The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb is organising a guest visit as part of which subscribers of Subscription 6 will have the opportunity to see the ballet Swan Lake at the SNG Maribor on Saturday, 28 March 2026, with the bus departing at 1:00 p.m. from in front of the theatre in Zagreb.
Swan Lake is undoubtedly the ballet masterpiece that remains, to this day, synonymous with the classical “white” ballet and a true magnet for audiences – a fact consistently confirmed by the extraordinary public interest it continues to inspire.
Set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, one of the most eminent composers of Russian Romanticism, Swan Lake was originally written for the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Its fairy-tale narrative tells the story of Princess Odette, who is transformed into a beautiful swan by the curse of the jealous sorcerer Rothbart. Only the faithful love of the young Prince Siegfried can break the spell and restore her human form. The ballet’s libretto draws on several fairy-tale sources, including Johann Musäus’s German tale The Stolen Veil as well as the Russian folk story The White Duck.
The deepest inspiration for this immortal ballet of romantic longing and love is often said to lie in the tragic fate of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, whose emblem was the swan and whose dreamlike sensibility and introspective nature are reflected in the character of Prince Siegfried.
The Maribor Ballet has approached this new classical production with renewed artistic energy, a rejuvenated ensemble, and technically accomplished soloists who rank among the finest in Slovenian dance today. Together with a creative team that will conjure stage magic through shimmering costumes and a fairy-tale scenography, this production seeks to create a world of beauty and imagination – something we perhaps need now more than ever in these fast-paced times of uncertainty.
Choreographer: Valery Kovtun
Conductor: Vjekoslav Babić
Set and Costume Designer: Marija Levicka
Lighting Designer: Tomaž Premzl
