Vienna Festival Ballet Swan Lake Review
Vienna Festival Ballet
Swan Lake
Grand Opera House, York
9 May 2014
www.grandoperahouseyork.org.uk
Reviewed by Emma Wasson
On entering the Grand Opera House in York I collected my tickets from the box office, where the lady was very polite and explained how to locate our seats.
All encounters with staff were positive. A member of staff was located at each entrance to the theatre and pointed us in the direction of our seats, the bar and the toilets. I bought a programme, which at a cost of £6 I thought was a little pricey, however the programme included a separate pull out dedicated to Swan Lake, and the programme itself gives a short narrative on each of the productions that the Vienna Festival Ballet company perform, so it is a lovely souvenir to keep.
The theatre itself was clean and tidy and toilets as were the toilets, at the interval there was the usual long queues for the ladies toilets, but nothing you wouldn’t expect on a busy evening, especially as there were far more ladies in the audience than men.
The theatre was packed and my daughter (aged 7) and I were keen for the performance to begin. It was a magical evening and is very special for little girls to see their first live ballet performance. Even though the majority of the audience were older there were several other younger children that we spotted, who had come dressed for the occasion in their best outfits.
The ballet tells the spellbinding tale of Prince Siegfried, who has come of age and must find a girl to marry. Armed with the crossbow presented to him by his mother he goes off into the woods to hunt, and there he meets Odette, the Swan Queen. Odette has been transformed into a swan by the wicked sorcerer Baron Rothbart, and can only been freed by true love. The tale continues back at the palace, where amongst other prospective brides presented to the prince, Odile arrives, the evil Barons daughter and they both trick the prince into believing she is really Odette. Here he declares his true love for Odile, only to realise he has been tricked, where upon he rushes to the forest to find Odette. Luckily true love prevails and together, Odette and Price Siegfried are able to overcome the evil Baron and break the spell.
The music, by Tchaikovsky has been recorded especially for the ballet company, and is played over the speakers to the audience. Although the timing of the music was impeccably matched to all the ballet moves and the music itself was beautiful, at some points it was a bit screechy through the speakers and doesn’t have the same spell binding effect as live music.
The set was changed 4 times, during the end of each Act, and portrayed exactly what it needed to with beautifully painted backdrops depicting the palace gardens and ballroom to the depths of the forest.
The ballet production itself was faultless and absolutely superb. It includes many solo pieces which show off the individual talents of the artists to amazing group dances which were all beautifully choreographed with impeccable timing. With many of the group dancers performing the same routines, these were visually effective and when needed produced dramatic results, which were clearly appreciated by the audience.
During Act 2 the audience is introduced to Odette, the Swan Queen, (played by Emily Joy Smith) both my daughter and I were mesmerised for most of this act by Odette’s performance. What an exceptionally talented and beautiful dancer to watch. During this act one scene depicts Prince Siegfried, (played by Vince William Smart) and Odette expressing their feelings for each other, which is performed in a duet with the other swans located around them. The majority of the moves in this particular dance are executed very slowly but to perfection, showing off Odette’s (Emily’s) core strength and flexibility as a ballet dancer. My daughter was watching in awe as Odette effortlessly bends down on one leg and points the other up to the sky so her legs were in a vertical line. Whilst holding onto the prince she also performed beautiful pirouettes and lifts whilst at the same time showing off her acting skills as her face expressed the pain and anguish she was feeling at being imprisoned as a swan by the Baron.
The majority of Act 3 is a little more light-hearted as the Prince is introduced to his prospective brides to be. The audience was treated to some exceptionally beautiful ballet dancing during this part of the performance. The Spanish and Hungarian dancers wore character shoes and we were entertained with some lovely dance routines by some very talented young ladies. Act 3 also sees Odile (played by Kymberleigh Cowley) perform an exceptional sequence of pirouettes for which she received a huge round of applause, it was stunning to watch.
Although there were only 3 male dancers who performed on stage, they are all exceptionally talented young men. Each performed their own solo routines at various stages of the production. All are exceptionally strong and showed off their core strength and agility as they executed huge leaps across the stage, with amazing pirouettes and jumps. They all told the story well, and the jester lived up to his character well, and he made my daughter laugh on several occasions.
The costumes were beautiful and very fitting for the ballet, no detail had been spared. The cygnets and swans all wore long white skirts, with beautiful white fitting bodices with feathery headbands. All the various princesses’ outfits, together with their dancers were very elaborate and detailed with skirts that spun round as the girls pirouetted and spun round the dance floor. The costumes of Odette and Odile were the most beautiful of all, with a tight leotard and exquisite tutus adored with feathers and gold lace respectively. Odile’s black tutu with gold embroidery matched perfectly to the black leotard of Prince Siegfried, and they both looked spectacular as they danced together whilst at the palace.
The ballet itself had a bit of everything, with parts of the story depicting light-hearted scenarios, where the jester and the prince are joking and drinking with the girls at the beginning of the show. To the pain felt by Odette at being imprisoned as a swan, and losing the Prince to Odile.
Tchaikovsky’s music expresses the feelings of the characters brilliantly throughout the production and obviously plays a huge part in telling the story and setting the scene. However the choreography was exceptional and as mentioned above many of the group dances help depict the scenes, and tell the story to the audience.
There were some very complex moves performed by various ballet dancers during the show, it is a credit to not only the discipline and talent of the dancers but to the whole ensemble who have created such an effective show.
Overall, all the ballerinas were amazing and it was a joy to watch this spellbinding performance of the timeless classic, Swan Lake, by the Vienna Festival Ballet company. All the men and ladies are clearly exceptionally talented artists and perform each move with passion and commitment, it is clear that they were born to perform.
Having watched her first live ballet production, my daughter is eager to continue with her ballet lessons and can’t wait to wear points. Not only did the production inspire my daughter but also brought pleasure to the whole audience, which was clear at the finale when many of the audience gave the performers a standing ovation coupled with huge cheers. It was a lovely evening, enjoyed by all, and I would definitely book to see another production performed by the Vienna Festival Ballet.
Rating: 5/5 
The Vienna Festoval Ballet Company is currently touring the UK, for more information and tour dates visit www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/vienna-festival-ballet.
Grand Opera House, Clifford and Cumberland Street, York, YO1 9SW | 0844 8713024
