Review by Amber at Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review
The first ballet I ever bore witness to was Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake during its UK tour in 2018. Since then, I have seen a small number of New Adventures’ ballets, five balletic interpretations of Romeo & Juliet and Ballet Rambert’s Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby.
Aside from Matthew Bourne’s beautiful reimagining of Swan Lake, I know the story through the 2003 film Barbie of Swan Lake. When the chance to see Swan Lake performed traditionally came about, I knew I had to take it.
Varna International Ballet showcase the romance of Swan Lake with shimmering costumes, heightened makeup and an almost completely bare set, meaning the company make full use of Nottingham Concert Hall’s impressive stage. The orchestra, conducted magically by Azat Maksutov, bring Tchaikovsky’s beautiful, haunting, desperate score to life with confidence and grace. The iconic moments within the score are given the energy and passion they deserve, certainly inducing me into moments of jovial finger-tapping and head-nodding. One stand out moment that had the entire audience buzzing with excitement was the Spanish Bride’s dance, full of sharp, full movement, lots of skirt-swishing and bullfight-inspired choreographing.
Dancing as the Spanish Bride was Roberta Estrela, who gave a fiesty, exhilarating performance. Prince Siegfried was played with tender tragedy by Timofi Fedotov, with a palpable yearning for Odette embodied through his entire performance. Rather than give the idea of a huntsman out in the forest of his kingdom in search of prey, Siegfried begins the show by reading the tale of Odette – illustrated to us on the projected backdrop, with videos of real people transposed atop the classically-illustrated kingdom and forest.
Andrea Conforti tackles the duel roles of Odette/Odil with grace, power and delicacy. Odette’s initial interaction with the prince is one of uncertainty, the prince’s immediate infatuation is not reciprocated by the good fairy – we see her begin to trust and step into the Prince’s movements as the Pas de Deux unfolds on stage. In the second act, any nervousness and hesitation embodied by Conforti is abandoned for the confident, seductive movements required for Odil, the black swan. She commands the stage with such craft that you cannot help but stage in awe as the control Conforti has over her body.
Lorenzo Poggianti plays the evil Rothbart, who in Varna’s production of the ballet is also Prince Siegfried’s tutor. His show of discreet menace is excellent, particularly in Act Two when he and the queen conduct whispered conversations as the Prince dances with the four prospective brides. The discreet, subtle hints of Rothbart’s evil is done away once the Prince is by the lake, and the evil sorcerer reveals himself to be the one behind Odette’s curse.
The only element of the production that felt underdeveloped to me was the lighting, with general washes becoming darker and lighter at seemingly random points in the same scene. It would have been nice to have some colour injected into the stage, particularly during the end of act 2, when we see the cygnets and swans erupt onto the stage like a far away thunderstorm.
Varna International Ballet’s production of Swan Lake is a captivating showcase of what you want from a traditional ballet. The costumes, makeup and orchestra marry together to create an emotional tale that will sweep you up to your feet at curtain call.
Varna International Ballet continue to tour three of their productions across the UK until March 2026. For more information, please visit https://www.rg.live/festivals/varna-international-ballet
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