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The production is, of course, based on the 1946 staging by Nicholas Sergeyev, with a number of later additions (like Frederick Ashton's solos for Aurora and the Prince in Act 2), some other changes from subsequent versions, and a completely new Garland Dance in Act 1 by Christopher Wheeldon. There are small changes to the choreography here and there, but the only major loss is the huge cut in the hunting scene in Act 2 - a serious mistake, spoiling the balance of the act as well as depriving us of some charming dancing; fortunately it's easily rectifiable. The staging has some distinct successes, including the journey to the enchanted palace during the Panorama, and also a few problems: the suitors' pursuit of Carabosse was awkwardly done, for instance, but again this can easily be put right.

It was good to see Oliver Messel's beautiful sets again, and from the pre-opening publicity I was expecting also to see costumes which were recognisably his, changed and updated by Peter Farmer only as much as necessary for practical or aesthetic reasons. Far from it: like many others who remember the originals well, I struggled to find a connection between those and what Farmer has produced. The company has set our expectations quite wrongly, and has thereby made a rod for its own back. It would have been much better to have announced that Farmer would make completely new costumes, and let us spot any Messel influence for ourselves. I thought the Prologue very disappointing. Ironically, in the light of Farmer's disparagement of Messel as a mere decorator compared with a real designer like himself, I felt like someone revisiting a house they'd known many years ago, and finding the quirky uniqueness of its decoration replaced by a blandly inoffensive, colour co-ordinated effect which would offend nobody and excite nobody - the sort of thing that's recommended these days to buy-to-let landlords. It's a real National Ballet of Anywhere look, banal in the matching outfits for the fairies and their cavaliers, and with only Catalabutte left in bright colour. Act 1 is a sea of fussy pastels, and it's only when we get to the hunting scene that things improve.
 

The other big disappointment of the evening was the standard of the dancing at soloist level, in several cases nowhere near what I would hope to see from a major company presumably putting out its strongest team for a big première. There were some brightly shining stars in the leading roles, though. Brightest of all, for me, was Marianela Nunez, a Lilac Fairy as gracious, benevolent and generous as any I've seen. Her mimed dialogue with Johan Kobborg's Prince, when she first shows him the vision of Princess Aurora, was the emotional highlight of the evening, with both of them totally engaged in what was happening. Kobborg himself does this whole scene better than anyone I can remember since David Wall. It was in this part of the ballet, too, that I found Alina Cojocaru's Aurora most convincing. In Act 1 I'd thought her charming, pretty, youthful... but not, I'm afraid, sufficiently interesting a character, and in Act 3 I wanted to see more a little more weight: she could be wonderful if she would borrow from the Vision Scene some of the gravitas she brought to both her solo and the pas de deux.

Further performances may bring different impressions, of course, but meanwhile it's a very real pleasure to be watching again a straightforward, gimmick-free production.