To fully enjoy Swan Lake you had to suspend all sense of reality.

Failure to completely immerse yourself in the fairytale world of Prince Siegfried and beautiful Odette - the swan/woman he admired - meant you missed all the magic.

The subtle flicks of the ballet dancers’ feet and gestures of the hand, all of which elegantly illustrated an emotion or movement, were not missed by the audience.

The auditorium followed each vignette in a captivated silence, apart from brief spurts of applause and the odd shout of "Bravo!" as each neatly choreographed scene came to a close.

A particular favourite was the portrayal of the evil Von Rothbart.

The drama and romance of each stage of the story was undoubtedly brought to life by the orchestra’s accomplished performance of Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.

A few minor stumbles by some of the cast’s younger members were subtly and expertly rectified. The final scene seemed slightly anti-climatic after the build up of suspense.

But overall it was a superb performance which lived up to the mystery of the charming Russian classic.

Four stars

* Russian State Ballet And Opera House presents The Nutcracker tonight (Tues 20) and Don Quixote tomorrow (Wed 21).