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This "Don Quixote" performance saw the Kirov at its most glorious, more so than when I last saw this ballet in April during the Kirov's tour to Cardiff. Every element seemed to fit together perfectly in this particular performance. The dancing was simply irresistible and intoxicating. Tatiana Tkachenko was formidable, and danced with impressive control the difficult variation of the Queen of the Dryads, though perhaps not as impeccable as Natalia Sologub was in this role in the past. Nikolai Zubkovsky was exciting in the gypsy dance. Olesia Novikova shone in the variation in the last act.

An unforgettable performance was Andrei Merkuriev as Espada, whom I've now seen a number of times. With his swirling body and arched back, Merkuriev had an incomparable charisma and an irresistible stellar appeal, and is by far the best dancer whom I've seen in this role. He was especially dazzling in the Act 3 tavern scene with his full-bodied dancing. His sharp 'assembles' were so exciting. Merkuriev's Espada was absolutely brilliant. Isn't it about time that he can make his debut as Basilio with the Kirov? After all, he had already danced the role at the Maly Theatre before he joined the Kirov.
 

Mikhail Lobukhin exceeded my expectations as Basilio. He had some problems with the one-handed lifts in Act 1, but improved gradually in the ballet. In the grand pas de deux in the final act he was quite impressive in his technical bravura.

But the evening belonged to Irma Nioradze who was at her most radiant and technically dazzling. Her dancing was sharp and incisive. She travelled like a javelin in the Dulcinea's diagonal of 'grands jetes' in the Dryads scene, and she was as light as feather in her 'battements frappes'. Nioradze was splendid in the grand pas de deux in the final act.

I had previously read a bad Russian review of Mikhail Chemiakin's "The Magic Nut", but I don't really find the ballet that bad at all. The story - which is a prequel to "The Nutcracker" and is about Drosselmeyer being turned by the Rat Queen into a nutcracker - is clearly narrated, and easy to follow. This production is extremely theatrical, enhanced of course by the imaginative sets and costumes of Mikhail Chemiakin. There is some good classical choreography by the Bulgarian choreographer Donvena Pandoursky. The music was specially composed by Sergei Slonimsky.

Andrei Merkuriev and Maya Dumchenko danced the roles of young Drosselmeyer and Princess Pirlipat when the ballet was premiered in May. I saw the second cast this time led by a talented young cast - Alexander Sergeyev and Ketevan Papava. Sergeyev has presence and is a good actor. He excelled in his solos. Papava made a good debut in this performance, and was ravishing as Princess Pirlipat.

Donvena Pandoursky's choreography in this ballet is actually better crafted than Kirill Simonov's choreography for the earlier Chemiakin ballet "The Nutcrcaker", which I saw earlier this month on the Kirov's Paris tour. Pandoursky's choreography for the pas de deux throughout the ballet is fluent and pleasing. The duet in the final act, before young Drosselmeyer's face is disfigured, is eloquent.

The ensemble dances are good fun. In the underwater kingdom, the various dances - of the sea horses, jelly fish, and the putti - are delightful and must please the children in the audience. And the rats' ensemble dances in Act 2 are vivacious. However it is difficult to recognise the dancers who mostly wear heavy masks, for instance Irina Golub as the frog. Overall "The Magic Nut" scores very high on theatricality and originality.

I was actually less impressed by Yuri Grigorovich's 1961 ballet "The Legend of Love" which I don't think is one of his best works. Grigorovich's broad-stroked choreography now looks dated. I found some parts of the ballet quite long and boring. Some of the big ensemble dances are quite effective. The story is about the Queen Mekhmeneh Bahnu's jealousy of her younger sister Shyrin whose life she has saved, as both women are in love with the young artist Ferkhad.

Irma Nioradze was wholly engrossing as the Queen, and danced splendidly. Vladimir Shishov was powerful as Ferkhad, and danced heroically in his solos of big jumps. Ekaterina Osmolkina made a most impressive debut as Shyrin, and got the full measure of the role. She was ravishing in the ecstatic Act 1 pas de deux with Ferkhad. In Act 2 she danced her solo with allure. In Act 3 in the dream pas de deux, Osmolkina's dancing was so pure.

That weekend I also caught a matinee performance of "La Sylphide". I was glad to see again the young talented 20-year-old dancer Vladimir Shklyarov who was excellent as James. Elena Sheshina was convincing as the Sylph, but I prefer Evgenia Obraztsova who was Shklyarov's partner last season.

The Mariinsky Theatre will close for renovation after the end of the current season next summer. So do rush to visit the Mariinsky Theatre in the next six months.