Ballet on DVD

[Scarpia]

Am considering these two:





Any comments?

[DarkAngel]

oh my........that Romeo & Juliet looks very modern avant guard 

Have never seen Ondine Ballet.......

[Scarpia]

oh my........that Romeo & Juliet looks very modern avant guard 

Don't be too alarmed, they keep their underwear on throught out the performance, as far as I know, unlike that French Rite of Spring on youtube.   

[Drasko]

Any comments?

Not exactly comments, but there are bunch of stills and short video at Aterballetto site from their production of Romeo and Juliete, not necessarily the exact recorded performance:
http://www.aterballetto.it/english/photos_romeo_and_juliet.htm

There is on youtube lengthier clip from what I think could be actual performance on DVD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMk9fQTViII

[DarkAngel]

Quest for the very best Sleeping Beauty........the pinnacle of classical ballet for many

I have purchased the top 5 versions that most Amazon customers like best, and they all were very good in thier own way, but my very favorite is a bit of a sleeper that I discovered by randomly checking youtube videos:



Royal Ballet from Covent Garden 1995, Viviana Durante as Aurora, spectacular Anthony Dowell production and he also plays the wicked Carabosse. Look at the lavish costuming and creative staging and backdrops, the best I have seen......some backdrops appear to be M.C. Escher illustrations which characters magically emerge from (see rose adagio sample).

The arrival of Caraboose has never been more sinister better staged, her minions are like a black swarm, her "chariot" a very unique touch.....please check youtube link below (the actual DVD picture is much better lighting and color than these samples and upscales nicely on quality DVD player)


Carabosse appears
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO5fyKt5nso&feature=related

Rose Adagio
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd-PHH_Ifls&NR=1

Auroras Wedding, Brothers Grimm Chacacters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4NaIzWRG5o&feature=related

[DarkAngel]

I am open to any other cases to be made for favorite Sleeping Beauty, what do you like?

Here are other versions I own:








One version I really want but is far too expensive currently to buy is the 1989 Kirov, youtube samples look very promising

[Scarpia]

Watched the Firebird from this set. 



Absolutely outstanding.  Interesting to see how this piece takes some elements of stereotypical ballet and adds a more modern twist.  As Drasko mentioned somewhere above, the lead dancer does a great job.

Next up, Le Sacre. 

[DarkAngel]

Watched the Firebird from this set. 



Absolutely outstanding.  Interesting to see how this piece takes some elements of stereotypical ballet and adds a more modern twist.  As Drasko mentioned somewhere above, the lead dancer does a great job.

Next up, Le Sacre.

There are several good Firebirds available which is good news foor us........
but I have not found a Rite of Spring that I am really happy with yet, including the one above.......my search continues

[DarkAngel]

Has anyone seen this DVD of the rarely performed Pharoah's Daughter ballet?

Ballet featuring early work by Petipa and was more popular in its time than the later great ballets featuring the team of Petipa and Tchaikovsky, the youtubes look very tempting....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OzZQoqoBto&feature=related

[Scarpia]

There are several good Firebirds available which is good news foor us........
but I have not found a Rite of Spring that I am really happy with yet, including the one above.......my search continues

I've seen a few Firebirds and I think this is the best.

By all accounts this is what the composer and choreographer intended for the Rite, a stylized aboriginal ritual, although to the modern imagine the section titles may suggest a sort of soft-core porno.  After watching some excerpts from the beginning I think it will be interesting.  The set is rather basic but the costumes suggest an interesting blend of traditional Russian and Eastern influences (Mongol, etc).

[Scarpia]

Watched this rite.



Interesting, not at all what I imagined hearing the music and having no information about the intended choreography.   What we have here is not as overwhelming, more nuanced than I had expected.  (Maybe the fabled riot was for the reason we assume it was.)  The original production was definitely not a success and the run was ended after only 8 performances (according to one of the bonus videos on the set, I think).

Another interesting question is the music and how it should be performed.  It seems out modern performances try to out-do each other for cataclysmic explosions or sound, but the recordings by conductors who actually knew Stravinsky and worked with the Ballet Russe are less overpowering, more delicate (like the Ansermet, Suisse Romande and the Monteaux, Paris Conservatory).  I am starting to think that is what Stravinsky had in mind.

The disc includes interviews with the people who reconstructed the original choreography.  Apparently there is a cache of materials found at Berkeley, including notes and photographs representing the costumes and choreography.

Anyway, still curious about this piece and becoming more interested in Ballet, so I have this one on order:

[DarkAngel]

Watched this rite.



Interesting, not at all what I imagined hearing the music and having no information about the intended choreography.   What we have here is not as overwhelming, more nuanced than I had expected.  (Maybe the fabled riot was for the reason we assume it was.)  The original production was definitely not a success and the run was ended after only 8 performances (according to one of the bonus videos on the set, I think).

Another interesting question is the music and how it should be performed.  It seems out modern performances try to out-do each other for cataclysmic explosions or sound, but the recordings by conductors who actually knew Stravinsky and worked with the Ballet Russe are less overpowering, more delicate (like the Ansermet, Suisse Romande and the Monteaux, Paris Conservatory).  I am starting to think that is what Stravinsky had in mind.

The disc includes interviews with the people who reconstructed the original choreography.  Apparently there is a cache of materials found at Berkeley, including notes and photographs representing the costumes and choreography.

Anyway, still curious about this piece and becoming more interested in Ballet, so I have this one on order:

Yes even if top DVD is exact recreation of what Stravinsky originally wanted to see......it's just not that good at communicating spirit of the music and can be improved upon IMO from a staging/dancing aspect

The DVD you just ordered is on my wishlist, but waiting for price to come down a bit first, or some used versions to appear........keep us posted on what you find out

[Scarpia]

Yes even if top DVD is exact recreation of what Stravinsky originally wanted to see......it's just not that good at communicating spirit of the music and can be improved upon IMO from a staging/dancing aspect

The DVD you just ordered is on my wishlist, but waiting for price to come down a bit first, or some used versions to appear........keep us posted on what you find out

There is nothing that can't be improved.  It was important to me to see what Stravinsky intended, and it release is worth it for the Firebird alone, IMO.

I got it for 30 % off, and I was concerned that oddball releases sometimes go out of print and become rarities, rather than being steeply discounted late in the product cycle.  You may be able to get my copy used if I don't like it.

[DarkAngel]

OK order has been placed.......we can compare notes 

I also watched this strange "Smurf" version of Nutcracker with Gergiev, I don't mind trying some new twist to freshen things up, but not very impressed with this

[DarkAngel]

Watched this rite.



Interesting, not at all what I imagined hearing the music and having no information about the intended choreography.   What we have here is not as overwhelming, more nuanced than I had expected.  (Maybe the fabled riot was for the reason we assume it was.)  The original production was definitely not a success and the run was ended after only 8 performances (according to one of the bonus videos on the set, I think).

The original version dancing was only radical in the sense that it did away with Petipa's classical "point" dancing using pirouettes etc.......replacing them with a bunch of flat footed stomping around in circles, must have seemed ugly by comparison back then (and not much better even today viewed through the prism of time)

Firebird and Petrushka kept the classical "point" dance elements

[Scarpia]

One thing of interest about the "authentic" production of the rite; it appears the risque cover of the old Ansermet recording was an accurate representation of the final scene of the ballet, although the original costumes did not permit a bare boob (wardrobe malfunction?).

[Scarpia]

This one arrived and I took a quick look.



I think the choreography will be interesting, but the technical quality is more or less what you'd expect from a Soviet television broadcast, unimpressive to say the least. 

[DarkAngel]

This one arrived and I took a quick look.



I think the choreography will be interesting, but the technical quality is more or less what you'd expect from a Soviet television broadcast, unimpressive to say the least.

Ooohhhh......mine will be here soon
I will make the best of it with Oppo Blu Ray player, the Anchor Bay chip set currently does wonders with upscaling standard DVDs to 1080p.

Waiting for these to arrive also:

 

[DarkAngel]

WOW.......this DVD knocked my socks off!
most sheer fun and excitement you could possibly want in a ballet performance. Never a dull moment here and this has to be best ballet music score by Minkus, what took me so long to get this, instead of wasting words a short youtube will best make my case:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GksQygQnk4

What a dynamic persona Baryshnikov has onstage, swashbuckling, cavalier......genius!
Why is there so little of his work available on DVD?

Also despite comments you might read on Amazon the picture quality is quite good if you upscale on a high quality new DVD player, no complaints from me

[DarkAngel]

WOW.......this DVD knocked my socks off!
most sheer fun and excitement you could possibly want in a ballet performance. Never a dull moment here and this has to be best ballet music score by Minkus, what took me so long to get this, instead of wasting words a short youtube will best make my case:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GksQygQnk4

What a dynamic persona Baryshnikov has onstage, swashbuckling, cavalier......genius!
Why is there so little of his work available on DVD?

Also despite comments you might read on Amazon the picture quality is quite good if you upscale on a high quality new DVD player, no complaints from me

Another ballet that I just loved, Le Cosaire done here by Kirov ballet is the final Petipa 1899 version with all the bells and whistles, music score contains at least 6 composers works combined. Tremendous fun and almost non stop string of virtuoso dance pieces which the audience generously rewards with applause. Love all the pirate, sultan, harem girl themes which allow for colorful costumes and lavish stagings. I wish there were more Le Cosaire versions available for purchase, check out Act II scence from pirates hideout cave and see what they do for fun to pass the time......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVDNk5PSjFo&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfmeqCPYk3g