The Nutcracker is timeless and one of the all-time greats of the ballet genre. This Bolshoi production is outstandingly good, and won't be a disappointment for Nutcracker fans. And there is very little that is wrong here, apart from a lacklustre Arabian dance- the dancer was behind the music and struggled with some of the steps- and the Chinese dance being conducted a little too slow. The production does look absolutely gorgeous though, festive, colourful and fairy-tale-like. The orchestra sparkles playing Tchaikovsky's music, dramatic and nuanced when needed, while Pavel Klinichev's conducting shows a feel for the drama as well as an ability to accommodate the dancers. Grigorovich's choreography is impeccable, Dance of the Snowflakes and Waltz of the Flowers are just captivating in how elegantly danced and mood-capturing they are. The video directing and sound are excellent, some of the best of any ballet DVD seen recently actually. Nina Kaptsova is so expressive and graceful as Marie, and Artem Ovcharenko proves to be a strong partner. Their chemistry completely convinces and the Pas-De-Deux and Finale of Act 1 are enchanting. Denis Savin does give Drosselmeier some charisma and mysterious menace, the character is not as interesting as other productions- in fact if Savin hadn't played him as well as he did he would have been almost a non-entity- but Savin does what he could with what he had. To conclude, lovely and incredibly good, a Christmas treat. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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