For a long time, I thought that classical music was one-dimensional and that nothing could be added to enhance or improve.
Then I encountered my first ballet, The Nutcracker, and I realised that music and dance can go hand in hand in the classical genre.
It’s a combination of masterful musicianship and scintillating choreography, both of which shone out like beacons on Saturday night in the Caird Hall, when the Classical Ballet and Opera House produced Swan Lake.
It’s a tale with a well-known format – mistaken identity, romance and the triumph of good over evil – but such simplicity is masked by a memorable music score and choreography of the highest quality and imagination.
Most folk will know the music Tchaikovsky wrote for the ballet, but this was a backdrop to an evening of style, elegance, grace, perfect synchronisation and athleticism, and this was from the whole troupe and not just the principal dancers who, naturally, caught the limelight.
Perhaps taking the main plaudits for athleticism was Ronskyi Artem (Jester), whose pirouettes made one dizzy just looking at him and he added a touch of mime which is prevalent in ballet performances.
The other main characters of Odette and Prince Siegfried (Kropyvko Mariia and Varankin Andrii) – whose love affair is the crux of the ballet – managed to achieve equal agility, but with a tenderness and passionate interaction that befitted the hero and heroine of any grand opera.
The supporting troupe of maiden-swans, courtiers and visiting royalty to Siegfried’s palace should not be taken as granted. The latter provided a colourful palette of dance in the opening of act two, but it was the poise and synchronisation of the swans throughout the performance that impressed me the most.
Their movements were as one and their ability to “freeze” in perfect posture for minutes at a time smacked of incredible discipline and presence of mind.
There is a natural and sophisticated art to ballet, and to that I was drawn from the start. It was something to savour and help broaden my horizons of the classical world of music.
Was there an extra ingredient during the performance to achieve maximum satisfaction?
Without doubt, an excellent 30-plus piece orchestra which gave Tchaikovsky’s music the perfect interpretation plus support to those on stage.
Ballet productions such as this were, pre-Covid, regulars in the Dundee musical calendar. It’s good to see them back as they add another string to the city’s cultural bow.
Not only that, but they could give encouragement and enlightenment to many enthusiastic amateurs who attend ballet classes throughout the area.
Conversation