Sleeping Beauty
Norwich Theatre Royal
A year on from their first visit to Norwich, Varna International Ballet return to Theatre Royal for three ballets on three consecutive nights, beginning with Sleeping Beauty.
This was an impressively slick performance of both the ballet and Tchaikovsky’s incredible score. The company’s orchestra, conducted by Peter Tuleshkov, particularly excelled in the second half of the performance, driving the performance along as soloist after soloist took centre stage.
Andrea Conforti, as Princess Aurora, performed immaculately throughout. Nicolás Pérez, as the Evil Fairy Carabosse, and Aino Louhivaara, as the Lilac Fairy, were also particularly impressive.
The company, formed in 1947, had not toured the UK before last year. That they have returned within a year to play a demanding series of dates across the country is an indicator of the previous tour’s success.
Friday’s performance of Swan Lake sold out in advance; a limited number of tickets remain for both (2.30pm and 7.30pm) performances of The Nutcracker on Saturday.
