The special subtlety and palpitating spirituality of Mueller's Odette betray the signs of a truly
passionate nature, the suppressed impulses of an ardent soul.
Her performance of the part of Odette is a search for accord with herself and, because this
accord is so difficult to find, she has driven herself inwards and is hiding. Odette seems to be
listening to the life beating within her and opens up slowly in smooth, cautious movements.
The sad lyricism of her swan, the high, drawn-out, mournful notes speak of the impossibility of
revealing herself. The mystery and constraint of her Odette are like sighs for harmony. Bitter
sighs.
Mueller feels the need to transform herself plastically: she is driven by the urge for constant
movement, change. She throws herself into each transfiguration with a kind of frenzy, attaining
perfection of stylistic solution every time.
So it is far easier to find a symbol for Mueller than to find her true self. The leap could at the
worst be taken as her symbol, but not as her image.