Swan Lake at Lyric Theatre, QPAC

Returning to Tchaikovsky’s original score for inspiration, this classical Swan Lake is steeped in late 19th-century romanticism and based on ancient myth.

Princess Odette, transformed into a swan by the evil von Rothbart, is able to regain her human form only at night. This cruel spell can only be broken by a vow of eternal love and fidelity. The lonely and disconsolate Prince Siegfried encounters Odette by a lake and swears his love for her.

The following evening a ball is held to celebrate Prince Siegfried’s coming of age. Von Rothbart appears with the beguiling Odile. Captivated, Siegfried is seduced by Odile; he breaks his vow, condemning Odette and her fellow maidens to remain swans for eternity.

Siegfried flees to the lake to beg forgiveness from Odette but it is too late. As she transforms into a swan for the last time the Prince, bereft at the loss of his beautiful princess, drowns himself in the lake.