Ruth Leon recommends…The Snow Queen – Scottish Ballet

The Snow Queen – Scottish Ballet
Click here for tickets ; subscription tv

I’m already sick of The Nutcracker. Yes, Tchaikowsky’s music is wonderful and every version of this ballet – the paradigm is of course Balanchine’s choreography for the New York City Ballet – gives new insights into this, let’s face it, silly story of a child’s birthday party which gives way to a grown up horror tale of man-sized rats and toys which come to life. The whole thing is preposterous. After all, have you ever heard of a little girl being given a kitchen implement as a birthday present?

Instead, this year, try something a little different. Blessed with its own Russian score, in this case by Rimsky-Korsakov which is no less tuneful but much less hackneyed, Scottish Ballet’s 50th anniversary year comes to a close with the world premiere of The Snow Queen. This glittering new ballet by Christopher Hampson, designed by Lez Brotherston, is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s much-loved tale (which was also the basis for Frozen).
From the bustle of a winter’s market to the shivers of a fairytale forest, take a journey to the Snow Queen’s palace, where you’ll find her surrounded by the icy fragments of an enchanted mirror. Along the way, you’ll meet a colourful cast of characters, from young lovers parted by a spell to a circus ringmaster with a few tricks up his sleeve.
​
It’s fresh and modern, the dancing from an ensemble Scottish Ballet cast is fine, and it gives us a break from the usual Christmas fare of pantos and Nutcracker.