Bolshoi Ballet: Swan Lake (2020)

Having a live feed opportunity so accessible for these performances is fantastic. The non-traditional ending where Odette is killed by the Evil Genius (vs. a double suicide with unification in the afterlife) gave me food for thought - wish it was discussed during the intermission interviews. The compression into two acts was nice. Enjoyed revised choreography where the Evil Genius shadowed Siegfried.

The music is of course glorious, and the dancing ranged from okay (Siegfried) to wonderful (Odette/Odile), but I was amazed that the great climax of the ballet where that magnificent tragic musical theme is transposed from the minor key to a triumphant major key, and where Siefried vanquishes the Evil Genius and then leaps into the lake following Odette was completely left out. What gives? It was like Hamlet with no deadly swordfight scene at the end. Instead of a tragedy, we got Siegfried just depressed while Evil and Odette disappear. Weird. Maybe Putin has the Bolshoi on a budget. . . :)