When English National Ballet opened with Le Corsaire at Milton Keynes Theatre in 2013, it was the first time this had been performed as a full length ballet in the UK. But as it was unknown to us, we gave it a miss. Fortunately ENB have brought it once again to Milton Keynes (the only performances before London) and are still the only company to produce this ballet. Surprisingly so as it was a hugely enjoyable evening.
Act 1 introduces the cast with some energetic dancing from the men. But it is Act 2 where the dancing is extraordinary. The three principals take the stage with pas de deux and solo presentations. Shiori Case (below) as Medora, Brooklyn Mack as Conrad (above) and Daniel McCormick as Ali are amazing and drew huge applause at the end of each of their many routines.
Before Act 3, I mentioned to Alison that we had not seen a corps de ballet. But right at the start we were then treated to a beautifully staged and lit ensemble.
Perhaps the story is pretty thin and the music (mainly by Adolphe Adam but with pieces by nine other composers), although very nice, was not recognisable. But the huge orchestra is fantastic. We saw five french horns! So the combination of the music and spectacle is amazing. I just hope ENB keep coming to Milton Keynes.
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