414.01) (Swan Lake, was the first of Tchaikowskys great ballet scores. It was first performed at the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877 and tells the fairy story of a princess, Odette, turned into a swan by a curse but rescued, eventually by Prince Seigfried. At its first performance the production was felt to be too complicated and was badly received. However, Tchaikowskys music escaped much criticism amd it soon became highly popular. The ballet was revised in 1895 and this version is the one generally performed today. The Scene is the opening to Act 2 when the Swans and their motive make their entrance. The Spanish and Neapolitan Dances come from the ball scene in Act 3. Performance notes: Scene: Keep the arpeggio figures in trombones 2/3 and flugel as unobtrusive as possible - simply provide texture and movement but without over-articulation. As the movement builds be careful to grade the crescendo so that it does not become to loud too soon. The repeated note accompaniment in the coda (tremelo in the original) should add texture but not be obtrusive - articulate clearly but gently. Spanish Dance: Play the accompaniment with rhythm and character but keep it very light when the melodic voices are present. The Piu mosso should also be played very lightly. Neapolitan Dance: A cut can be made from bar 44 to letter R if necessary. Play the first section with great personality then in the presto aim for clarity and precision. Some of the higher trumpet 1 music can be ommitted if necessary to facilitate accurate and elegant performance.)
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