Vladimir Bourmeister’s “Swan Lake”
Thank you to everyone who wrote to me about the “alternative” music used in some “Swan Lake” productions, specifically for the 32 fouettes, and to the anon who initiated this discussion with their question. This has been an educational experience.
The version of the ballet in question was choreographed by Vladimir Bourmeister (1904 - 1971) in the 1950s. Bourmeister was a Russian choreographer who was actually related to Tchaikovsky. He was head balletmaster at the Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow for a quarter of a century, though he also travelled extensively and worked with ballet companies all over Europe. In fact, he was the first Soviet Choreographer who was allowed to travel to the West. Bourmeister created 19 ballet, but “Swan Lake” is his major contribution to the ballet world and is the work he is most remembered for. Here’s a plot twist: Bourmeister had no classical ballet training.
Bourmeister valued emotion and character above technique and he wanted his “Swan Lake” to have a psychological “thriller” component. He was also very respectful and thorough when it came to studying his great-uncle’s original work. Bourmeister ended up using some early drafts of Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” score in his production, thereby introducing audiences to hitherto unheard parts of the timeless masterpiece.
The production was a huge success and many of the ballet stars of the time (including Maya Plisetskaya) expressed interest in performing in Bourmeister’s version of the ballet. Marina Semyonova was especially impressed with Bourmeister take on the ballet’s prologue, where Odette is transformed into a swan by the beating of Von Rothbart’s great wings.
Bourmeister’s “Swan Lake” at Teatro alla Scala. Roberto Bolle and Svetlana Zakharova:
Bourmeister’s “Swan Lake” at Stanislavsky Theatre. Evgenia Obraztsova - Swan Lake, Part 5 (Odile/Black Swan cont.)",
Bourmeister’s “Swan Lake” at Paris Opera Ballet. Patrick Dupond Marie Claude Pietragalla.
Further resources (Russia): A dissertation on Bourmeister, mini-doco on Bourmeister.
