Piano, Polka, & Pointe: Mozart, Strauss, & Tchaikovsky

When you think of ballet, chances are good that right after tutus and pointe shoes, your mind will conjure a Tchaikovsky earworm from the Swan Lake Suite. Movements from one of his best-known works are used liberally in film and television, creating a familiar soundtrack to a ballet performance in popular culture. A full ballet, Tchaikovsky once wrote, is not a thing with a permanent existence. This concert suite derived from his full-length work stands alone from the dance it was once meant to accompany. That doesn’t mean we don’t intend to dance anyway!