London Coliseum ****

Here in the UK we usually only see the final act of Raymonda, the 19th century ballet
with glorious music by Alexander Glazunov and equally glorious choreography by
Marius Petipa. It is a lovely stand-alone piece, full of charming variations and shimmering classical tutus, and forms the conclusion of a far-fetched story involving Crusaders and evil Saracens.

Tamara Rojo has updated the tale for the English National Ballet with a three-act work now taking place during the Crimean War. The heroine is a Florence Nightingale-type figure more
in control of her own destiny, rather than the passive character of previous productions.

Raymonda, played on the opening night by Shiori Kase, is a nurse torn between her fiancé John – a dashing Isaac Hernandez – and his friend Abdur, a leader of the Ottoman army,
danced by Jeffrey Cirio.

Rojo has retained much of Petipa’s original choreography but added her own to certain scenes and thankfully, it works. The group dances are particularly impressive, with a beautiful dream sequence of women dancing with lamps (yes, we get it) and the corps men are in top form too.

There are, to the seasoned ballet-goer, a few references to other ballets: an entrance in the
dream scene recalls the famous “arabesque” sequence in La Bayadere, while
snippets of the fairies’ choreography from The Sleeping Beauty also appear.

The character dances aretruly spectacular and Kase performs beautifully but does not display the strength of character needed to make you believe she would have rebelled
against the conventions of the day. Her famous “hand clap” variation is performed softly and takes on a new dimension as she bourrees between her two lovers, torn between them. It is usually danced more sharply, but the interpretation works dramatically at this point in the story.

Hernandez dances all his solos with style – his technique is superb, but Cirio steals the show, with his sizzling interpretation of Abdur: he pulls off the physical pyrotechnics easily
and oozes sex appeal.

How lovely to hear the complete Glazunov score conducted by Gavin Sutherland, and Antony McDonald has created beautiful costumes which capture the essence of the era without
restricting the dancers’ movements. This production is a winner for the company
and a fine parting gift from Rojo as she leaves after 10 years to direct the San Francisco Ballet later this year.

Raymonda is at the London Coliseum until 23 January