The Immortal Swan

  10 September, 2020

  Georgios Soumelidis

Violin Soloist:  Raisa Popailidi

Cello Soloist:  Ntina Saratzi

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After finishing the “Midsummer Night’s Dreaming”, I decided to put myself into a little challenge. During the month I would compose a small music piece from any black and white movie/video I would come across and post one every week.

Making a random search on youtube I came across the original 1959 video of Майя Плисецкая [Maya Plisetskaya] dancing the Death of the Swan.

I was watching her in awe while she was moving ever so gracefully through that rather small dancing floor. In the beginning there was a melodic chaos in my mind. As the time passed I was so mystified by the choreography that I could not distinguish if I was watching the most elegant enchantress or a.. REAL swan!

That was the big moment that every time I think of it I get goosebumps. Seeing her as the swan, a melody came to me like a volcano burning its way from my feet, going through my whole body and erupting at my piano keys!

Ntina’s deep cello strings would narrate the heartbreaking story and Raisa’s violin would paint elegantly the details of the grace and harmony.

Our arms star from the back
because they were once wings

- Martha Graham