A feast of spectacle and music is promised at the Apollo from tonight as English National Ballet begins its autumn visit with a challenging mixed programme of three works, writes Chris Gray.

The evening starts with Michael Fokine's Les Sylphides, one of the most magical and romantic of all ballets, in which spirits of the air dance to glorious music by Chopin in a lakeside glen drenched with moonlight.

Glen Tetley's Voluntaries uses the music of another French composer (yes, I know Chopin was half Polish!) in a tender fusion of classical ballet and modern dance, whose subject moves from brooding contemplation to uplifting optimism.

Harald Lander's Etudes follows the sequence of a ballet dancer's daily class, building to a magnificent climax in which the dancers compete against one another in a display of speed and virtuosity.

The mixed programme which is supported by The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund is repeated tomorrow night.

From Thursday to Saturday, ENB presents Derek Deane's superb production of Swan Lake which I first saw in-the-round at the Royal Albert Hall three years ago before it went on to captivate audiences of more than 200,000 around the world.

Now Mr Deane, ENB's artistic director, has created a new version of his work for the traditional theatre setting.

This is classical ballet at its very best with, of course, Tchaikovsky's haunting melodies to bring a tear to the eye.