Cinderella

Serge Prokofiev's 1944 fairy-tale ballet has never achieved the international renown of his earlier Romeo and Juliet, but this scintillating 2013 staging from St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre certainly makes a strong impression. A revival of the 2002 production by Alexei Ratmansky, Cinderella is presented on an oddly spare stage—with only a couple of staircases and a few sticks of furniture—but the costumes are vibrantly colorful and the choreography displays an exuberant mixture of soulful elegance and almost frantic gestures. The company orchestra plays the alternately spiky and lush score brilliantly for musical director Valery Gergiev, while the dancing is splendid. Diana Vishneva makes for a lovely heroine, her hesitant gestures perfectly capturing the character's shyness, and she's admirably partnered with Vladimir Shklyarov, who brings both hauteur and boyishness to the prince, reaching a high level of virtuosity in his long third-act search for the girl whose foot will fit the glass slipper. The rest of the cast shine as well, with Ekaterina Kondaurova—wearing a bright orange wig—threatening to steal the show as the wicked stepmother. While Romeo and Juliet is undoubtedly the composer's greatest ballet, Ratmansky's inventive take on Cinderella justifies its continuing place in the Russian repertory. Presented in PCM stereo, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)