Upstaged Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This season the Birmingham Royal Ballet bring Swan Lake to The Lowry, Salford; a personal favourite of mine and arguably the most famous ballet in the classical repertoire.
Ballet lovers are in for a treat. However, whether it’s your first visit to the ballet or your eighty-third, this production of Swan Lake tells the iconic story beautifully making it suitable for everyone to enjoy. Following the appointment of Carlos Acosta CBE as Company Director earlier this year, the Birmingham Royal Ballet bring an unmissable revival of Peter Wright and Galina Samsova’s 1981 production of this popular classic; one of the finest you will ever see.
Told in four acts with two intervals, Swan Lake depicts the story of Prince Siegfried’s love for a beautiful princess named Odette. Odette has been cursed by the evil sorcerer Baron von Rothbart and must spend her days as a swan, only returning to human form between midnight and dawn. The sorcerer’s wicked enchantment can only be broken if someone who has never loved before swears an oath of undying love. However, Rothbart further complicates the lovers by introducing a beautiful black swan, Odile.
Prima ballerina, Momoko Hirata is captivating in the twin roles of Odette and Odile; contrasting the feather-soft innocence and purity of Odette with the seductive and calculating Odile. A dramatic Act III sees Hirata perform an impressive 32 fouette turns, which was met with huge applause on the night I attended. The whole company are outstanding – but the harmony between the two principles during their pas de deux is spectacular. César Morales, as Prince Siegfried, demonstrates strength, energy and passion; both dancers are masterful storytellers.
Philip Prowse’s set design is majestic and detailed from the grand setting of the reception at the castle to the haunting embankment at dawn. The costume design is a marvel – rich attire for the regal scenes, yet the dancers move with ease. The twinkling white tutu’s worn by the swans give a stark contrast against the medieval backdrop of black and gold opulence. Peter Teigan’s lighting design complements the graceful magic on stage by conjuring up a sense of autumn and the haze of sunlight drifting through the trees; the cascading dry ice creates a haunting lakeside setting for the shimmering and spectacular female corps de ballet.
The twinkling formation of the tutued swans and wonderful sound of the soft padding of pointe shoes fully supported by Tchaikovsky’s powerfully lyrical score, delivered by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, make for a thrilling, awe-inspiring and faultless production.
-Kristy Stott
Birmingham Royal Ballet: Swan Lake runs at The Lowry, Salford until Saturday 7 March 2020.