Matthew Bourne, a British director, is known for his ballet, in which all swans are men. After watching this ballet online, it seems that this change was not done for shocking the viewers. This version of “Swan Lake” is a humanistic and light performance with completely original choreography (Scicluna). The action takes place today, and many people have recognized the UK in the visual realities of ballet. This is a story about loneliness and the fact that it is impossible and dangerous to go against the crowd, whether you are a bird or an ordinary person.
The storyline of Bourne’s ballet is different from its classical basis. In a dream, the young prince sees a young swan, but in reality, he and his mother queen live a boring routine life, consisting of a cycle of official ceremonies. Bourne builds the drama of the play, going largely from music and using the inherent emotions, moods, and even rhythms. At the same time, the director gives them a different meaning (Lozakovich). For example, an episode with a disco in a night bar is played out with a polonaise. Another vulgar girlfriend infuriates the queen and embarrasses the prince. The queen leaves, but after it, he rushes into a bar located in some city backyards. The prince is thrown out of there, and this shameful moment is captured by the ubiquitous paparazzi, while the drunken sailors beat this royal blood. Offended and alone, the prince wanders into an empty park in the middle of the night, where he encounters a flock of swans – cute, but wild and quite aggressive creatures.
The key of this ballet is accuracy and precision in execution. It seemed that the prince and swans were not just dancing to the music, but living with it. The main feature of Bourne’s performance is the men’s corps de ballet, replacing the women’s version, which is familiar to many (“Matthew Bourne΄s Swan Lake”). Bourne brought his swans to the stage about one hundred years after the initial play by Tchaikovsky. Bourne’s swans seem to resemble snow-white lake creatures, which are elegantly gliding along the lake surface, but they are also wild, physically strong, with a huge wingspan, aggressive and capable of attack, especially if one needs to protect small ones. (Lozakovich) One can say that the director managed to perform a miracle as his swans are beautiful, terrifying, and amazing.
In “Swan Lake”, symphony is carried out mainly in the field of classical dance. Everything new that was outlined in Tchaikovsky’s ballet is in many respects intuitive and thoughtfully implemented and developed. A storm of heroes’ feelings sounds in the orchestra, merging on the stage with the raging elements. The growing sound of the main theme – the swan song – is intended to characterize the growing determination of the heroes, the rebellion of their spirit, and fearlessness in the face of imminent death. The main thing that determines the artistic value and vitality of the music of “Swan Lake” is the humanity of the images of the ballet. The experiences of fantastic characters are so close to the world of real feelings that they excite them as a drama of reality, and not as a symbolic action. Thus, Bourne’s ballet should be recommended to watch for everyone who values innovations and new interpretations of classical works by the greatest compositors and directors.
Works Cited
Lozakovich, Daniel. “Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, 2012 – Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky – Richard Winsor, Dominic North, Nina Goldman – New Adventures Dance Company, Matthew Bourne, Ross MacGibbon – The New London Orchestra, David Lloyd-Jones (HD 1080p).” Faces of Classical Music, Web.
“Matthew Bourne΄s Swan Lake, 2012 – P. I. Tchaikovsky – Richard Winsor, Dominic North (HD 1080p).” YouTube, uploaded by Faces of Classical Music, Web.
Scicluna, Ken. “Swan Lake: Everything You Need to Know about Tchaikovsky’s Famous Ballet.”France Musique, Web.