Swan Lake – Royal Ballet at ROH

Last Updated on October 2, 2025

Revival of Liam Scarlett’s Swan Lake at The Royal Opera House.

Liam Scarlett’s  2018 production of Swan Lake for the Royal Ballet, with glorious sets designed by John McFarlane, is a sumptuous show which has won many accolades. Now on its third revival, this fairytale ballet has its roots in German and Russian folklore.  With its melodic Tchaikovsky score, poignant storyline and glorious choreography it has become one of the mainstays of the classical ballet canon and the best-known of all ballets.  The 2024 opening night had the dream team duo of  Vadim Muntagirov as Prince Seigfried and Marianela Nuñez in the role of Princess Odette.  An enthusiastic audience had in some cases travelled across the world to see them dance – those in the seats next door to me indeed were visitors from the USA.

The prologue sees Odette transformed into a swan by the predatory sorcerer von Rothbart, a Rasputin-like figure who is also an advisor to Siegfried’s mother the Queen (Elizabeth McGorian).  Played by Gary Avis as a demonic character straight out of a German expressionist film, von Rothbart is the puppet master pulling all the strings. For those of us used to seeing Avis scattering his glitter across the stage in The Nutcracker, this ‘evil’ persona is equally effective! The opening takes place in front of designer John Macfarlane’s swirling vortex of a painted backdrop, the first of a series of stunning sets that channel the opera’s 19th-century heritage; but we are soon sucked into the drama with Act 1 taking place by the palace gates with the young men and women of the court expressing their refinement and nobility in the opening waltz. Luca Acri as Benno was powerful and controlled, dancing with Prince Seigfried’s charming and flirtatious sisters (Isabella Gasparini, Sae Maeda) and convincingly setting the ballet in context.

The story is simple and charming. Prince Siegfried is under pressure from his mother to marry and she plans to hold a ball to help him find his match. When a flock of swans flies overhead Siegfried goes out hunting.

Separated from his hunting party, the prince arrives at a lake where he sees the swans.  He watches as one transforms into a beautiful woman, Odette. She explains to the prince that she and her fellow swans have been put under a spell by von Rothbart, which can only be lifted if someone who has never loved before promises to love her forever. The tender and expressive pas de deux in the second act had an exquisitely graceful seemingly effortlessly Nuñez lifted and supported by Muntagirov and ably accompanied by harp and solo violin from the orchestra pit.  It is for this kind of dancing that the ballet world crosses oceans.

 The corps of the Royal Ballet plays a key part of Swan Lake and I was truly impressed by the vigour and technical prowess demonstrated so well here. I’ve watched this ballet from the back of the amphitheatre where the brilliance of the current company can be seen from a different perspective.  On the opening night, from a Stalls Circle seat, I could see the detail of the footwork too. Stunning dancing, best appreciated when you can see the precise lines of the swans.  From the front row of the stalls circle the shimmering legs of the corp made a truly convincing flock of swans while the cygnets (Mica Bradbury, Ashley Dean, Amelia Townsend, Yu Hang) were immaculate

Siegfried and Odette fall in love; but at the ball on the next evening, framed by Macfarlane’s gloriously opulent set, the Prince is presented with a series of predatory princesses dressed in blinged-up tutus all metaphorically ‘shaking their tail-feathers at him with a series of delightful arabesques. He’s not convinced by any of them, much to his mother’s disappointment.

Then, Odile appears – the image of Odette.  The Prince comes under the spell of Rothbart’s daughter and is easily persuaded that he should marry the person he believes is Odette. Nuñez’s performance was convincing with nuanced hand and arm movements and facial expressions convincing the Prince but somehow portraying malevolence and evil.  Perhaps the perfectly executed 32 fouettes had something to do with that, matched by Muntagirov’s powerful dancing. But, the curtain closes as Odette herself appears in mirrors and the deception is revealed.

In Act 4 Siegfried realising that he has been duped, returns to Odette in the forest. We see the swans shimmering on the lake leading to the final and heartbreaking Pas de Deux when Siegfried and Odette realise that only death will now release her, break von Rothbart’s spell and free the swans.  You’ll need to see this production for how it all ends…

 The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House was conducted by Koen Kessels.  One of Tchaikovsky’s best-loved works today, music for the ballet was composed between 1875 and 1876, the first of three ballets he created.  It premiered in Moscow at the Bolshoi in 1877 and was initially not a great success.  Tchaikovsky went on to write two more ballets – Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker, both of which are still popular today.  He was in discussions with Marius Petipa from St Petersberg and Vsevolozhsky, Director of the Imperial Theatres in Russia,  on a revival of Swan Lake but died in 1883, just as the plan to revive his work was coming to fruition.  Instead, the score was revised by Riccardo Drigo, then Director of Music at the Imperial Ballet of Saint Petersburg and the 1895 edition has served as the version on which most stagings have been based.  It’s a great score that has some challenging solos to accompany the dancers and the band performed brilliantly.

If you are new to ballet then Swan Lake is a wonderful introduction with a mellifluous and accessible score and a story that could melt any heart.  This production is visually stunning with expressive story-telling and immaculate dancing from Muntagirov and Nuñez and all the minor roles playing their part in as near to perfection as I’ve seen on stage.

As always, the cast varies throughout the season.  Check the Royal Opera House website for more details