Tchaikovsky's three great ballets - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and the Nutcracker - were written at well spaced intervals during his turbulent and passionate life. Swan Lake was the first of the three to be written, dating - just like Carmen - from 1875. This may be no coincidence, since Tchaikovsky is on record as saying that "Carmen is perhaps the finest opera of the century'. He loved its direct emotional impact, the brilliant and exotic colour, and the wealth of fine tunes - all characteristics of his own music, too.