For many ballet lovers Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake is the big one, quite rightly given its thrillingly dramatic score, wealth of opportunities for spectacle and of course, those swans, whose ethereal appearance and regimented steps form the epitome of the so-called “white acts” of classical ballet. BRB hasn’t shown Swan Lake since 2008 so this first night has long been looked forward to by critics and public alike. Nevertheless I was surprised after the small turnout for their Triple Bill last week to see the Hippodrome packed to the rafters on a Tuesday night. Obviously I’m not the only one who’s missed it.
No two productions of Swan Lake are alike as a quick look at its performance history shows and BRB director David Bintley has made some changes here to even his own past productions.
As Tchaikovsky’s deep and mysterious overture plays we see the old king’s funeral procession, a dark and disturbing opening. In the first scene Assistant Director Marion Tate’s mime brilliantly expresses the urgency of her son now choosing a bride from amongst the princesses whose portraits he is shown. BRB regulars have seen Chi Cao grow from a boy with a prodigious leap to the great artist he is today, his Prince Siegfried convincing us of his uncertainty on the threshold of a difficult life. I have never seen the role of the Prince’s friend Benno danced with such authority. New star Mathias Dingman makes him a true companion to the depressed Siegfried, leaping, laughing, urging him to enjoy himself and setting a respectful example. With Angela Paul and Laetitia Lo Sardo as the courtesans he produces we can easily see why not fancying any of the available princesses makes sense.
David Bintley has been making the great Act 3 ballroom scene more and more sumptuous over the last few years presumably as more funds became available (it used to look pretty sparse) and now the sable-swathed attendants can barely totter under their robings and the dancers glitter more darkly and leap higher than ever before the inhabitants of a crowded court.
By contrast after all this build-up the last act seemed rushed, indeed from where I was sitting the prince following Odette into the lake was largely obscured, what with there being swans everywhere, and the rescue of his corpse by Benno happened in a flash. There was definitely one huge omission, the final great pas de deux between prince and swan, a famous and achingly beautiful duet between violin and cello which invariably stops the show. But these are minor quibbles. Would I watch it again any night this week? You bet.
Swan Lake runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday (October 6). For tickets phone 0844 338 5000 or go online at www.birminghamhippodrome.com.
