Swan Lake

PROLOGUE (1884)

Infatuation
While twelve-year-old Princess Alix of Hesse is visiting St. Petersburg, Tsarevich Nicky, four years her senior, and an admirer of Tchaikovsky’s music, hears a melody from Swan Lake. It is young Alix playing the piano, her eyes fixed on a beloved toy swan. Nicky is enchanted by the sight of the dreamy little girl and, inspired, he joins her in playing the piano. When Tsar Alexander enters the music room, the governess hurriedly leads Alix away. Disconcerted, Nicky stops playing and, clutching the little girl’s swan, obediently leaves under his father’s reprimanding gaze. The tsar doesn’t approve of the crown prince’s romantic raptures, so he takes the princess’s toy away.

ACT I (1890)

Scene 1. The Legation
Six years later, envoys from the Duchy of Hesse come to the Russian court to arrange a marriage between Princess Alix and the heir to the Russian throne. A ball is in progress at the palace, and Nicky’s aide-de-camp, Volkov the hussar, is showing off. In anticipation of the tsarevich’s arrival, he proposes a ballet performance. Volkov introduces two young ballerinas, Mathilde Kschessinska of Polish descent and Olga Preobrajenska who is Russian, to the imperial family. The three of them then perform a dance. The crown prince finally arrives. Nicky notices Mathilde as she leaves, but the Hessian envoys approach, carrying a portrait of their princess lost in a book. The tsarevich is enchanted with the picture of his youthful love, but the tsar firmly turns down the Hessian mission. Alix has also sent Nicky her favourite fairy tale about enchanted swans, but the tsar is outraged at the princess’s premature gift to his son and angrily leaves the room with his family. Nicky feels deeply hurt by his father’s arrogance and humiliated in the eyes of the court. He transfers his feelings to the book knocked down by his father, and it makes him long even more for Alix.

ACT II (1890)

ACT III (1894)

Scene 4. The Masked Ball
Four years later Mathilde is the prima ballerina of the imperial theatre and the crown prince’s mistress, receiving the best company at her elegant residence. Aware of Nicky’s weakness for the romantic fairy tale about enchanted swans, she has ordered her conservatory to be decorated accordingly. The tsarevich is delighted, as he feels like he was dreaming, despite the fact that the dances at the masked ball don’t quite fit in with the poetic world of his dreams. When Mathilde realizes this, she slips away at Olga’s advice, only to return a short while later in a swan costume. Thrilled by her new incarnation, Nicky loses his detachment and happily surrenders to her charms. Kschessinski tries to curb his daughter’s behaviour, but she is out of control. Amidst the fun, worrying news arrives of Tsar Alexander’s illness. Nicky is in shock. As he was busy enjoying himself, he had forgotten about his father and his beloved Alix. He then wants to escape from reality.

Scene 5. Return to Alix
Again, solace comes from the imaginary world at the swan lake. Alix, betrayed, is still waiting for him among her swan companions. As the fairy-tale Odette, she forgives him for his infidelity, unfortunately not changing the tsar’s opposition. Nicky decides to fight for his love, even if it must be with his own father. When he finally frees himself from his father’s power, Odette turns into the real-life Princess Alix.

Scene 6. Farewell to Father
Tsar Alexander is very ill. Surrounded by his family, he waits only for the crown prince’s return. Arriving, Nicky notices with satisfaction that the entourage also includes his beloved Alix. In a gesture of remorse and appeasement, the tsar gives him back the worn toy swan that he took away from him all those years ago. He blesses his son’s love and dies, reconciled with him.

Scene 7. Farewell to Mathilde
Before marrying Alix the tsarevich wants to say goodbye to Mathilde. His former lover awaits him in the place that originally brought them together. She greets Nicky, who is mournfully pensive, as the new tsar. Sweet memories come flooding back, but the lake reminds him of Alix, resulting in the tsarevich bidding Mathilde farewell forever.

Epilogue (1896)

The tsar is dead, long live the tsar
A courtly procession in honour of Nicky’s coronation as the new Emperor Nicholas II and Alix as the new Empress Alexandra commences. The tsarevich’s childhood love has come true, but he faces the great unknown of ruling the empire. From now on he will only be able to see Mathilde on the stage of the imperial theatre…