Tchaikovsky : Swan Lake
The Royal Ballet
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Boris Gruzin
It's an odd production, this 25-year old Royal Ballet "Swan Lake". The white acts are, on the whole, lovely, ethereal decor, beautiful costumes for the girls, with their iridescent, feathery skirts, lighting that is atmospheric without being irremediably dim. If I have a complaint, it's the extra line of cygnets in Act 2. The girls from the Royal Ballet School are charming, and all that, but frankly, they cause clutter on the stage and are strictly supernumerary. The court acts, on the other hand, are a bit of a mess - again, far too much clutter, both in terms of choreography and decor. In Act 3, the ballroom's meant to look like it's decked with garlands; instead, it looks like it could do with a good dusting to get rid of the spider-webs. Add to that an orchestra, under Boris Gruzin, which was efficient and business-like, but rather lacking in poetry, and you end up with an evening that never quite hits the emotional high-spots, despite the best efforts of its principals.
Gary Avis was the villain of the piece. He overacted rather a lot in Act 3, but I'm pretty sure he was only doing what this particular production required of him. I prefer a somewhat less obvious version, but that was clearly not the effect desired here. He was more genuinely menacing in the last act. Nehemiah Kish (a new name to me) was a good, solid Prince, a little unimaginative, everything very much heart-on-sleeve, and open, forthright dancing to match, reliable save for a flicker of unsteadiness at the end of his Black Swan Variation. He made a sound partner for Zenaida Yanowsky's Odette/Odile, and she was worth the displacement all by herself.
Her White Swan was a grave, reserved creature, a complex and credible mix of world-weariness, doubt, and a thread of burgeoning hope, her dancing careful (but not cautious) and measured, without unnecessary flash or dash. Odile, on the other hand, was full of snap and sizzle, smiling and provocative. Yanowsky's technique isn't as bullet-proof as would be ideal for the Black Swan, and the speed with which she attacked her Variation cost her a little in precision, but the contrast was well-drawn.
Again, I find this production disappointing in this respect, that nobody in his right mind could possibly mistake Odile for Odette, despite them having the same face, so you have to put it down to Rothbart and his smoke and mirrors, which to my mind deprives the plot of something of its (potential) subtlety, not to mention leaving you with no great opinion of the Prince's intellect. I have seen it done otherwise, notably, and it's a production that's currently on tour in England, Sir Peter Wright's version for Birmingham Royal Ballet. Still, having a first-rate Swan Queen can make up for a lot of inconveniences.
[Next: 27th October]
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