About this edition
Drawn from Tchaikovsky's first great ballet, the Swan Lake Suite, Op. 20a distills the score's most beloved music into a concert sequence that has captivated audiences for well over a century. The suite gathers together the haunting oboe melody of the Scène, the brilliant Valse, the gypsy-tinged Danse hongroise (Czardas), the famous Danse des petits cygnes with its four interlocked dancers, and the sweeping Scène finale — a cross-section of the composer at his most lyrically inspired and orchestrally imaginative. For conductors and orchestras seeking the heart of Swan Lake in concert form, this suite remains an indispensable repertoire staple.
This printing reproduces the full orchestral score issued by P. Jurgenson of Moscow (plate 25803, n.d. [circa 1900]), the Russian house that served as Tchaikovsky's principal publisher throughout his career and which issued the authoritative editions of his ballets, symphonies, and operas. Jurgenson's close working relationship with the composer — and later with his estate — gives these early printings particular value as primary sources, preserving the engraving conventions, instrumentation cues, and editorial readings that informed performances in the decades following the work's premiere. As a first edition of the suite in full score, this volume is a foundational document of the Swan Lake performance tradition.
About this edition:
- Format: full orchestral score (conductor's score)
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches, printed for clarity and stand use
- Reproduced from a historical public domain source
- Source edition: Moscow: P. Jurgenson, n.d. [1900], plate 25803, first edition
- Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Publisher: Purple 4R Publishing
This volume reproduces a historical score that has entered the public domain, making a landmark of the orchestral and ballet repertoire freely available once again to conductors, players, students, and scholars. We are delighted to help keep Tchaikovsky's music on music stands and library shelves where it belongs.
