San Francisco Ballet – Shostakovich Trilogy review: Dashing moves infused with rebel spirit

San Francisco Ballet’s first London outing in seven years promises to cause something of a diary headache: 12 UK premieres packed into four programmes scattered across 11 days.

There’s a look at our smartphone obsession (Christopher Wheeldon), an examination of dementia (Trey McIntyre), the first Björk ballet (Arthur Pita). But in this opening bill, devoted to the Russian choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, you get everything – fear, paranoia, loss, hope, a dashing of wit. Not to mention an hour and a half of pure dazzling dance.

Shostakovich Trilogy, an examination of the composer’s precarious position in Stalin’s Russia, is made up of three distinct ballets, created between 2012 and 2013, but designed to be shown together. It’s abstract in nature, yet narrative threads soon emerge, with every step and nuance leaping from the music.

Symphony #9, commissioned to mark Russia’s victory in WWII but turned rebelliously by Shostakovich into something altogether breezier, revolves around two couples and one male soloist, smiling frozenly one minute, falling corpse-like to the ground the next.

Chamber Symphony examines the composer’s three great loves; the gymnastics of Piano Concerto #1 play out under huge Soviet symbols in military greys and reds. Yes, there’s misery under the surface – but it’s a joy to watch.

Until Sunday (sadlerswells.com)