Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’ stays afloat in pop culture

Though Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake tanked on its initial run in 1877, it eventually obtained artistic immortality, thanks in part to the many pop-culture homages to the ballet that followed over the years. When Hannu Lintu and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra perform selections from Swan Lake in concerts Nov. 21 and 23, see if you find yourself flashing back to these tributes: 

The horror, the horror: Universal Pictures set the eerie tone for its horror-film franchise when it used Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Theme” from Swan Lake as the opening-credits music for “Dracula” (1931), “The Mummy” (1932) and “Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1932) — cementing an enduring musical association with its movie monsters in the public mind. According to film scholar Jeff Schecter, "To an audience that had no idea what to expect from Universal’s ‘Dracula,’ the first 30 seconds of the title theme present a combination of creepiness and dark romance."

Parodies galore: Barbra Streisand, in her film debut, spoofs Swan Lake in “Funny Girl” (1968), the Fanny Brice biopic that brought her a best actress Oscar. “She did so well that after the first rehearsal of the ballet scene, she was spontaneously applauded by the other dancers in the cast,” said Herbert Ross, who directed the film’s music productions, in an interview with Dance magazine. Decades later, pop star Taylor Swift staged her own Swan Lake homage in the video for her 2014 hit “Shake It Off.”

Swan Lake goes Sesame Street: In a 1978 episode of “The Muppet Show,” the redoubtable Miss Piggy wants to dance with guest star Rudolf Nureyev — the leading male ballet star of his generation. To fulfill that dream, her avatar, Ballerina Pig, joins him in a production of “Swine Lake.” Oink!

The Bourne identity: In 1995, British choreographer Matthew Bourne staged a revolutionary an all-male production of the ballet, which won a Laurence Olivier Award and later a Tony. His version of Swan Lake reflects on the psychoanalytical hypotheses surrounding the sexual identity of the ballet’s Prince Siegfried, who expresses his true identity in his dreams.

“Billy Elliot,” movie and musical: In an English mining village, a lad discovers ballet, and despite societal pressures, pursues his dream. During the finale, he triumphs in a production of Swan Lake — inspired by the Matthew Bourne staging. After seeing the 2000 film, pop music icon Elton John suggested turning the movie into a Broadway vehicle. Eight years later, that came to pass, and the production won a Tony Award for best musical.

The triumph of the Odile: In “Black Swan” (2010), a ballerina (Natalie Portman) goes over to the dark side when her perception of the ballet’s lead roles, Odette and Odile, causes her to lose touch with reality. Portman won a best actress Oscar and a spouse; she met her future husband, choreographer Benjamin Millepied, while making this film.

A version of this article appeared previously on Experience CSO.