Review - Swan Lake
February 9, 2009
Date Reviewed: 4th February, 2009
Venue: Sunderland Empire
Expectations were high as once again a pretty full theatre was there to greet the opening night of Swan Lake with Ellen Kent’s “Ballet International”. These Russian ballet dancers are renown for the high standards they set themselves and Ellen Kent has a growing reputation for imaginative interpretations of traditional ballets (and operas).
The opening musical overture to Tchaikovsky’s magnificent score set the high musical standards which were maintained throughout by a great performance of conductor and orchestra alike.
The story is a classic love story with a Romeo and Juliet ending. It opens with the princes 21st birthday party - where his mother sets him the challenge of finding a bride! On the equivilent of his bachelor night out, he takes his friends off hunting swans with a crossbow. He sees the most magnificent of all the swans and demands to be left alone with her. He then discovers that she is in fact a most beautiful young woman. She and her friends have been trapped in swans bodies by an evil sorcerer Von Rothbart and the tears of their parents had created the lake upon which they swam. The only way this spell can be broken is the pledge of true to her by a man of pure heart. Before he can pledge his love Von Rothbart interrupts and eventually fools the prince by having him choose a double as his future bride. As soon as he poposes he sees his true first love looking on and realises his error. He runs to find his true love now condemned forever to live as a swan and with her jumps into the lake and they both drown This breaks the spell and all the other Swans are released from their bondage and they round the evil sorcerer into the lake to his death.
This age old story cannot fail to capture the hearts and minds of an audience and the story did just that. For me the ballet performance itself lacked in passion it was at times not quite in tune with the music. The lighting lacked any subtlety and the stage appeared restricted by the venue of the smallest touring theatre rather than the true expance of Sunderland’s new stage.
Prima Ballerina, Kristina Terentiev, played the lead role of Odette and her real life husband Alexi Terentiev, as the ill-fated Prince - there were glimpses of the brilliant talent that they have but for whatever reason they weren’t firing on all four cylinders on this night. Maybe its the mid tour blues but for me on this occassion it was the story that made the production live.
- Stephen Taylor
Comments
Got something to say?
-
Recent Posts
Advertisement
Other Regional Sites