The search for personal freedom, respect and acceptance.
Ballet in two acts
World premiere
Premiere
9. December 2023
Dates & Cast
- Conductor Thomas Herzog (09., 11., 14., 16., 17., 21., 22. December 2023), Robert Houssart (07., 12., 14. January 2024)
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
- Choreography and Staging Johan Inger
- Music Pjotr I. Tschaikowsky
- Produktionsdramaturgie Gregor Acuña-Pohl
- Set Design mit Estudiodedos Leticia Gañán, Curt Allen Wilmer
- Costume Design Salvador Mateu Andujar
- Lighting Design Tom Visser
- Video Emilio Valenzuela Alcaraz
- Assistent to the Choreographer Zoran Markovic
Generously supported by the Semperoper Foundation
In brief
After his acclaimed literary adaptations of »Carmen« and »Peer Gynt«, Johan Inger now turns to a classic ballet that will reveal yet another facet of his art: »Swan Lake«. In 2023, the Swedish choreographer has reinterpreted this great work for Semperoper Ballett and, in so doing, addressed some profound questions: How are personal relationships affected by violence and manipulation? And what roles do personal freedom, respect and acceptance play in a loving relationship?
»Der geraubte Schleier« (The Stolen Veil) from Johann Karl August Musäusʼs collection of »German Folk Stories« (1784) is believed to be one of the inspirations behind the popular narrative ballet. This fairy tale, partly set in the Ore Mountains near the »Swan City« of Zwickau, provides an exciting alternative to the traditional interpretation of »Swan Lake«. Based on this story and accompanied by a new arrangement of Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky’s music, Johan Inger has devised a choreographic reinterpretation of Musäusʼs fantastic tale revolving around the motif of the swan-maiden.
Bitte beachten Sie: In der heutigen Vorstellung finden TV-Aufnahmen im Auftrag von ARTE statt. ARTE Concert überträgt am 17. Dezember 2023 um 19 Uhr »Schwanensee« live aus der Semperoper Dresden. Die Aufzeichnung ist anschließend drei Monate auf arte.tv/concert online verfügbar. Die Semperoper Dresden ist seit Gründung 2018 Partner des europäischen Netzwerks ARTE Opera, das 23 Opernhäuser und -festivals aus 14 Ländern umfasst.
Bitte beachten Sie: In der heutigen Vorstellung finden TV-Aufnahmen im Auftrag von ARTE statt. ARTE Concert überträgt am 17. Dezember 2023 um 19 Uhr »Schwanensee« live aus der Semperoper Dresden. Die Aufzeichnung ist anschließend drei Monate auf arte.tv/concert online verfügbar. Die Semperoper Dresden ist seit Gründung 2018 Partner des europäischen Netzwerks ARTE Opera, das 23 Opernhäuser und -festivals aus 14 Ländern umfasst.
Storyline
Sat 9. December 2023, 6 pm
Mon 11. December 2023, 7 pm
Thu 14. December 2023, 7 pm
Sat 16. December 2023, 7 pm
Sun 17. December 2023, 7 pm
Thu 21. December 2023, 7 pm
Fri 22. December 2023, 7 pm
Sun 7. January 2024, 7 pm
Fri 12. January 2024, 7 pm
Sun 14. January 2024, 2 pm
Sat 8. March 2025, 7 pm
Wed 12. March 2025, 7 pm
Fri 14. March 2025, 7 pm
Mon 17. March 2025, 1 pm
Fri 21. March 2025, 7 pm
Fri 28. March 2025, 7 pm
Wed 2. April 2025, 7 pm
Thu 17. April 2025, 7 pm
Sat 19. April 2025, 7 pm
Tue 22. April 2025, 7 pm
Sun 27. April 2025, 7 pm
Fri 2. May 2025, 7 pm
Sat 10. May 2025, 7 pm
Prologue
A deity bestows the gift of transforming into swans upon selected souls.
Act I
Queen Zoe, who with the help of a magic veil can turn into a swan, is unhappy in her marriage with King Zeno. One day Benno, a guest, arrives at their castle. He and the Queen take a liking to each other. However, the King catches them and has Benno arrested. Theo, Zoe‘s confidant, helps him escape and tells him that he can find his beloved at a faraway lake. Only once a year can the Queen fly there in order to take a rejuvenating bath. In the hope of seeing her again, Benno embarks on a journey through different countries. At the said Swan Lake they express their love to each other and promise to meet again. When Zoe returns home and arrives at a ball too late, Zeno punishes her by destroying her veil. At the lake, Benno waits in vain for his beloved.
Act II
Twenty years later, the now widowed Queen Zoe has to send her son Kallisto off to war. On the shores of the Swan Lake, of all places, he is wounded and cared for by Benno. The hermit, who has taken in the Prince like a son, initiates him into the secret of the lake and they witness the ritual of the swan people, who take their annual bath. When Benno once again does not find Zoe among the group, he dies in despair. At the same moment, Kallisto discovers the swan maiden Odette and falls in love with her. To prevent her from flying away, he steals her veil and hides it. Seeking protection, she takes the Prince for her saviour and begins a life together with him at the lake. Having searched for Kallisto, Theo eventually finds him and asks him to come back home. However, he refuses and remains with Odette and their child in the seclusion he has chosen. Increasingly suffering from Kallisto‘s violence, the life of his family changes for the worse. Just at this time, his wife rediscovers her veil and realizes that she had been deceived. This moment is also witnessed by Zoe, who has come to personally convince her son to return to court. She recognizes herself in Odette and encourages her to reclaim her freedom ...
