Swan Lake Theme

 

天鵝湖（俄語：Лебединое Озеро）原為柴科夫斯基於1875年-1876年間為莫斯科帝國歌劇院所作的芭蕾舞劇，於1877年2月20日在莫斯科大劇院首演，之後作曲家將原作改編成了在音樂會上演奏的《天鵝湖》組曲，組曲出版於1900年11月。而整部芭蕾的作品編號為OP.20。天鵝湖是世界上最出名的芭蕾舞劇，也是所有古典芭蕾舞團的保留劇目。

這是柴可夫斯基所作的第一部舞曲，取材於民間傳說，劇情為：公主奧傑塔在天鵝湖畔被惡魔變成了白天鵝。王子齊格費裏德遊天鵝湖，深深愛戀奧傑塔。王子挑選新娘之夜，惡魔讓他的女兒黑天鵝偽裝成奧傑塔以欺騙王子。王子差一點受騙，最終及時發現，奮擊惡魔，撲殺之。白天鵝恢複公主原形，與王子結合，以美滿結局。
 
天鵝湖主題曲在全劇中多次出現。你現在聽到的應是第2幕緊接在“小天鵝舞”後的音樂，齊格費裏德對奧傑塔一見鍾情，兩人充滿抒情氣氛的雙人舞音樂。 

(以上內容根據網絡資料改編)

 
 


 天鵝湖主題曲配上圖片



 
 

天鵝湖故事情節（英文）：

 Act I
 
Prince Siegfried arrives at his 21st birthday celebration on the palace courtyards to find all of the royal families and townspeople dancing and celebrating, while the young girls are anxiously seeking his attention. During the exquisite celebration, his mother gives him crossbow and informs him that because he is of age now, his marriage will be quickly arranged. Hit with the sudden realization of his future responsibilities, he takes his crossbow and makes haste to the woods with his hunting buddies.

Act 2

Getting ahead of the group, Prince Siegfried finds himself a peaceful spot by an enchanted lake where swans gently float across its surface. While Siegfried watches, he spots the most beautiful swan with a crown on its head. His buddies soon catch up, but he orders them to leave so he can be by himself. As dusk falls, the swan with the crown turns into the most beautiful young woman he has ever seen. Her name is Odette, the Swan Queen. She informs the young prince that an evil sorcerer, Von Rothbart, who so happens to be disguised as Prince Siegfried’s mentor, has turned her and the other girls into swans and that the lake was formed by the tears of their parents' weeping. She tells him that the only way the spell could be broken is if a man, pure in heart, pledges his love to her. The Prince, about to confess his love for her, is quickly interrupted by the evil sorcerer. He takes Odette from Prince Siegfried’s embrace and commands all of the swan maidens to dance upon the lake and its shore so that the prince cannot chase them. Prince Siegfried is left all alone on the shore of Swan Lake.

Act 3

The next day at the formal celebration in the Royal Hall, Prince Siegfried is presented with many prospective princesses. Although the princesses are worthy of his attention, he cannot stop thinking about Odette. His mother commands him to choose a bride, but he cannot. For the mean time, he satisfies his mother's request by at least dancing with them. While the prince is dancing, trumpets announce the arrival of Von Rothbart. He brings his daughter, Odile, on whom he has cast a spell to appear as Odette. The prince is captivated by her beauty as he dances with the imposter. Unbeknownst to Prince Siegfried, the true Odette is watching him from a window. The prince soon confesses his love to Odile, thinking that she is Odette. To Odette’s horror, she flees into the night. Prince Siegfried sees the real Odette fleeing from the window and realizes his mistake. Upon his realization, Von Rothbart reveals to the prince the true appearance of his daughter Odile. Prince Siegfried quickly leaves the party and chases after Odette.

Act 4

Odette has fled back to the lake and joined the rest of the girls in sadness. Prince Siegfried finds them gathered at the shore consoling each other. He explains to Odette the trickery of Von Rothbart and she grants him her forgiveness. It isn’t long before when Von Rothbart and Odile appear in their evil, un-human, somewhat bird like forms. Von Rothbart tells the prince that he must stick to his word and marry his daughter. A fight quickly follows. Prince Siegfried tells Von Rothbart that he would rather die with Odette than to marry Odile. He then takes Odette’s hand and together they jump into the lake. The spell is broken and the remaining swans turn back into humans. They quickly drive Von Rothbart and Odile into the water where they, too, drown. The girls watch the spirits of Prince Siegfried and Odette ascend into the heavens above Swan Lake.
 
 
Source: http://classicalmusic.about.com/od/balletsynopses/a/swanlakestory.htm