Miyako Yoshida

A re-staging of the Royal Ballet's 1985 production, with Anthony Dowell - this time as Drosselmeyer - and a new supporting cast. This Royal Ballet production of The Nutcracker (staged by Peter Wright) is a mix of the Balanchine and Vainonen schools of the Nutcracker. The Balanchine version of the Nutcracker emphasizes the child s fantasy: a land of sweets, with comic relief. The Vainonen Nutcracker emphasizes the romantic dreams of an adolescent.

This all-time ballet favourite, in which young Clara is swept into a fantasy adventure when one of her Christmas presents comes to life, is at its most enchanting in Peter Wright's glorious production.

Miyako Yoshida dances the title role originally created for Margot Fonteyn in the hauntingly beautiful underwater world of Ondine, vividly brought to life by The Royal Ballet. Frederick Ashton's shimmering choreography, Lila de Nobili's impressionistic designs and Hans Werner Henze's specially commissioned, vibrant and inventive score, memorably combine to evoke the many moods and colours of the sea. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.