Exiled in France after the Russian Revolution, Russian ballerina Mathilde Kschessinska wrote an account of her life at The Imperial Ballet and her romance with Tsar Nicholas II. In their tragic story, choreographer FrançoisKlausfound parallels with the ill-fated love of the Swan Queen and Prince Siegfried.
This lavish production of Swan Lake enjoyed a rapturous reception during its première season in 2008. Set to the glorious music of Tchaikovsky, François Klaus’s spectacular interpretation of this classic ballet pays homage to its rich choreographic heritage, and chronicles an epic story of devotion and betrayal.
Audience Reviews
My mother and I would like to express our appreciation of François Klaus' presentation of Swan Lake within the framework of the Russian Revolution. Although we prefer the classic ballet, we thought that this approach was innovative, that the performances were very fine, the staging perfect and the production values excellent. Rachael Walsh was superb, her grace, musicality and precision reminiscent of Fonteyn. Of the male dancers Yu Hui was an absolute standout. We saw him previously as Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet and were impressed by his artistry, grace. strength and matchlessly nuanced characterisation and precision then. He shone again as Dmitri in Swan Lake and we look forward to him taking centre stage in future productions.
Yet again you have blown me away with your performance. I have seen the best companies in various theatres around the world and you are right up there. But today was a first for me, I cried at the end of the ballet. Words can't do justice to the performance, the choreography and the direction. Thank you and I can't wait for Fonteyn Remembered.
I have never felt so strongly the urge to write a review on any performance I’ve ever seen. Congratulations to everyone at Queensland Ballet for this production of Swan Lake. I feel so privileged to be living in a city that has such a wonderful ballet company as you. The direction under François is fresh and captivating. The costumes, lighting, and staging stunning. And the performances are exhilarating, beautiful and, inspiring. The attention to detail of all cast right down to the smallest role or the person at the very rear of the stage 100% of the time sets QLD ballet above most.
