Triple triumph | 24 March 2012

Not many ballet companies convey young love as credibly as Birmingham Royal Ballet. And I am not talking about select soloists, but the company as a whole, for youth, freshness and vibrancy are its most distinctive traits. Add to that a slick sense of style, impeccable technique and co-ordination and you have the perfect ballet experience. Which is what I had last week with each of the three titles presented at the London Coliseum: Daphnis et Chloë, The Two Pigeons and Coppélia.

Created in 1961, The Two Pigeons is Frederick Ashton’s own take on one of those late 19th-century works that belong to what is commonly considered to be a period of decline in the history of French ballet. Ashton’s reading retains many features and conventions of the original work, respectfully following Messager’s lavish score. As such, it is a delicate affair, which, in the wrong hands, could easily become grotesquely naff.

Luckily, this is not the case with the BRB artists. As the two young lovers — the idealistic though philandering painter and his whimsical, coquettish model — Robert Parker and Nao Sakuma came across as most worthy successors to the legendary Lynn Seymour and Christopher Gable, for whom the ballet was created. In the final duet, one of the finest examples of Ashton’s  theatre magic, their alchemy was mesmerising; when the two white doves reunited on top of the chair at the feet of which they had just kissed, there were very few dry eyes in the house. Still, their story of love, tiffs, betrayal and reconciliation came fully to life also thanks to the equally impeccable involvement of the rest of the company. More than once I  found myself gasping with admiration at both the seamless beauty and theatrical agency of the various ensembles.