Wild Swans (ballet)
Encyclopedia
Wild Swans is a ballet
by Soviet-born Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin
.
The story is based on The Wild Swans
by Hans Christian Andersen
, and tells the tale of Eliza, a princess whose wicked-witch stepmother has changed Eliza's eleven brothers into swan
s. Eliza must knit magic shirts from stinging nettle
s in order to break the spell and transform her brothers back into human form. With its basis in a fairy tale, the ballet follows in the tradition of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker
and Swan Lake
, with ballet scores by Soviet composers Prokofiev and Stravinsky also acknowledged influences.
The ballet was commissioned by the Australian Ballet and the Sydney Opera House
. The score was completed in 2002 in collaboration with choreographer Meryl Tankard
, who also worked with Kats-Chernin on part of the opening ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was given its premiere
by the Australian Ballet at the Sydney Opera House on 29 April 2003.
under Ola Rudner, with soprano
Jane Sheldon, in 2004 and released on the ABC Classics
label along with the composer's Piano Concerto and Mythic. The suite features prominent parts for soprano soloist; percussion, in particular the xylophone
; and alto saxophone
.
The suite was given its Australian concert premiere on 18 May 2008, by the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra
, with soprano Simone Easthope, under Matthew Krel
, at the Verbrugghen Hall of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
.
bank Lloyds TSB
under the tagline
"For the journey", launched in January 2007. The adverts were created by agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R, and feature animation
s by Studio AKA. They follow the fortunes of a couple who meet on a futuristic-looking train, called The Black Horse, after Lloyds' logo, through to their retirement. Following the initial minute-long advert, further 30-second instalments were aired, each advertising a different financial product. The touching animations combined with Kats-Chernin's music caught the public's imagination, and brought the music to attention in the United Kingdom
and further afield.
Following the success of the advertisements, the recording of the suite was re-issued by ABC Classics with a new cover depicting a scene from the advert.
single and music video
by DJ
Mark Brown and singer Sarah Cracknell
. The video is notable for its use of thousands of still photographs played in sequence to produce a form of surreal animation.
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
by Soviet-born Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin
Elena Kats-Chernin
Elena Kats-Chernin is an Australian composer.Elena Kats-Chernin was born in Tashkent , and migrated to Australia in 1975.-Europe:...
.
The story is based on The Wild Swans
The Wild Swans
"The Wild Swans" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a princess who rescues her eleven brothers from a spell cast by an evil queen....
by Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
, and tells the tale of Eliza, a princess whose wicked-witch stepmother has changed Eliza's eleven brothers into swan
Swan
Swans, genus Cygnus, are birds of the family Anatidae, which also includes geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometimes, they are considered a distinct subfamily, Cygninae...
s. Eliza must knit magic shirts from stinging nettle
Stinging nettle
Stinging nettle or common nettle, Urtica dioica, is a herbaceous perennial flowering plant, native to Europe, Asia, northern Africa, and North America, and is the best-known member of the nettle genus Urtica...
s in order to break the spell and transform her brothers back into human form. With its basis in a fairy tale, the ballet follows in the tradition of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
and Swan Lake
Swan Lake
Swan Lake ballet, op. 20, by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, composed 1875–1876. The scenario, initially in four 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...
, with ballet scores by Soviet composers Prokofiev and Stravinsky also acknowledged influences.
The ballet was commissioned by the Australian Ballet and the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. The score was completed in 2002 in collaboration with choreographer Meryl Tankard
Meryl Tankard
Meryl Tankard is an Australian dancer and choreographer who has a wide national and international reputation....
, who also worked with Kats-Chernin on part of the opening ceremony for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It was given its premiere
Premiere
A premiere is generally "a first performance". This can refer to plays, films, television programs, operas, symphonies, ballets and so on. Premieres for theatrical, musical and other cultural presentations can become extravagant affairs, attracting large numbers of socialites and much media...
by the Australian Ballet at the Sydney Opera House on 29 April 2003.
Wild Swans Concert Suite
Kats-Chernin arranged a 12-movement concert suite from the ballet score. This was recorded by the Tasmanian Symphony OrchestraTasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is the smallest of the six orchestras established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation .-Activities:...
under Ola Rudner, with soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
Jane Sheldon, in 2004 and released on the ABC Classics
ABC Classics
ABC Classics is the classical music record label within the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It is internationally recognised as Australia's premier classical music label, with a catalogue of more than 500 titles...
label along with the composer's Piano Concerto and Mythic. The suite features prominent parts for soprano soloist; percussion, in particular the xylophone
Xylophone
The xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets...
; and alto saxophone
Alto saxophone
The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
.
The suite was given its Australian concert premiere on 18 May 2008, by the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra
SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra
The SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra located in Sydney, is one of the premier youth orchestras of Australia. It was founded in 1988 by the Russian-born conductor Matthew Krel, who died in 2009...
, with soprano Simone Easthope, under Matthew Krel
Matthew Krel
Matthew Krel was a Russian-Jewish conductor who migrated to Australia and in 1988 founded the SBS Radio and Television Youth Orchestra, of which he was the chief conductor until his death. Like his Soviet friend, the composer Dmitri Kabalevsky, he was passionate about creating quality musical...
, at the Verbrugghen Hall of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
.
Complete list of movements
- Green Leaf (2:39)
- Eliza Aria (3:17)
- Brothers (1:50)
- Wicked Witch (1’51)
- Magic Spell Tango (3:42)
- Good Fairy (3:16)
- Knitting Nettles (3:17)
- Darkness in the Forest (3:43)
- Eliza and the Prince (3:55)
- Glow Worms (1:28)
- Mute Princess (3:50)
- Transformation (3:59)
Lloyds TSB advertisement
The Eliza Aria recording featuring the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Jane Sheldon was chosen for use in a series of television and cinema advertisements for BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
bank Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB
Lloyds TSB Bank Plc is a retail bank in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1995 by the merger of Lloyds Bank, established in Birmingham, England in 1765 and traditionally considered one of the Big Four clearing banks, with the TSB Group which traces its origins to 1810...
under the tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
"For the journey", launched in January 2007. The adverts were created by agency Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe Y&R, and feature animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
s by Studio AKA. They follow the fortunes of a couple who meet on a futuristic-looking train, called The Black Horse, after Lloyds' logo, through to their retirement. Following the initial minute-long advert, further 30-second instalments were aired, each advertising a different financial product. The touching animations combined with Kats-Chernin's music caught the public's imagination, and brought the music to attention in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and further afield.
Following the success of the advertisements, the recording of the suite was re-issued by ABC Classics with a new cover depicting a scene from the advert.
Derived works
The Eliza Aria was also used as the basis of "The Journey Continues", a dance musicDance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
single and music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
by DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
Mark Brown and singer Sarah Cracknell
Sarah Cracknell
Sarah Cracknell is an English pop singer who fronts the band Saint Etienne and is known for her light, smooth singing voice. She is the daughter of Stanley Kubrick's first assistant director Derek Cracknell.-Career:...
. The video is notable for its use of thousands of still photographs played in sequence to produce a form of surreal animation.