Odette / Odille – Marianela Nuñez Prince Siegfried – Thiago Soares The Princess, Siegfried’s mother – Elizabeth McGorian An Evil Spirit / Von Rothbart – Christopher Saunders The Tutor – Alastair Marriott Benno – David Pickering
Royal Ballet Royal Opera House Orchestra Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conductor
Anthony Dowell, stage director Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, choreographers
Recorded at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, on 16 and 24 March 2009
Bonus: - Illustrated synopsis - Cast gallery - Interview with Anthony Dowell - Four Swan Queens - Exclusive 30-minute conversation on the demands of dancing the role of the Swan Queen with former Prima Ballerinas - Dame Beryl Grey, Dame Monica Mason, Lesley Collier and current principal Marianela Nuñez
The Nutcracker
The Sugar Plum Fairy – Miyako Yoshida Nephew / Nutcracker – Ricardo Cervera / Steven McRae The Prince – Steven McRae Drosselmeyer – Gary Avis
Royal Ballet Royal Opera House Orchestra Koen Kessels, conductor
Peter Wright, choreographer and director (after Lev Ivanov)
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, November and December 2009
Bonus: - Cast gallery - Rehearsing at White Lodge - Peter Wright tells the story of The Nutcracker
The Sleeping Beauty
Princess Aurora – Alina Cojocaru Prince Florimund – Federico Bonelli King Florestan XXIV – Christopher Saunders His Queen – Elizabeth McGorian Cattalabutte – Alastair Marriott Carabosse – Genesia Rosato Lilac Fairy – Marianela Nuñez
Royal Ballet Royal Opera House Orchestra Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conductor
Marius Petipa, choreographer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 5 December 2006
Bonus: - Cast gallery - Illustrated synopsis
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Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Subtitles (bonus): French, German, Spanish (Nutcracker) + Italian (Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty) Running time: 7 hours 37 mins No. of DVDs: 3
This magnificent Royal Ballet production of Swan Lake is an unforgettable experience. Anthony Dowell’s interpretation of Petipa and Ivanov’s 1895 St Petersburg version set a standard and style that made it a ‘yardstick for others’ (New York Times). Wonderful choreography for the entire company includes the coveted double role of the gentle and vulnerable swan queen Odette and her predatory alter-ego, the black swan Odile. It is a challenge relished by principal ballerinas, and is danced here in a spell-binding performance by Natalia Osipova, partnered by Matthew Golding as a powerful and empathetic Prince Siegfried. Tchaikovsky’s glorious score shines, given the full force of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House conducted by Boris Gruzin, and Yolanda Sonnabend’s detailed, Fabergé-inspired designs evoke the atmosphere of Imperial Russia in the era of the ballet's creation.
Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky SWAN LAKE
Odette / Odile - Natalia Osipova Prince Siegfried - Matthew Golding Von Rothbart - Gary Avis The Princess - Elizabeth McGorian The Tutor - Alastair Marriott Benno - Valeri Hristov
Royal Ballet, Covent Garden Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden Boris Gruzin, conductor
Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, choreographers Yolanda Sonnabend, set and costume designer Mark Henderson, lighting designer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, March 2015
Bonus: - Introduction with Natalia Osipova and Matthew Golding - Anthony Dowell in conversation with Darcey Bussell - Coaching Swan Lake - Cast gallery
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Running time: 133 mins (ballet) + 18 mins (bonus) No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)
In this remarkable film, Denis Sneguirev invites US to witness the rescue and revival of Moscow's legendary Bolshoi Theatre. In a mix of images, animation, documentary footage and interviews, he recounts the history of the Bolshoi from it's origins to the present day. Hitherto unknown archival material takes viewers back to a time when stars like Ulanova, Maximova, Plisetkaya, Vasiliev or Grigorovich graced the Bolshoi stage. We watch the teams of architects, engineers and construction workers laboring day and night to rebuild the theatre in the course of a colossal venture Russia's media dubbed the 'construction project of the century'.
Balanchine's Jewels / Paris National Opera Ballet [Blu-ray]
Opus Arte
Blu-Ray
$39.99Oct 28, 2008
*** This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD or HD DVD players. ***
In 2000, seventeen years after George Balanchine’s death, a rare and precious ballet arrived at the Paris Opéra: Jewels, a work first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1967. This alluring, abstract ballet, a triptych in which each piece sparkles with the brilliance of a precious stone, is a lyric tribute to women and to the capital cities of the great dance schools. Couturier, painter and craftsman Christian Lacroix created the glorious costumes and sets which, together with the outstanding performances of the dancers and the sensitive musical direction of Paul Connelly, results in a celebration of sumptuous splendour. Aurélie Dupont, Marie-Agnès Gillot, Agnès Letestu, Clairemarie Osta, Laëtitia Pujol, Jean-Guillaume Bart, Kader Belarbi, Mathieu Ganio
Ballet de L’Opéra national de Paris Orchestre de L’Opéra national de Paris
Choreography: George Balanchine Musical Director: Paul Connelly Set & costume design: Christian Lacroix
Recorded live at the Opéra national de Paris, October & November 2005.
Repertoire: Gabriel Fauré - Pelléas and Mélisande and Shylock Igor Stravinsky - Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Symphony No.3 in D major
Plus: George Balanchine forever - A film by Reiner E. Moritz
Reviews: "For Rubies nothing but delight. Aurélie Dupont, Marie-Agnes Gillot, Alessio Carbonne were electric, super charged, at the head of a fizzing cast, hard edged, hard driven, hard to beat." -- Financial Times
"A gem of dazzling brilliance." -- The Independent
Region code: 0 (all regions) Picture: 1080i Sound: 2.0 & 5.0 PCM Audio Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian
Russia’s two great ballet companies, the Bolshoi Ballet and the Kirov Ballet (now the Mariinsky) undertook their first major post-war tours in the early 1960s, exposing the West to the bravura and discipline of the Russian dancers for the first time. This DVD brings together performances by members of both companies, providing rare footage of some of the most brilliant dancers of their time. This is the first DVD released of this material.
Sergey Prokofiev: The Tale of the Stone Flower, Op. 118: Act I Danila – Yuri Soloviev Katerina – Alla Sizova Mistress of Copper Mountain – Alla Osipenko Severyan – Anatoli Gridin Kirov Ballet Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden Niyazi, conductor Yuri Grigorovich, choreographer Recorded from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on July 1960
Pyot’r Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: Scene and pas de deux Odette – Galina Ulanova Prince Siegfried – Nicolai Fadeyechev Bolshoi Ballet Royal Opera House Orchestra, Covent Garden Yuri Faier, conductor Lev Ivanov and Alexander Gorsky, choreographer Broadcast from the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden on 21 October 1956
Sergey Prokofiev: Cinderella, Op. 87, Act II: Cinderella and the Prince at the ball Cinderella – Raisa Struchkova The Prince – Mikhail Lavrovsky Bolshoi Ballet Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Alexander Kopylov, conductor Algis Zhuraitis, conductor Rostislav Zakharov, choreographer
Adolphe Adam: Giselle, Act II: Giselle and Albrecht Giselle – Ekaterina Maximova Prince Albrecht – Maris Liepa Bolshoi Ballet Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Alexander Kopylov, conductor Algis Zhuraitis, conductor Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, choreographer
Aram Khatchaturian: Gayaneh, Act IV: Gayaneh and Armen Gayaneh – Nina Timofeyeva Armen – Nikolai Fadeyechev Bolshoi Ballet Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Alexander Kopylov, conductor Algis Zhuraitis, conductor Nina Anisimova, choreographer
Ludwig Minkus: Don Quixote, Act I: Kitri and Basilio Kitri – Maya Plisetskaya Basilio – Vladimir Vasiliev Bolshoi Ballet Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra Alexander Kopylov, conductor Algis Zhuraitis, conductor Alexander Gorsky, choreographer Recorded from 26–30 July 1963
Picture format: NTSC 4:3 B/W Sound format: Enhanced Mono Region code: 0 (worldwide) Running time: 81 mins No. of DVDs: 1
The Bolshoi Ballet troupe in Yuri Grigorovich’s version of the romantic masterpiece 'Giselle', at last available in HD. First performed in 1841, 'Giselle' was an immediate hit. With music by Adolphe Adam and a libretto by The?ophile Gautier and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, the ballet touches on the great romantic themes: local colour, a pastoral love affair doomed to end in tragedy, a plunge into fantasy and redemption through the power of love.
The Flames Of Paris / Osipova, Vasiliev, Bolshoi Ballet
BelAir Classiques
DVD
$29.99Jan 25, 2011
Asafyev: Les Flammes De Paris
In Memoriam of the Great French Revolution.
World Premiere Recording at the Bolshoi Ballet in DVD. The Flames of Paris belongs to the pearls of the pure classics of classical dance.
Produced in the 30's of the last century The Flames of Paris on a music by Boris Asafiev was presented on the eve of the anniversary of the October Revolution, and later continued to be included in the ranks of works which were always brought out for an airing on anniversaries of this sort. And this is hardly surprising, The Flames of Paris is about the conflagration of the great French Revolution. And it had a new "hero" type which, up to then, had not been encountered in ballet - one of its main characters was the populace, revolutionary in mood and ready for action.
The choreographer Alexei Ratmanky has attempted to make maximum use of the preserved fragments of Vasily Vainonen in his new ballet. The most talented soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet appear in this production as Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev or Denis Savin and Anna Antonicheva.
Cast: Director: Vincent Bataillon Natalia Osipova (Jeanne) Denis Savin (Jerome) Ivan Vasiliev (Philippe, un Marseillais) Yuri Klevtsov (Marquis Costa de Beauregard) Nina Kaptsova (Adeline) Anna Antonicheva (Mireille de Poitiers) Ruslan Skvortsov (Antoine Mistral) Bolshoi Ballet & Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, Pavel Sorokin
Format: NTSC, DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo Region: all Subtites:French, English, German
Founded in 1974 by a group of ballet enthusiasts for the purpose of presenting a playful, entertaining view of traditional, classical ballet in parody form and en travesti, LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO first performed in the late-late shows in Off-Off Broadway lofts. The TROCKS, as they are affectionately known, quickly garnered a major critical essay by Arlene Croce in The New Yorker, and combined with reviews in The New York Times and The Village Voice, established the Company as an artistic and popular success. By mid 1975, the TROCKS' inspired blend of their loving knowledge of dance, their comic approach, and the astounding fact that men can, indeed, dance en pointe without falling flat on their faces, was being noted beyond New York. Articles and notices in publications such as Variety, Oui, The London Daily Telegraph, as well as a Richard Avedon photo essay in Vogue, made the Company nationally and internationally known. The original concept of LES BALLETS TROCKADERO DE MONTE CARLO has not changed. It is a Company of professional male dancers performing the full range of the ballet and modern dance repertoire, including classical and original works in faithful renditions of the manners and conceits of those dance styles. The comedy is achieved by incorporating and exaggerating the foibles, accidents, and underlying incongruities of serious dance. The fact that men dance all the parts--heavy bodies delicately balancing on toes as swans, sylphs, water sprites, romantic princesses, angst-ridden Victorian ladies--enhances rather than mocks the spirit of dance as an art form, delighting and amusing the most knowledgeable, as well as novices, in the audiences. For the future, there are plans for new works in the repertoire: new cities, states and countries to perform in; and for the continuation of the TROCKS' original purpose: to bring the pleasure of dance to the widest possible audience. They will, as they have done for thirty four years, 'Keep on Trockin'.' Bonus: interview with Tory Dobrin Artistic Director Format: 16/9 Sound: PCM stereo, Dolby Digital 5.0 DTS 5.0
Cinderella – Agnès Letestu The Movie Star – José Martinez The Sisters – Laëtitia Pujol, Stéphanie Romberg The Mother – Stéphane Phavorin The Producer – Wilfried Romoli
Paris National Opera Ballet Paris National Opera Orchestra Koen Kessels, conductor
Rudolf Nureyev, choreographer
Recorded live at the Palais Garnier, Paris, on 24, 26,and 28 April 2008.
Bonus: - Documentary: Cinderella goes to Hollywood - Cast gallery and illustrated synopsis
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic Sound format: LPCM Stereo 2.0 / DTS 5.1 Region code: 0 (All Regions) Menu languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian Subtitles: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian Running time: 185 mins No. of DVDs.: 2
Peter and the Wolf, Prokofiev’s musical fairy tale, has been delighting children since 1936. Nearly 60 years later, in 1995, the young choreographer Matthew Hart created a witty choreographed version for the Royal Ballet School with designs by Ian Spurling. Described as ‘an utterly delightful ballet and a perfect showcase for the younger students,’ by the Royal Ballet’s Director, Monica Mason, it was staged again and recorded for this DVD.
"...Matthew Hart’s Peter and the Wolf is one of the most beguiling children’s ballets around.” - The Telegraph
Matthew Hart, choreographer The Wolf – Sergei Polunin Grandfather – Will Kemp Peter – Kilian Smith Duck – Charlotte Edmonds Bird – Laurine Muccioli Cat – Chisato Katsura
The Royal Ballet School Royal Ballet Sinfonia Paul Murphy, conductor
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, 16 and 18 December 2010.
Bonus: - Cast gallery - Documentary feature on rehearsing Peter and the Wolf
Picture format: 1080i High Definition Sound format: LPCM 2.0 / DTS 5.0 Region code: 0 (worldwide) Menu language: English Subtitles: English, French, German, Spanish Running time: 38 mins No. of Discs: 1 (Blu-ray)
The diversity of Wayne McGregor’s astonishing talent is demonstrated through Chroma, Infra and Limen, each created for The Royal Ballet, for whom he is resident choreographer. Intimate yet universal, light yet dark, frenetic yet lyrical, McGregor pursues his passion for exploring the inner workings of the human body and mind, his many-layered and beautiful dances providing visual, sensual and kinaesthetic stimulus for the viewer.
"…Wayne McGregor's Infra: sumptuous beauty and shimmering possibility" The Telegraph
Chroma Federico Bonelli, Ricardo Cervera, Tamara Rojo Mara GaleazzI, Sarah Lamb, Steven Mcrae, Laura Morera Ludovic Ondiviela, Eric Underwood, Jonathan Watkins Edward Watson
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Conductor: Daniel Capps Music: Joby Talbot , Jack White III
Infra Leanne Benjamin, Ricardo Cervera, Yuhui Choe Lauren Cuthbertson, Mara Galeazzi, Melissa Hamilton Ryoichi Hirano, Paul Kay, Marianela Nuñez, Eric Underwood Jonathan Watkins, Edward Watson The Max Richter Quintet Director: Jonathan Haswell Music: Max Richter
Limen Leanne Benjamin, Yuhui Choe, Mara Galeazzi, Melissa Hamilton, Sarah Lamb, Marianela Nuñez Leticia Stock, Akane Takada, Tristan Dyer, Paul Kay Brian Maloney, Steven Mcrae, Ludovic Ondiviela, Eric Underwood, Edward Watson
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Director: Barry Wordsworth Music: Kaija Saariaho
Recorded live from the Royal Opera House Infra: 13th & 14th November 2008 Chroma: 10th & 11th June 2010 Limen: 13th & 17th November 2009
Duration: 01:38:00 Regions: All Regions Picture Format: 16:9 Anamorphic Sound Type: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS Subtitles: French/German/Spanish
Colas – Carlos Acosta Lise – Marianela Nuñez Simone – William Tuckett Alain – Jonathan Howells
The Royal Ballet The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Anthony Twiner, conductor
Frederick Ashton, choreographer Osbert Lancaster, set design
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London, 2 February 2005.
Bonus: Cast gallery and illustrated synopsis
Picture format: NTSC 16:9 anamorphic Sound format: LPCM Stereo / 5.1 Surround sound Region code: 0 (All regions) Menu language: English Running time: 112 mins
R E V I E W:
A delightful production … considerable charm and appeal.
Choreographer Sir Frederick Ashton was born in September 1904, so it was always likely that the Royal Ballet – of which he was Director for most of the 1960s – would take the opportunity to celebrate his centenary with revivals of some of his best works.
My colleague Ian Lace has already given a very warm welcome to Opus Arte’s DVD of the 2005 revival of Ashton’s 1952 production of Delibes’s Sylvia (see review). Now this new release, from the same television/DVD producers, is likely to offer just as much – if not more – pleasure to admirers of both the choreographer and several of the Royal Ballet’s most accomplished artistes.
The origins of the score are somewhat obscure. The earliest music – dating from 1789 - was cobbled together by an unknown hand from a variety of popular melodies. But by 1828 it was considered sufficiently dated for Ferdinand Hérold to be commissioned to rearrange and supplement it, using not just his own material but also unauthorized extracts from pieces by Donizetti, Rossini and others.
Hérold’s score held the field for less than 40 years, though, before it in turn was considered so old-fashioned that it was superseded by one penned by Peter Ludwig Hertel. Thus, from the 1860s onwards, it was Hertel’s music – at various times added to substantially by Drigo, Pugni, Minkus and Delibes, not to mention Anton Rubinstein and a certain Johann Armsheimer – that was associated with the La fille mal gardée story.
Had Ashton had a grander conception for his planned 1960 Covent Garden production, he might well have used the by now traditional Hertel score. But instead he envisaged a simple, pastoral, light-hearted and pastel-shaded interpretation of the old story – Watteau rather than Winterhalter. Thus, having retrieved Hérold’s long-neglected music from the archives, he asked John Lanchbery to edit and re-orchestrate it. [Ironically enough, a single bit of Hertel did eventually find its way into the new version and, as the theme of the famous clog dance, can be heard in one of the ballet’s best loved episodes!]
La fille mal gardée – yet another story of young lovers thwarting an ambitious parent’s plan to marry off one of them to a far wealthier suitor - is now considered the quintessential Ashton ballet and is certainly the best loved. The choreography’s apparent - but not actual! - simplicity and its sheer joie de vivre work in perfect harmony with the undemanding light-hearted story and the tuneful 1828 score to ensure that audiences invariably leave the theatre with faces wreathed in smiles. That would certainly have been so as patrons left the Royal Opera House on 2 February 2005 – and thankfully the BBC’s cameras were there to record the occasion.
While not having any great emotional depths to plumb in their roles, attractive and charismatic soloists Marianela Nuñez and Carlos Acosta are utterly convincing as youthful lovers. She is an exceptionally pretty girl, whereas he is the epitome of a virile and handsome young swain. Moreover, unlike many ballet productions, this is one case where the protagonists look genuinely and appropriately young. In fact, Nuñez was, at the time, just 23 and the Royal Ballet’s youngest Principal – though mere youth was clearly no handicap as she received, that same year, the Best Female Dancer accolade in the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. Acosta, though actually nine years older, makes an ideal visual match – as his many admirers will certainly testify.
The pair are also very well matched as dancers and offer well-nigh perfect interpretations and performances. Ashton’s choreography may not offer too much in the way of flashy opportunities to bring down the house, but it is sufficiently taxing to require the dancers to demonstrate complete concentration and immaculate technique. Both are in clear evidence here.
As Widow Simone, the domineering mother determined to engineer an advantageous – if loveless – marriage for her daughter, William Tuckett plays the role for laughs. In full pantomime dame mode and equipped with a range of wonderfully exaggerated facial expressions, he certainly succeeds. He can, though, dance too – although I would have liked to have heard the clack-clack of his clogs more clearly over the orchestra, so as to emphasize his skillful footwork in the famous highlight solo.
Jonathan Howells’s interpretation of Alain, Widow Simone’s preferred rich-but-dim suitor for her daughter, is again strong on comedy but he also conveys an air of pathos that adds considerably to the role and was clearly appreciated by the Covent Garden audience.
The production keeps the corps de ballet especially busy portraying various types of cheerful, good natured country folk. These are remarkably sophisticated rustics, however – at least when it comes to their ability to interpret Ashton’s intricate, fluid patterns on stage. The maypole dance preceding the storm that brings the first act to a close - itself a striking coup de théâtre - offers an excellent example of the company’s strength in full ensemble, as does the exuberant finale to the whole ballet.
Meanwhile, conductor Anthony Twiner directs an appropriately jaunty and light-hearted account of the score and the Covent Garden orchestra responds with aplomb throughout.
The set is from designs by Osbert Lancaster who was, at that time well-known as a professional cartoonist for the Daily Express. Its simple, cartoon-like qualities and the exaggeratedly clichéd French peasant costumes also fit the mood of this delightful production perfectly and add measurably to its already considerable charm and appeal.
Marius Petipa’s exotic ballet, set in legendary India, is a story of love, death and vengeful judgement. Natalia Makarova’s sumptuous recreation of Petipa’s choreography, with atmospheric sets by Pier Luigi Samaritini and beautiful costumes by Yolanda Sonnabend, stars Tamara Rojo as the Bayadère (temple dancer) Nikiya, Carlos Acosta as Solor, and Marianela Nuñez as Gamzatti whose alluring presence challenges Solor’s love for Nikiya. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.
‘There wasn’t a single physical gesture that didn’t mean something, that didn’t speak of love trying and failing to blossom.’ -- The Daily Telegraph
Solar: Carlos Acosta Gamzatti: Marianela Nuñez Nikiya: Tamara Rojo The High Brahmin: Gary Avis Rajah: Christopher Saunders Magdaveya: Kenta Kura Solor’s Friend: Valeri Hristov
The Royal Ballet The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Recorded live from the Royal Opera House, January 2009
Extra features: Tamara Rojo on dancing La Bayadère Leanne Cope and Francesca Filpi on the corps de ballet Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta rehearse with Alexander Agadzhanov Natalia Makarova on choreographing La Bayadère
Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty / Royal Ballet [blu-ray]
Opus Arte
Blu-Ray
$39.99Sep 29, 2009
Note: This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players, and not compatible with standard DVD players.
Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky THE SLEEPING BEAUTY (Blu-ray Disc Version)
Princess Aurora – Alina Cojocaru Prince Florimund – Federico Bonelli King Florestan XXIV – Christopher Saunders His Queen – Elizabeth McGorian Cattalabutte – Alastair Marriott Carabosse – Genesia Rosato Lilac Fairy – Marianela Nuñez
The Royal Ballet The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conductor
Marius Petipa, choreographer
Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 5 December 2006.
Bonus: - Cast gallery and illustrated synopsis.
Picture format: 1080i High Definition Sound format: PCM 2.0 and 5.1 Region code: 0 (All Regions) Menu language: English Subtitles (extra features): French, German, Spanish, Italian Running time: 135 mins No. of Discs: 1 (BD50)
TCHAIKOVSKY The Sleeping Beauty • Valeriy Ovsyanikov, cond; Alina Cojocaru (Princess Aurora); Frederico Bonelli (Prince Florimund); Marianela Nuñez (Lilac Fairy); Genesia Rosato (Carabosse); Royal Op House Covent Garden O • OPUS ARTE 7037 (Blu-ray Disc: 135:00) Live: London 12/5/2006
David L. Kirk favorably reviewed this 2006 Royal Ballet performance of The Sleeping Beauty in Fanfare 32:3. I would just add a few comments. Alina Cojocaru as Princess Aurora gives an elegant and seamless performance that manages to enchant without making you constantly aware of her impeccable technique. Cojocaru’s Princess Aurora may not quite be on the level of her signature role of Giselle, but she is the focal point of this extravagantly casted performance, despite some formidable and charismatic competition. Marianela Nuñez, as the Lilac Fairy, is mesmerizing, and could just as easily be Princess Aurora. Frederico Bonelli (Prince Florimund) holds his own and interacts well with Cojocaru. Conductor Valeriy Ovsyanikov almost rivals Antal Dorati in rhythmic intensity, but tends to be a little rigid in comparison to the master ballet conductor. That presents no problem though, because none of the competing DVD versions have a conductor that can compare to Dorati. Barry Wordsworth produces some lovely lyrical moments conducting the 1994 Royal Ballet version, but he sounds rhythmically flaccid compared to Ovsyanikov, and that won’t do with The Sleeping Beauty. I am in full agreement with Kirk that the warm, traditional sets allow the dancers to stand out in a way that is ideal for The Sleeping Beauty.
The picture on this Blu-ray disc has the expected improvement in sharpness and dimensionality, but the high-resolution surround sound is even more important than the picture in The Sleeping Beauty. Tchaikovsky’s spectacular symphonic score is perhaps unprecedented in the world of ballet, even more so than Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. It requires high-resolution sound to make its maximum impact, and for that reason more than any other this Blu-ray disc is the way to go.
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