The prologue went without a hitch, but the curtain for Act I of the Bolshoi's opening night in London went up on a black stage. The curtain came down and there was a substantial pause while heads rolled backstage.

Wrong scenery? Lights fused? We asked Victor Hochhauser, who is presenting the season at the ROH. So what happened? "The Kirov sent someone and they did something," he joked during the interval. Fortunately the rest of the performance went swimmingly with Maria Alexandrova and Sergei Filin, as Kitri and Basil, leading a triumphant 'Don Quixote'. The season runs until 7 August, concluding with the London premiere of Pierre Lacotte's restaging of 'The Pharaoh's Daughter' (5-7 Aug), pictured here with Svetlana Zakharova in the title role.
Photo: Zakharkin.