Skip to content
    skip to navigation

    Classic FM

    Listen

    On Air Now

    Alexander Armstrong 1pm - 4pm

    Alexander Armstrong

    Now Playing

    English Folksong Suite (3) Ralph Vaughan Williams Download 'English Folksong Suite (3)' on iTunes

    English Folksong Suite (3) artwork
    • Playlist
    • Schedule
    • Home
    • Radio
    • News
    • Discover Music
    • Composers
    • Artists
    • Win
    • Store
    • Charity
    • Podcasts
    • Events
    • Dating
    • Follow us on:
      Follow Classic FM on Facebook
      Follow Classic FM on Instagram
      Follow Classic FM on Youtube

    Composers

    Tchaikovsky

    • Tchaikovsky Home
    • Music
    • News
    • Album reviews
    • Pictures
    • Guides
    • More Composers

    Different endings

    This image appears in the gallery:
    Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake: A beginner's guide

    Swan Lake Ballet

    12. Different endings

    This is the most recognised storyline, but there have been, and continue to be, many variations. The original version, then called The Lake of The Swans and choreographed by Julius Reisinger, was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet in 1877 and featured a happy ending when Siegfried, after a fight with the sorcerer, rips off Von Rothbart’s wing thereby destroying the spell he cast over the swan maidens and allowing him and Odette to marry. Pictured: Moscow's Classical Ballet Ekatarina Berezina and Ion Kuroshu, 2008.

    1. Image 1: Swan Lake Bolshoi
    2. Image 2: BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA MUSIC FESTIVAL
    3. Image 3: Swan Lake at the Coliseum - London
    4. Image 4: Swan Lake Darcy Bussell
    5. Image 5: Swan Lake at the Coliseum - London
    6. Image 6: Swan Lake at the Round, ENO
    7. Image 7: Royal Ballet dancing Swan Lake and the Royal Opera
    8. Image 8: Swan Lake Nureyev 1961
    9. Image 9: Alys Shee
    10. Image 10: Bolshoi, Royal Opera House 19 images

    See the full gallery: Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake: A beginner's guide

    Tchaikovsky latest

    See more Tchaikovsky latest

    Ralph Fiennes to direct his first opera in Paris' magnificent Palais Garnier

    Ralph Fiennes to direct his first opera in Paris’ magnificent Palais Garnier

    The most iconic ballets of all time. Pictured: Austrian Ballet’s Swan Lake

    10 greatest ballets of all time

    Discover Music

    A young Joshua Bell plays in a 1982 violin masterclass

    Unearthed footage of 15-year-old Joshua Bell playing Tchaikovsky is terrifyingly good

    Joshua Bell

    Heart-melting quotations from love letters written by composers

    10 heart-melting quotations from composers’ love letters

    Discover Music

    Tianxu An during the Tchaikovsky Competition mixup

    Soloist horrified as orchestra starts playing wrong concerto in piano competition nightmare

    The 15 best violin concertos of all time.

    The 15 greatest violin concertos of all time, ranked

    Discover Music

    Squid Game soundtrack: what classical music is in the Netflix show?

    Squid Game soundtrack: what classical music is in the Netflix show?

    Discover Music

    Classical music inspired by autumn

    11 evocative pieces of classical music inspired by the colours of autumn

    Discover Music

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

    The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

    The 25 greatest conductors of all time

    Discover Music

    Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

    The 30 greatest classical music composers of all time

    Latest on Classic FM

    Donald Trump says he could have been a ‘brilliant musician’ after receiving flute lessons as a boy.

    Donald Trump’s flute-playing career cut short: ‘I didn’t particularly like it, wasn’t for me’

    Discover Music

    Julie D'Aubigny

    Meet the sword-fighting opera singer who burnt down a convent to rescue her gay lover

    Discover Music

    LA Philharmonic cancels concerts as city curfew enforced after protests

    LA Philharmonic cancels concerts as city curfew enforced after protests

    LA Phil

    Composer proposes to his partner with live 78-piece orchestra at Abbey Road studios

    Composer proposes to his partner with live 78-piece orchestra at Abbey Road studios

    Videos

    Jamie Barton, John Holiday and Adrian Angelico: just three of the incredible performers who also happen to be lighting up opera stages around the world with rainbow colours.

    20 brilliant LGBTQ+ opera stars you should know

    Discover Music

    Inventor creates piano doorbell

    Inventor replaces his ‘boring’ doorbell with a miniature piano

    Discover Music

    Pak chois grow better with classical music

    Bach-choi? Researchers find plants grow leafier when played Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos

    Win tickets to see Ludovico Einaudi at the Royal Albert Hall with a Marriott hotel stay

    Win tickets to see Ludovico Einaudi at the Royal Albert Hall with a hotel stay

    Win

    The Vienna Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Johann Strauss II’s ‘The Beautiful Blue Danube’ was broadcast into space, in partnership with the European Space Agency.

    Strauss’ ‘Blue Danube’ waltz has been sent to space... and The Simpsons already predicted it

    Physicists create ‘the world’s smallest violin’ using nanotechnology

    Physicists create ‘the world’s smallest violin’ using nanotechnology

    Discover Music

    Back to top

    Also on Classic FM

    • Listen to Global Player
    • Classic FM Breakfast with Dan Walker
    • John Williams
    • Alexander Armstrong on Classic FM
    • Quizzes
    • Leonard Bernstein
    • Mozart
    • Debussy
    • Music theory
    • Instruments
    • Classic FM Live
    • Brahms
    • Vivaldi
    • Bach
    • Tchaikovsky
    • Chopin
    • Andrea Bocelli
    • Florence Price
    • Beethoven
    • Best classical music
    • Classic FM Requests
    • Best pianists
    • Harry Potter music
    • Star Wars soundtrack
    • Composer or pasta
    • Music for Studying
    • Best violinists
    • Classical music tearjerkers
    • Relaxing classical

    Useful Links

    • Contact Us
    • Help
    • How To Listen
    • About Classic FM
    • Company Details
    • Cookies
    • Privacy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Advertise
    • Global Jobs

    Download the app

    Get it on the app store Get it on Google Play

    Follow Us

    Follow Classic FM on Facebook
    Follow Classic FM on Instagram
    Follow Classic FM on Youtube
    © Global 2025
    30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA
    Privacy Manager