Swan Lake, Op. 20 (Complete): A Ballet in Four Acts (Kalmus Edition) Paperback – March 1, 1985

Only option for a piano reduction of the complete work. Technically challenging and requires a lot of practice but everything is there and it is brilliant to play!

This was way more complete and detailed than I expected! Don't get me wrong, this is what I was looking for and oh, so much more. It's just that I'm a bit of a pessimist when it comes to ordering things through the Internet in general. But this was a very good find; it was extremely detailed in all the music, it includes sheet music from prologue to finale. The music notes are printed rather small, so one might decide to blow it up or copy it onto their own staff sheets.But this was truly a remarkable find!

I didn't pay attention to the smaller size of the book at 7 x 10 1/2, plus very poor type setting, which makes it very difficult to sight read.

This "Swan Lake" is a reprint of the excellent piano reduction of Tchaikovsky's complete score for the ballet as he originally composed it, from 1875-1876. It includes all the melodies and countermelodies (a few woodwind cues and countermelodies are occasionally notated above the staff,) and what is now known as the "Black Swan" pas de deux is found in its originally intended place, in Act I. Even though practically every note of the score winds up on the page, the advanced pianist will still be able to find ways to make some portions of the reduction sound more orchestral. There are very few orchestration indications; also not included are all the revisions by Riccardo Drigo and Tchaikovsky's brother Modest for the revival that set the standard for the piece. Those can be found in a different volume, also available through Amazon.But among some of the interesting things that are included are all of the titles of the various numbers, as well as some plot points and stage directions, in Russian cyrillic with a French translation appearing in footnotes. There is also an appendix that includes the alternate pas de deux for Anna Sobeshchanskaya (music known to most people as Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux), and the wonderful alternate Russian Dance meant to be inserted as the second variation in the Act III Pas de Six. (The other variations in the Pas de Six are not given any nationality.)As this is a reprint from plates that date from the mid-1870's, it takes some getting used to reading, and the French footnotes are decipherable but sometimes a bit blurred.But for following along with some of the more recent recordings, and for stealing some variations for ballet class, this Kalmus edition is welcome and recommended.

As a very good pianist (not a superstar), I'm not interested in playing 275 pages of music. I was really only looking for the original writing of the world-recognized "swan theme". It took me a while to find it... To save others some time, it starts at Page 142.I hope you enjoy playing it as much as I do.

The work completely there, this is what I like, so high rating.Here and there the notes are a little bit blurred, but it is rare.Perhaps it could have been better if all printed on a bigger sheet, in my opinion.Nevertheless, high rating.

very good score

As professional pianist, I wouldn't suggest this book. It's difficult to keep opened, different size ( smaller then A4), not printed properly clear, blur. I have sent it back.

It's a partition book and I can't read it! Not the best impulsive buy...but for musicians maybe you'll like it.