We begin this review of Moscow City Ballet’s superbly rich and sumptuously costumed production of Swan Lake with an admiration for the combined Russian choreographers, Lev Ivanov, Marius Petipa, Agrippina Vaganova, Yuri Grigorovich, Natalia Ryzhenko, and Moscow City Ballet’s founder Victor Smirnov-Golovanov,  who have choreographed, with great integrity, this dramatically tight and beautifully elegant Swan Lake corps de ballet, The swans and cygnets are ‘to die for’.

This four act classical ballet costumed by Elisaveta Dvorkina and designed by Natalia Povago gives us cause to marvel at the faultless Russian dance style under the direction of Natalia Ryzhenko and the late Victor Smirnov-Golovanov, a former star of the Bolshoi.

The Nottingham Royal Concert Hall audience is hypnotised once again by some of the world’s finest youthful dancers in this classical tale of fantastical story of Prince Siegfried and his love for Odette who, tricked by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart and his daughter Odile, would rather die together than live apart. The ballet is beautifully realised to the familiar score by Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score is magnificently transporting; a true masterpiece of a composition given its tremendous orchestral reign by the full Moscow City Ballet orchestra conducted by Ivor Shavruk. When all the dance; the theatrics and musical elements are brought together the end result is incredibly moving. Swan Lake becomes one of those ballets you never want to end and the pleasure is witnessing the immense skill of the Russian ballet practitioners.

The dexterity and skills of the whole Moscow City corps de ballet are exemplary and the principals deserve the rapturous  applause throughout and at the finale. In tonight’s production Odette -Odile is performed by Liliya Orekhova with Mikhailo Tkachuk (Prince Siegfried), Alimkhan Turebekov (Von Rothbart) and Dzmitry Lazovik (Benno). An audience favourite is Sanzhar Omurbaev as the sprightly Jester.

In Thursday’s performance the role of Odette-Odile is performed by the only English dancer in the troupe – Rachel Hernon.

Royal Concert Hall Nottingham

Wednesday 8 to Sunday 12 January 2020

Swan Lake: Wed 7.30pm Thu 2pm & Thu 7.30pm

The Nutcracker: Fri 7.30pm, Sat 2.30pm & 7.30pm, Sun 3pm

£23.50 – £42 plus discounts for Royal Members*, Under 16s, 16-25 year olds, Families, and Groups www.trch.co.uk 0115 989 5555

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