ENB 'Swan Lake' reviews Takahashi in reviews Klimentova in reviews recent ENB reviews more Richard Jones reviews Discuss this review (Open for at least 6 months)

Tchaikovsky’s vision was on a grand scale, to say the least. My own complete recording of the original score of contains 155 minutes of music; add to that the time taken between numbers plus (at least) a couple of intervals, and you see the scale of the problem that was created in 1877. Admittedly I have included in that calculation the Russian dance created at the behest of Karpakova for the premičre, and the pas de deux (later choreographed separately by Balanchine) written for Sobeshchanskaya when she took over the leading role for the ballet’s fourth performance, but these add up to less than 13 minutes of music.

Derek Deane’s production being toured by ENB at the moment employs some interesting and successful re-arrangements of the score. The starting point for this production is the familiar 1895 Petipa/Ivanov version.

The first excision to be made is the pas de trois in Act 1. Also, there is no Benno. Instead of the pas de trois, there is a pas de quatre, included after the formal visit of Siegfried’s mother with her gift of a crossbow and a clear message that it is “time to be settling down, my son”. The pas de quatre is a bonus, the choreography being Ashton’s; it is danced to music from the pas de six originally placed in Act 3. The first act then proceeds with the usual light relief provided by Wolfgang (the tutor) trying to prove that he can still cut a step or two with a younger woman. I’m glad that this little scene is not overdone – sometimes it is embarassingly OTT. (There is a general tendency to play this character as a portly old gent, and indeed in Tchaikovsky's score he is referred to as 'old Wolfgang'; story ballets can be cruel to age and experience! The tutor has also been played as a rather studious younger man, joining in the dancing not as an old man with backache, but in a very correct and formal manner. Whatever the characterisation, Wolfgang can appear as a nothing character, but this portrayal (Michael Coleman) was much more believable and less of a simple excuse for comic relief, which was a welcome change).

We then launch into the polonaise, which is where I have a bit of a problem with this choreography. The middle section of the polonaise is very lightly scored, and is marked to be played quietly, but the dancers are asked to be very busy. The effect of the jumps especially is that the sound of feet on the stage can be as loud as the orchestra. On Friday night (my second viewing of the week) this problem was not so pronounced, but I remember the first occasion on which I saw this production thinking that I could hardly hear the orchestra clearly at all at this point. In any case, as the music (now in A minor) is more subdued and delicate here, I gently question its choreographic interpretation after the suitably vigorous opening (later to return); it seems as if only the rhythm, and not the whole character of the music, has been realised.

A pensive solo for Siegfried makes dramatic sense at this point; he is, after all, in a muddled state, and being pushed from pillar to post. The music used for this solo is taken from the (omitted) first act pas de trois. This is the second section of that pas de trois, consisting of a melancholy little canon between oboe and bassoon, slightly relieved by a more expansive middle section for woodwind and strings; it fits the dramatic purpose admirably, and provides Siegfried with an opportunity to display his own capabilities in an adage.

The act ends as usual with the famous swan theme. Interestingly, it is Wolfgang who first sees the swans, and points them out to the prince (at a musically apt moment); “something to take your mind off things, my boy”, he could be implying, or else suggesting that it is time to grapple with life’s realities. Either way, it is good to see the prince’s tutor involved with his charge, and not just dressing the stage as a stock comedy character.

Act two respects Ivanov, for which we must all be grateful.

The next visit to the court (Act 3) continues to tell the story clearly, with the drama moving on unfussily but cogently. There is just one set of initial fanfares (for all six princesses together) before the dance proceeds; the waltz that follows is choreographed for the princesses. This ties up neatly with the first act where the waltz that opens that act is danced as a pas de douze by six couples; here instead we have six potential brides for the otherwise-preoccupied Siegfried, all dancing together in the rather heavily formal and uneasy atmosphere created by the third act waltz. Odile then introduces her usual fireworks; Rothbart (accompanied by some grotesque looking sidekicks) makes his presence felt (for which he doesn’t need a dance solo of his own as in Grigorovich’s Bolshoi production – that does seem to be over-egging it for a gatecrasher); and the lighting design contributes impressively to the familiar drama of this act. The national dances provide variety of number as well as style: two couples for the Spanish; a lead couple with a group of four supporting couples for the Czardas; two dancers for Ashton’s fleet-footed Neapolitan dance; and six couples (as in the first act waltz) for the Mazurka; The Hungarians and Poles provide balancing groups in different parts of the stage, the czardas dancers in red and their counterparts for the mazurka in green.

The entr’acte before Act 4 moves straight into the first dance of the original score as the curtain rises on the swans without the interruption of the Valse bluette that Drigo extracted from Tchaikovsky’s collection of piano pieces, opus 72. The wistful melody that Tchaikovsky called the 'Dance of the little swans' (not to be confused with the cygnets) provides an opportunity for the corps to set the scene before the familiar story-telling proceeds with first Odette then Siegfried returning to the stage. The great mass of action music that Tchaikovsky provided for the remainder of this act was relieved in 1895 by the insertion of Drigo’s orchestration of Tchaikovsky’s piano piece Un poco di Chopin (opus 72 no.15) before the swan theme reappears with turbulent off-beat string accompaniment. Here, instead, Deane has used a remaining item from the music originally intended for the pas de six in Act three to provide the opportunity for a final pas de deux involving Odette and Siegfried. Two oboes exchange phrases mournfully with two bassoons before the music builds to a portentious climax for the full orchestra, subsiding to a flute solo. Again the musical choice is apt, and the insertion of this dance not only makes dramatic sense, but also redresses the balance between action music and dance numbers; otherwise this act can degenerate into little dance and much chasing around the stage. The remainder of the act is again based on a familiar telling of the story: Odette can stand the strain no longer and runs off to leap into the lake followed by Siegfried; Rothbart, his powers broken, collapses in a heap; and the lovers sail away into eternal bliss.

As has often been remarked, this production was one of the best things that Derek Deane did for ENB; it provides a clear storyline for a well-loved classic, and it is very good theatre. Too frequently the integration of all the elements that go to make up a production such as this can be let down by a weakness somewhere or other. Here the performance is especially well served by excellent designs and lighting.

ENB has many fine dancers, so it was good to be able to see the production twice, and appreciate the subtle nuances of two different Odettes (and their transformation into beguiling Odiles), Erina Takahashi (Wed.) and Daria Klimentova (Fri.). Their elegant and attentive Siegfrieds were Vladislav Bubnov and Jan-Erik Wikström respectively, both giving thoughtfully considered interpretations of the Prince's character. I was sitting on opposite sides of the theatre for the two nights, so had a distinctly different view (from on high) of the performances. It so happened that my seat on Friday enabled me to see clearly the facial reactions of Daria’s Odette at her first meeting with Siegfried. Sometimes we take away from a performance a particular image from a special moment; this was such a moment, highly charged with apprehension in both face and tremulous movement.

Some things change from one performance to another, the playing of the first act waltz being a case in point on this occasion. Friday’s had a much more convincing lilt and rhythmic flow. However, on both occasions the final sections of the Hungarian and Neapolitan dances were taken at a cracking pace. The latter being the one national dance where two dancers are given the stage, it was good to see Yat-Sen Chang relishing Ashton’s choreography again (partnered this time by Alice Crawford, equally enjoying the moment). He has delighted audiences in this dance since the production was new.

There are many details one could extract from this production, and individual performances to note, including not only the obvious roles such as the prowling Rothbart (Fabian Reimar on Wednesday and Gary Avis on Friday) but also a glimpse of the future; I especially remember some vivacious dancing downstage centre at the end of the polonaise on Friday night. Suffice to say this is a production that runs extremely smoothly with a strong team, and will no doubt serve ENB well for many years to come. In Bristol, the company played to full houses. The imaginative offer for school parties to take up seats at Ł5 each in the upper circle was available again; Wednesday night’s performance was watched by large groups of young people ready to groan at Rothbart and cheer the stars during the curtain calls. Friday night was a bit more decorous, but still a young audience I was glad to see – just a good night out at the theatre on a wet Friday evening, which is why such basic things as production values are so important. Get them wrong and the casual audience won’t come back; they’ll book for another show instead.

Finally, this is a good moment to wish ENB a successful (and shorter rather than longer) search for a new leader for its orchestra. Donald Weekes retired some time ago after decades of sterling service, and his permanent replacement has yet to be appointed; the orchestra does not need to be without a permanent leader for too long. Perhaps Donald will consider writing a book about his life and times with the company; that would be a good read!