Swan Lake, Op. 20: Act I, No. 5: Pas de Deux (Black Swan) [McDermott] [2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2+2(Crnt).3.1

One of the most popular ballets, Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) composed Swan Lake in 1875-76. Tchaikovsky borrowed from the Russian and German folk tales to tell the of story a princess, Odette, who was turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer's curse. Swan Lake premiered on March 4, 1877, at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The pas de deux in Act I, Scene 5 of the original production later appeared in Act III for the 1895 revival of the ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. In this version choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, it is also known as the "Black Swan Pas de Deux," famous for the 32 fouettes which serve to illustrate its technical virtuosity. This edition has been edited by the well-known ballet director William McDermott. The score included is from the Complete Collected Works edited by Irina Iordan and Georgy Kirkor, and it is from this score that McDermott has created new hand-engraved parts. Instrumentation: 2+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2+2(Crnt).3.1: Timp.Perc(3-4): Hp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set). A reduced orchestration by William McDermott based on the same Iordan/Kirkor score is also available form the publisher.