Veronica Tennant

As the waters of the river Seine overflow their banks and surround a Parisian café, composer Erik Satie nurtures bittersweet memories of his one-time lover Suzanne Valadon.

Bruhn’s Swan Lake was a fascinating psychological drama that departed from traditional versions, which proved controversial and ground-breaking. He enhanced the role of Prince Siegfried, whom he occasionally performed, with more dancing and depth, saying he wished to tell the story of the Prince rather than the Swan Queen. He also changed the role of Von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer, to the Black Queen (initially played by Franca). His telling changed the story from a struggle between good and evil to focus on the Prince’s relationships with the women in his life – his mother, the Black Queen, the Swan Queen and the Black Swan – each representing a different form of control or influence. To emphasize the powerful emotion of the story, Bruhn reinstated the tragic ending, with the Prince driven to his death by the swans.

Le royaume de Florestan n'est pas une fantaisie bon enfant, mais une Cour avec son étiquette, ses rituels où l'on sent la lourdeur du pouvoir. La féerie gentille du conte cède la place à une fable réaliste, où des forces antagonistes (Carabosse et la Fée des Lilas) se disputent le sort de deux jeunes gens.

The National Ballet of Canada interprets Tchaikovsky's timeless three-act opera in this 1972 performance starring Veronica Tennant and Rudolf Nureyev and featuring The Orchestra of the National Ballet of Canada under conductor George Crum. Rudolph Nureyev stars as Prince Florimund opposite Veronica Tennant as Princess Aurora. After Princess Aurora is cursed at birth, she pricks her finger and sleeps for 100 years, until Prince Florimund wakes her with a kiss.