PROBABLY the most famous ballet of all time, Swan Lake glides onto the Mayflower Theatre stage as the second of a trio of ballets performed by the Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia.

A delectable treat for seasoned ballet fans and the perfect introduction to ballet for first-timers, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake has the most celebrated score of all time, and this production is enhanced by restrained-yet-effective sets, gorgeous costumes and a superb cast.

In the 137 years since it was first performed, this ballet has been revamped in dozens of different ways, seen many different endings, and reached out to a whole new audience after the film Black Swan made it more popular than ever.

The opening night of this production had the audience mesmerised as they watched Tchaikovsky’s timeless tale unfold on stage.

The classic themes of love, betrayal and loss were brought to life with great visual effect by the whole company, whose synchronicity and speed had many in the audience shaking their heads in disbelieving admiration.

A corps de ballet perfectly in tune with each other seamlessly tied together the shifting scenes of light and dark, and provided the perfect support to the principal dancers, who wowed the audience with their grace and athleticism.

Maria Kuimova was captivating in the dual roles of Swan Queen Odette and wicked black swan Odile, and her prince (Dmitry Sobolevsky) was suitably dashing, seeming to float through the air as he wooed her by a lake brought to life with clever lighting and ethereal mist.

Vyacheslav Kapustin brought suitable menace to his role as the evil black raven with some stunning pieces of shadow dancing, and Kirill Bulychev as the Prince’s friend, Benno, brought on more of those disbelieving headshakes.

The choreography was superb throughout, but was especially effective in the lake scenes. And all the way through, the orchestra, conducted by Anatoliy Chepurnoy, made that glorious, oh-sofamous score soar to new heights, reminding us all that this is the world’s favourite ballet for good reason.

JANE SULLIVAN