World's most popular ballet, Swan Lake, "restored" and premiered today in Minsk

15 мая 2021

The new ballet version was produced by the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus Artistic and Stage Director Valentin Yelizariev.

Tchaikovsky's first ballet premiered in Moscow in 1877 and was called a failure. The ballet was described as boring and mundane. Plus, the composer was accused of an excessive love for kettledrums. After the death of the composer, thanks to Petipa and Ivanov, it became one of the most popular ballets in the world. In Minsk it was first performed in 1937. After Asaf Messerer's production of the 1960s, not a single season of the Bolshoi has been without a romantic ballet.

Valentin Yelizaryev, People's Artiste of the USSR, Artistic Director of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus: "I have tried to fit in the heritage we cherish very much. The play is very difficult. The company is very fond of it, foreign impresarios love it very much, and we have already had several invitations. And I hope that Swan Lake, revealing the potential of our company, will be in great demand".

Yelizaryev has changed the structure of the production, restoring the lost mise en scène. Okunev, People's Artist of Russia, has worked on the new sets. And the lighting design gave depth to the Swan Castle and the lake, and of course, highlighted the new costumes.

The Belarusian version of Swan Lake has a happy end.