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The instantly-recognisable, symphonic score was given the lover’s touch by conductor, Vadim Nikitin; caressed in the melancholic, slow sections and energetically encouraged wherever appropriate

Set in a refugee camp, Her name was Carmen exploits the drama of Bizet's opera to bear witness to the contemporary horrors faced by over four million Syrian refugees. This 21st century re-imagining finds spoilt, rich Carmen escaping from Gracia, the man who has murdered her family. His deadly infatuation forces her to hide as a boy among a group of refugees, each fleeing their own demons in pursuit of sanctuary and a better life.

In the absence of a visiting Mariinsky or Bolshoi company during the summer hiatus, London's balletomanes could get their classical ballet fix via the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre in performances of Swan Lake and La Bayadère.

Irina Kolesnikova is a beautifully nuanced Odette without a flock to match. 

Ballet classique par excellence, Le Lac des Cygnes est notamment issu des légendes russes et nordiques, où des jeunes femmes sont transformées en cygnes par un sortilège. Cette soirée qui aurait pu atteindre la perfection si la direction musicale avait été plus fine et harmonieuse.