'Double Concerto' reviews ENB 'Apollo' reviews 'Apollo' reviews 'Who Cares' reviews Perego in reviews Wikstrom in reviews recent ENB reviews

It is no mean tribute to Hampson's craftsmanship as a choreographer that his new ballet set to Poulenc's music held its own in the company of those two Balanchine masterpieces. Previously I had only seen one of Hampson's works for ENB - his "Country Garden" on one of the company's small-scale tours. This new ballet confirmed what I had admired in Hampson, who is one of the few young choreographers today who finds inspiration from the classical vocabulary. Hampson has an ease and fluency in deploying the classical steps to show off the soloists and corps de ballet at their best. It is rewarding to see a large part of the company being utilised in this ensemble piece.

This work has a solemn air in its formal structure, and exudes a classical grandeur. A recurring pattern are the diagonals in the processions for the corps which at times recall the grand pas from Petipa's "Paquita". In the slow movement the circular patterns traced by the female corps are pleasing.

The pas de deux was beautifully danced by Monica Perego and Jan-Erik Wikstrom. Hampson has deployed a lot of 'promenades' and lifts for the couple. In the final movement Perego dazzled in the pointe work in her solo which was full of 'echappees' and 'pique' turns.

Both the Balanchine ballets were staged for ENB by Nanette Glushak. "Apollo" follows the current New York City Ballet version without the prologue depicting Apollo's birth. Thomas Edur danced the young god with his usual nobility, but somehow it wasn't a particularly moving performance which lacked some poetry. I last saw Apollo danced by the Kirov Ballet at Covent Garden last summer, and Andrian Fadeyev's transcendant performance is still stuck in my memory. Agnes Oaks put in too many unnecessary facial expressions as Terpsichore. However Elisa Celis and Sarah McIlroy danced decently as Polyhymnia and Calliope respectively.

Fortunately ENB gave a glorious performance of Balanchine's "Who Cares?", illuminating Balanchine's masterly setting of the classical ballet steps to Gershwin's Broadway showbiz music. Dmitri Gruzdyev was outstanding as the principal man and shone in the three pas de deux and his solo. Monica Perego danced sharply the third solo full of 'fouette' turns. Sarah McIlroy and Begona Cao were radiant in the other two solos. It was a perfect ballet to send the audience home happy.