CCMusic.com

Set in the exotic surroundings of the Ottoman Empire and with a narrative encompassing abduction, murder and shipwreck, LeCorsaire is a swashbuckling pirate drama that delights for it's spectacular nature and which includes some of the most bravura male dancing in the ballet repertoire. The work's evolution has been a complex one, it's libretto and choreography subject to numerous revisions since it's first appearance in Paris in 1856, and in this English National Ballet production - the first British staging of the work - former-ballerina-turned-choreographer Anna-Marie Holmes adapts the 1974 Petipa-Sergeyev Kirov version to create 'brisk, stylish entertainment' (Guardian) that is visually enhanced by Hollywood designer Bob Ringwood's 'superb' (Daily Telegraph) Orientalist sets and costumes. First-rate dancing by the company and it's soloists - including Alina Cojocaru's 'radiant performance' as Medora (Independent), Yonah Acosta's 'vividly drawn and villainous' Birbanto (Financial Times) and Vadim Muntagirov's 'compelling' (Daily Telegraph) portrayal of Conrad - underscores the 'roaring, madcap success' (Financial Times) of this production.