The role of Princess Aurora is one of the most varied and complex challenges for a ballerina and, on this prestigious opening night marking the 40th anniversary of Sir Peter Wright’s seminal production of The Sleeping Beauty, that awesome responsibility fell on the shoulders (back, arms, legs, feet and especially toes) of Yu Kurihara. Not yet a principal dancer (I suspect that’s not a phrase to be written for much longer) she conquered all the complexities with alacrity while exuding all the joy of a young woman celebrating her birthday and then (after a 100-year sleep) her wedding.
We have enough wonderful ballerinas of Japanese origin in the UK to make up a football team (with a bench full of reserves) and, on all the evidence I have seen (from Kurihara’s Kitri to this Aurora), a new star “striker” from Japan has joined the team. Her entrance to the birthday celebrations, always a hotly anticipated moment in the first act (in this unique ballet, act one follows an interval due to the lengthy prologue), was delightful, combining pristine footwork and youthful curiosity in her opening solos.
The Rose Adagio – the series of balances en pointe as Aurora is partnered by four Royal suitors – has courted some introverted controversy in recent years as modern-day ballerinas have tended to play with the tempi in Tchaikovsky’s luscious music. Purists have argued for a return to how it was – “How Margot danced it” (although by some accounts Fonteyn dreaded the sequence) – instead of slowing (or even stopping) the music to suit the strength of balance enjoyed by certain star ballerinas. The company’s impending season at Sadler’s Wells will enjoy the guest performances of Alina Cojocaru as Aurora and it will be fascinating to see if her highly personal take on the role has changed over the years. Making it through the initial balances was Kurihara’s summit, relying on strong arms from her princes (Gabriel Anderson, Haoliang Feng, Miles Gilliver and Mason King), while building to a triumphant flourish without the merest hint of a wobble.
If Aurora is a marathon (or perhaps, heptathlon is a closer analogy) then the role of Prince Florimund is a series of brief but explosive sprints (more than half the ballet has elapsed before he appears). Australian Principal, Lachlan Monaghan, is shining under the new regime at BRB and he was everything a prince should be. Strong and secure as a partner and impressive in his own variations (the height of his successive double tours gave the illusion of triples). He was also convincing as the bored and indifferent young man on his arrival with the hunting party, respectfully ignoring the flirtations of the beautiful countess (Isabella Howard).
The Sleeping Beauty is a ballet that exposes the weaknesses in any company since it requires so many dancers in soloist roles and BRB rose to those challenges with considerable – through not universal – success. Having praised one young Japanese ballerina, it was fascinating to watch the company’s long-standing principal, Momoko Hirata, dancing divinely as the Fairy of Temperament, following on from an equally memorable performance by Reina Fuchigami (yet another find from Japan) as the Fairy of Song. These two fairy variations were amongst the best that I have seen. Also, kudos to Lucy Waine because the initial cast sheet had only ‘???????’ against the Fairy of Joy and so one has to assume that she came late to this role and was indeed suitably joyful!
The clash of the fairy titans must be the 100-year duel between Carabosse and the Lilac Fairy and here were two excellent interpreters in (respectively) Daria Stanciulescu and Eilis Small. Stanciulescu was a powerful and beautiful bad fairy, her stature emphasised by the striking impact of being carried aloft by four acolytes on an extraordinary palanquin. Small exuded a less dramatic power as the Lilac Fairy, dressed in an elaborate pale lilac gown rather than a tutu, but she delivered the dignified authority to combat and (spoiler alert if you have lived in Timbuktu for the last 100 years!) defeat Carabosse.
Philip Prowse’s designs are central to the delight of Wright’s production. His sets are monumental without taking up space (essential for a touring work) with a central obelisk and large urns on plinths dominating the palatial scenes and excellent costumes (only the brief appearance of medieval-style armoured soldiers in the prologue seemed incongruous to the period). The Royal Ballet Sinfonia, conducted by Philip Ellis, was magnificent.
Peter Wright’s production has a special place in the history of The Sleeping Beauty for, although just 40 years’ old, it derives historical authenticity by tracing its roots to the 1890 original through the records carried out from the Russian Revolution by Nikolai Sergeiev. It exudes that magical ageless feeling, here brought to life by a new and enchanting performance of the title role.
