Vladimir Petrovich Begichev bought the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky in 1875 for a rather modest fee of 800 rubles , and soon Begichev began to choose artists to dance in the ballet . Begichev commissioned the score of Swan Lake from Tchaikovsky in 1875 for a rather modest fee of 800 rubles , and soon Begichev began to choose artists that would participate in the creation of the ballet .