Christmas cracker

Forget Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker makeover at Sadler's Wells; there are some for whom Tchaikovsky's Christmas classic is as untouchable a part of the festive season as roast turkey, bulging stockings and Father Christmas squeezing down the chimney.

So here to fill that breach is Moscow's redoubtable Stanislavsky Ballet, a company whose approach to the seasonal warhorse - though spruced up with swish new designs courtesy of Vladimir Arefeyev - differs little from productions that have whisked audiences to fantasyland for the past century.

Led by Nutcracker Prince Viktor Dik (a graduate of Russia's Perm Ballet School, please don't laugh) and leading lady Natalia Ledovskaya, the Stanislavsky is not as wellknown as its city fellows the Bolshoi, but its classical standards are every bit as rigorous.

So if the thrill of young Clara and her Christmas Eve dream-like encounters (or are they really real?) with a host of fantasy characters and a storyline that makes space for a giddy whirl of exotic dances from around the world is part of what makes up your perfect Christmas, then this version will tick every box you can think of.

The Moscow Stanislavsky Ballet & Orchestra: The Nutcracker