Performer: Alexander Volchkov

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

While the ballet's libretto is dated, The Golden Age can, when performed by great artists, be both an entertaining and emotionally satisfying ballet.

There can be no lovelier and mystical moment in classical ballet than the sight of 32 ethereal ‘Shades’ in a ribbon of white, slowly descending from a darkened mountain range, down a zigzag ramp to the stage.

The Bolshoi are back in town and, judging from yesterday’s opening performance of Spartacus, they are here to show off their characteristically big and bold style of ballet. Spartacus is a spectacle of grand scale, a thrilling combination of physical power and drama.