Please contact the webmaster with any queries. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, his Opus 66, completed in 1889. It is the second of his three ballets and, at 160 minutes, his second-prince charmant work in any genre.

Tchaikovsky was approached by the Director of the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg, Ivan Vsevolozhsky on 25 May 1888 about a possible ballet adaptation on the subject of the story of Undine. Tchaikovsky based his work on Brothers Grimm’s version of Perrault’s ‘Dornröschen’. In that version, the Princess’s parents survive the 100-year sleep to celebrate the Princess’s wedding with the Prince.

The choreographer was Marius Petipa, ballet master of the Imperial Ballet, who wrote a very detailed list of instructions as to the musical requirements. 1888 and began orchestration on the work on 30 May 1889. The ballet’s premiere received more favorable accolades than Swan Lake from the press but Tchaikovsky never had the luxury of being able to witness his work become an instant success in theatres outside of Russia. Original cast members costumed for Act I.