State Ballet of Georgia: Swan Lake ★★★ London Coliseum | Aug 28 - Sep 8, 2024


For the first time in its 175 year history, the State Ballet of Georgia is appearing in London, and to mark the occasion it is presenting its lavish, almost liturgical, production of Swan Lake. Except for the unusual happy ending, this is a version which stays very close to the traditional presentation of Tchaikovsky's masterwork, and it is satisfying to see a staging which does not feel the need to reimagine the piece. Artistic director Nina Ananiashvili of the Georgia Ballet and former Bolshoi artistic director Alexey Fadeechev have respected the original Petipa/Ivanov choreography and have trimmed and added judiciously so that all the treasured moments are intact. Under the baton of Papuna Gvaberidze the English National Opera Orchestra does an excellent job of mining the riches from Tchaikovsky's score, and kudos must go also to Vyacheslav Okunev for the opulent costumes and evocative set. On the night we attended, the role Odette/Odile was exquisitely danced by Chloe Misseldine, who rightly deserved the ovations which she received. Her Odette was a performance of restrained elegance, and her Odile was vivaciously beguiling. As Prince Siegfried, Michal Krcmar displayed an inspiring athleticism, but we didn't really feel either his passion or his perplexity as he was manipulated by the evil Baron von Rothbart. In the latter role, Filippo Montanari excelled, and his evil sorcerer hit just the right note. There were some ragged moments in the corps de ballet work, primarily in the court scenes, but the troupe excelled as the enchanted swans, and the dances of the big and little swans were a sheer delight. It is unsurprising that there were some issues of synchronicity with a cast so large, but overall this was an enchanting evening that honoured the spirit of this staple of the repertoire.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Sasha Gusov

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When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: London Coliseum, St Martin's Ln, London WC2N 4ES, UK

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