22 replies to this topic

[rg]

probably the best all-round NUTCRACKER is the less-than-ideal transfer that balanchine's landmark production made to film, then video, and now, dvd.
ironically, the most interesting extra i've found is on the Barbie NUTCRACKER, which of course is an animation, however that disc has a charming little documentary about some female pupils of school of american ballet. one is already a dancer in the co. another if mem. serves is an apprentice and the other two are still in the school. this is a nicely done documentary film, not an animation.
the royal ballet's version of NUTCRACKER includes especially memorable performances of drosselmeier by anthony dowell and of clara by alina cojocaru.
hope this helps.

[rg]

[misclicked here - please ignore]

[su-lian]

There are two versions of the Nutcracker that I know are available on DVD:
-the one by the Royal Ballet, choreography by Peter Wright with Leslie Collier, Anthony Dowell, Michael Coleman, Julie Rose and Guy Niblett, it dates from 1985. It is the same version that is still danced by the Royal ballet.
-the one by the Staatsoper of Berlin, choreography by Patrice Bart, with Vladimir Malakhov, Oliver Matz, and Nadja Sajdakova (? I can't remember her name), which is much more recent.
The only one I know with an extra is Illusionen wie Schwanensee by Neumeier, in which Neumeier explains how he did the ballet, how the idea came etc, but it's not that long (maybe about 10 minutes).

[rg]

i now see that the 'nutcracker' post comes from europe. i didn't read carefully enough. probably then european advice would be more apt to this post than replies from a different dvd region.

[Jaana Heino]

Personally, I wouldn't bother so much about the regions when giving DVD advice. A lot of the DVDs are available in all regions, and even when this is not the case it's is perfectly arrangable (at least in here) to see a "wrong region" DVD too.

[su-lian]

I hope you enjoy these!
If you like the Paris Opera Ballet, there is a thread about its videos and DVDs. La Bayadère is a good one. Paquita has also been filmed recently, but it's not available commercially yet.

[BarreTalk]

Quote

Originally posted by Cristina
Over the years we have managed to collect a few video tapes and dvd's of excellent performances of classic ballets.  At this point we would like to add a few things to our collection.  Any recommendations for a good recording of Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake?

Thank you in advance.

It's not Swan Lake, but for a combination of good video and a great performance, you can't beat the ABT DVD of Le Corsaire.  Ethan Steifel headlines a bunch of great male performances, and the way they deal with the convoluted plot is a hoot!  Get it!