Even if less familiar in name, Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is today synonymous with ballet. The music pieces, the soaring arias, have been played by classical musicians the world over and adapted for film, television, commercials, and uses unfathomable to Swan Lake’s creators. Its challenging dances are the inspiration for ballerinas professional and amateur everywhere. Tchaikovsky finished the commissioned piece in less than a year, but remarkably it was not well-received.

On this day, March 4, in 1877, Swan Lake premiered at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Several critics found fault with Tchaikovsky’s music, calling it too Wagnerian, while others were suspicious of the Germanic roots of the Swan-maiden story; but mostly the production was ruined by the poor staging of the ballet. “Too complicated,” it was said, “too challenging.” No one could execute the written moves.

The ballet of Swan Lake continued to wallow in mediocrity until a revival in 1895 introduced it to the world anew. There was a considerable reworking of the dance routines, and a tweaking of the story, and most of the early fame came from the performance of Italian Pierina Legnani, who danced the main roles of Odette and Odile. As one of the few who could pull off the choreographed moves, she stunned audiences with her dancing. That combination of astounding dancing and Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score won Swan Lake immortal fame.