Originally published on The Reviews Hub, January 2016
Music: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Director: Marina Medvetskaya
Reviewer: Beth Steer
Stars: 4
First commissioned in Moscow in 1875 and revived as a memorial to composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky in 1894, Swan Lake has become the pinnacle of classical ballet – a fairytale masterpiece of choreography and costume, comprised of music that is loved across generations.
Maria Medvetskaya’s Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet (SPCB) brings the classic love story to the UK, and, a former prima ballerina herself, her talented cast and determined production is set to continue delighting audiences in performances to come.
Starting as a coming of age story focusing on Prince Siegfried (Vadim Lolenko), Swan Lake follows the young hero as he falls in love with a beautiful swan – Queen Odette (Natalya Romanova) – who is really a maiden that has been enchanted by an evil magician, Rothbart (Evgeniy Silaka). Siegfried must overcome temptation – posed to him by Rothbart in the form of the beautiful Odille (also Natalya Romana) – and break Odette free from the curse that traps her as a swan, only able to come alive at night.
Romana, as prima ballerina and in her dual role, is breathtaking. Her dancing is fluid, mesmerising and technically astounding, and the difference she creates between her two characters – using her body, facial expressions and, of course, some fantastic costumes – is remarkable.
Lolenko, too, is exceptionally talented, impossibly light on his feet and incredibly strong, performing complex lifts and turns with apparent ease. As Rothbart, Silakov is enchantingly evil, adopting jerky movements and a chilling mask and costume , and brings a real sense of dynamic character to the performance.
The corps de ballet are well versed; barely stepping a foot out of line during lengthy, technically difficult routines, and the pas de trois, too, are fascinating to watch as they adopt different characters. One additional star of the show is the Jester (Mikhail Bogomazov) who, while comic and understated, is clearly an extremely powerful dancer, and brings a refreshing touch of light-heartedness to the performance.
The music is outstanding and the Hungarian Sinfonietta Orchestra are very strong, with credit owed to Vadim Perevosnikov as conductor driving the ballet along, and making the lack of spoken language almost completely unnoticeable by filling in any gaps, completing and directing the plot.
The performance perhaps falls down a little in the areas on which it chooses to dedicate time. Long periods are dedicated to showcasing the different dancers representing the range of countries who appear at the Ball, for example, while the last (and arguably best) Act feels a little rushed, a dramatic clashing of good and evil is sped through in only 15 minutes, which is disappointing given its potential for an extended, climactic finale.
That being said, the sheer amount of hard work and determination that has clearly gone into the production – all the dancers perform extended and physically exhausting routines, yet barely break a sweat or wobble mid-pirouette – is truly incredible, and brings about a performance that both first-time and veteran ballet goers are sure to enjoy alike.
Runs until 28 January 2016