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The current run opened with a 12-noon matinee, so no lunch for any of us - I suppose there's a reason for this, perhaps to give the orchestra enough rest between two three-hour performances, but it's hard enough for an audience to plunge into romantic angst shortly after breakfast, and must be even more difficult for the dancers. Even so, things started off well, with fine dancing in the pas de trois from Belinda Hatley and Laura Morera. They make an interesting pair, too, with Hatley's delicate precision contrasting with Morera's stronger, more extrovert style. I also liked Jonathan Howells as the Tutor - nervous, fussy and commendably free of caricature - and later, in the white acts, Lauren Cuthbertson as one of the 'big' swans.

Roberta Marquez and Ivan Putrov had the leading roles. We can't know how far Putrov still is from his full strength and stamina, after nearly a year out of action: by the end of the afternoon his Siegfried looked seriously underplayed, and it may be that he had just run out of steam. Even in Act 1, though, his amiable, considerate Prince didn't stand out enough from the crowd. Taller dancers can impose their authority just by their physical presence: Putrov is denied that advantage and will have to find a way of compensating through stronger acting. When it came to Act 3, he produced some beautiful dancing - a series of double tours, for instance, with the softest of landings - but again, it was under-projected, missing the excitement the situation calls for. Perhaps Siegfried just isn't his role, but in these circumstances one has to suspend judgment.
 

Marquez was new to me as Odette/Odile and I was very agreeably impressed by the quality of her dancing. Although she's so tiny she has a very pleasing line, and she makes her effects very simply - I never felt I was being called on to admire her control or her ability to dance very very slowly or the amazing flexibility of her arms. She has plenty of bravura technique for Odile, and only needs to make her a bit more evil and less naughty, less like Kitri in a bit of a strop. Her real problem is in finding the emotional depth for Odette: she does all the right moves and the right gestures, but almost nothing comes across about how she's feeling: sad, happy, despairing, hopeful? I didn't know. It's odd, too, given how often she and Putrov dance together, that there seemed so little chemistry between them. A Swan Lake without passion has lost its heart and most of its reason for existing.