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And I say this having seen a stellar cast featuring 8 principals led by Tamara Rojo, who I think is the company's best, and Federico Bonelli - a wonderful classical dancer. Better, I enjoyed it much also, it's just that the enjoyment is dotted around and the endless cavalcade of minor dances does not bridge the gaps.

What thrilled was Rojo's technical brilliance - she balances better than anybody else I know and the Rose Adagio with the four Princes is an unmitigated triumph. You don't get many of those in a lifetime and Rojo is currently at the top of her game. There was some luxury casting in the Bluebirds too with Sarah Lamb looking sharp and at ease, though sadly Yohei Sasaki could not compare and the two looked very unmatched, to nobody's advantage. Marianela Nunez, the most radiant of all the RB principals, did her radiant thing as the Lilac Fairy - in character, and out, she's a dancer you can trust to do good by you I think.

The new/old designs still garner an odd response from me. The Oliver Messel painted backcloths/sets are wonderful, some of the costume colours, as for Catalabutte, also inspire but others are rather twee and uninspiring pastels. More worryingly some of the costumes look poorly made out of inexpensive fabric. I don't recall ever thinking that before about an RB production. Overall though I still don't understand the imperative of Ross Stretton commissioning the 2003 production and Monica Mason spending yet more money again 3 years later, especially when the Dowell production from 1994 could have carried on. A tragic waste of money really.

But Rojo's performance made me glad to be alive and the final closing pose does bring a lump to the throat at the magnificence of the art. Now if we can just get it all down to 3 acts and 2 hours we'd be really motoring.