Making their first appearance in London, the renowned State Ballet of Georgia (with a history back to 1851) have arrived to present their Swan Lake.
With sumptuous sets (by Vyacheslav Okunev) for each of the four acts, the story of Prince Siegfried and the swan maidens Odette and Odile is rendered in a very traditional form. Technically demanding and dramatically taxing, Swan Lake deserves its place as one of the greats.
Beautiful pas de deux in the second and third acts add to the passion and romance of the piece, helped by the strong chemistry between Nino
Samadashvili’s dual swans and Oleg
Lihai’s Prince.
In the pivotal role of enchanter and bad guy, Baron von Rothbart, Marcelo
Soares adds an air of graceful, playful menace. In this version, an alternative ending allows him to be vanquished and for the lovers to find happiness.
In the two acts with the group of swans, the reflective floor suggests the rippling water, with a glowing moonlight high above. The pas de trois of the big swans (Tata Jashi, Salome Iarajuli, Mari Lomjaria) is glorious.
Tchaikovsky’s music, his first full-length ballet score, is known to most, and is played with grace by English National Opera’s orchestra (conducted by Papuna Gvaberidze).
Petipa and Ivanov’s classic choreography is all about patterns, shapes, and athleticism. The story is a romantic one, drawing on mythology, privilege, and coming of age.
The young prince may find no match from the ladies assembled at his party but instead finds her in a woodland as he goes hunting. The dual role of Odette, white swan, and Odile, black swan, is a triumph and a trick.
The State Ballet of Georgia, led by Nina Ananiashvili, are an accomplished ensemble. This Swan Lake is staged by Ananiashvili’s long-term dancing partner Alexei Fadeechev. Both have a reputation of some renown and it shows here.
This is a sweet and solid Swan Lake, in which the warm appreciation for the prima ballerina pauses the show at several points. I enjoyed a lot about it (Okunev’s costumes, the character bits from David Ananeli’s Wolfgang and Ina Azmaiparashvili’s Queen).
All the major roles in Swan Lake have multiple casting, so many different combinations could be possible during this production’s short run. As Ligai has only just joined the company, I was pleased to see his impeccable acting and graceful movement.
Samadashvili, though, deserves her bursts of applause in one of ballet’s most technically and emotionally draining and demanding roles.
Catch this for a traditional alternative to Matthew Bourne’s contemporary version, itself returning to London next year for its 30th anniversary.
Swan Lake by the State Ballet of Georgia is at London Coliseum until 8 Sept with details here.
Read an abridged version of an article by Graham Watts about the company’s appearance in London here.
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Image credit: Sasha Gusov