Swan Classical Music for Your Ears Only

Swan Classical Music is the perfect way to enjoy classical music. We offer a wide variety of music from different composers and artists.

Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky

Swan Lake is a ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failure, it is now one of the most popular ballets of all time. The scenario, initially in two acts, was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. The choreographer of the original production was Julius Reisinger (Václav Reisinger). The ballet was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet on 20 February 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Although it is presented in many different versions, most ballet companies base their productions both choreographically and musically on the revival of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, first staged for the Imperial Ballet on 15 January 1895, at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg.

Tchaikovsky’s score and Reisinger’s chorography are still intact in many productions today. Some notable productions include those by:

-Marius Petipa (1895)
-Lev Ivanov (1895)
-George Balanchine (1954)
-Rudolf Nureyev (1967)
-Matt Boardman (2000)

The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky

The ballet The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky is based on the story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann. It tells the story of a young girl who dreams of a nutcracker who comes to life and battle against an evil mouse king. The ballet was first performed in 1892 in Russia and has become one of the most popular ballets in the world.

Romeo and Juliet by Prokofiev

Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is one of the most popular ballets of all time. It was composed in 1935-36, and first performed in 1938. The ballet tells the story of the two star-crossed lovers from Shakespeare’s play, set to Prokofiev’s beautiful and dramatic music.

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic ballet, and the music reflects this. It is full of emotion, from the passionate love themes to the tragic ending. The music is also very powerful and stirring, making it perfect for a ballet performance.

Carmen by Bizet

Carmen is a French opera composed by Georges Bizet. The libretto is based on a novella of the same name by French writer Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed in 1875, and has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the entire repertoire.

The story of Carmen is set in Seville, Spain, and revolves around the eponymous gypsy woman. Carmen is a free spirit who lives life on her own terms, and she quickly becomes the object of desire for two men – the dashing soldier Don José and the suave toreador Escamillo. As their rivalry intensifies, Carmen’s fate becomes ever more uncertain…

Bizet’s Carmen is a hugely atmospheric work, full of color and passion. It features some of opera’s most famous melodies, including the ‘Habanera’, ‘Toreador Song’ and ‘Seguidilla’. If you’re new to opera, this is a great place to start!

The Four Seasons by Vivaldi

As the best-known work of Baroque composer Antonio Vivaldi, “The Four Seasons” is a set of four violin concerti that were each written to musically describe a season of the year.

The first concerto, “Spring,” is full of joyouseness and features concertmaster Joshua Bell playing the solo part on his 1713 Huberman Stradivarius violin. The second, “Summer,” reflects the heat and energy of the season with its fast tempo and virtuosic passages. Next is “Autumn,” which paints a picture of the bounty of the harvest with its rich string tone and use of baroque bassoon. The final concerto, “Winter,” depicts a cold and snowy landscape with its shimmering higher winds and violins.

The Four Seasons are some of the most popular pieces of classical music ever written, and have been performed by violinists around the world for over 250 years.