Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake returns to the Vienna State Opera in Rudolf Nureyev’s celebrated production. One of the defining works of classical ballet, it combines Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score with the story of Prince Siegfried, the enchanted Odette and her dazzling counterpart Odile.
Created for Vienna in 1964, Nureyev’s Swan Lake places particular emphasis on the role of Siegfried while preserving the iconic white acts and classical vocabulary associated with the ballet. More than sixty years after its premiere, the production remains a signature work of the Vienna State Ballet.
Performance details
- Venue: Vienna State Opera
- Choreography: Rudolf Nureyev
- Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Duration: Approx. 3h 15min, with 2 intermissions
Ticket information
- E-tickets: Sent by email as PDF files
- Seating: Seats are together unless otherwise stated
The world's most famous ballet in Rudolf Nureyev's Vienna production
Few ballets have shaped the image of classical dance as powerfully as Swan Lake.
Prince Siegfried encounters Odette, a young woman transformed into a swan by the sorcerer Rothbart. Only a promise of faithful love can break the spell. But at the royal ball, Siegfried is deceived by Odile, Rothbart’s daughter, whose resemblance to Odette leads him to make a fatal mistake.
Tchaikovsky’s score moves between the elegance and colour of the court scenes and the mysterious, lyrical world of the lakeside. The famous swan theme, the dances of the white swans and the dramatic contrast between Odette and Odile have made the ballet one of the most recognisable works in the classical repertoire.
For Vienna, Rudolf Nureyev created his own production of Swan Lake in 1964, drawing on the choreography of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov while giving Prince Siegfried a more central and psychologically complex role. Nureyev himself danced Siegfried opposite Margot Fonteyn at the premiere; the production became one of the defining works of the Vienna ballet tradition.
- Company: Vienna State Ballet
- Musical direction: Paul Connelly
- Choreography & production: Rudolf Nureyev
- Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Sets and costumes: Luisa Spinatelli
- Lighting: Marion Hewlett
Casting may vary by performance date.
Swan Lake at the Vienna State Opera in the 2026–27 season
The Vienna State Opera presents nine performances of Swan Lake during the 2026–27 season, on 21, 26, 28 and 30 December 2026; 2 and 5 January 2027; and 13, 16 and 18 February 2027.
With performances over Christmas and New Year, Tchaikovsky’s music, Nureyev’s classical choreography and the setting of the Vienna State Opera make Swan Lake particularly well suited to a winter visit to Vienna.
More performances at the Vienna State Opera
Discover more ballet and opera performances during the 2026–27 Vienna season.
- Vienna State Opera
- Visionary Dances at the Vienna State Opera
- Woolf Works at the Vienna State Opera
- La Bohème at the Vienna State Opera
