25 replies to this topic

[lara]

In addition to the more traditional ballets that have been mentioned here be sure to see Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake with Adam Cooper as the Swan and Scott Ambler as the Prince.

From the first moment you see the Swan you'll know this is not your mother's Swan Lake!  

Also I highly reccomend the Royal Ballets Mayerling with Vivianna Durante and Irek Mukhamedov - a powerful story that  will knock your socks off.

Lara

[~A.C~]

Is that by any chance the all-male version, with the men is feather-pants, and cross-dressers that I saw on Broadway a few years back? If you don't want to see Tchaikovsky's music torn, stay away from that one!

[lara]

Bourne's is the version where the men are swans, but I don't see that as crossing dressing. And there were women in the ballet too!

It is an innovative take on the Oedipel story with incredible acting and dancing.

The DVD is awesome and the music is great.

Swans after all are not sweetness and light animals. They are fierce and strong and I think that men doing the roles played that up nicely.

A brief moment is shown at the end of Billy Elliot.

Critcs and fans alike loved this ballet.

Now, that said, Eck's version with bald swans and a destruction of the music is plain awfu - got and still gets horrid reviews.

Lara

[~A.C~]

I think it was Eck's version that I saw. I found the version you mentioned at Suncoast. I might get it.

[Lovebird]

My favorite ballet video is Don Quixote danced by the Kirov ballet with Tatiana Terekhova and Faroukh Ruzimatov in the proncipal roles.This is a wonderful video,very entertaining and excellent dancing.Altynai Asylmuratova and Yulia Makhalina dance the parts of Street Dancer and Dryad Queen.

[sylvia]

Royal Ballet's Romeo and Juliet, with Ferri and Eagling. I'll never tire of watching Ferri - she's the standard I hold all other Juliets too. And I think Eagling is wonderful, though I thought since Ferri could pull off a 14 year old so authentically, RB should have found a Romeo closer to her age.

Every scene is fun to watch. When I was younger, in performances I'd sit impatiently through the market scenes, the ballroom scene, etc to get to the R+J bits. But with this version, I get as much pleasure from the dancing harlots as I get from the romance.

[Melissa]

More Recordings:

Sleeping Beauty w/Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra is gorgeous.

Swan Lake w/John Lanchberry and the Philharmonia is also gorgeous

Prokofiev's Cinderella w/Previn and the LSO is great.

[lara]

Re: Don Q by Australian Ballet with Nureyev. Did anyone notice that the dance was simply too fast many times - jerky and strange looking? Also there were places where the dance did not match the music - actually lots of places, but especially when there were hand claps and foot stomps - the image was behind the music! It is really obvious in the very last scene  and in the "bar" scene.

Even with as many raves this DVD got I still sent my back to Amazon. The dancers looked like they were on speed.

lara

[Alexandra]

I haven't seen this version.  I have the original issue video and saw it when it was released in the theaters.  They may have changed something since, but originally, yes, the dancers turned fast.  That's the way they turned.  Nureyev was a whirlwind.

Mel, you saw this one.  Did you think it had been "enhanced?"

[Juliet]

I have heard (and believe I also read some reviews) that there were visual/musical coordination problems on the DVD.  Why, I have no idea.

[lara]

Alexandra,

It was more than just fast turns ... fast peeling fruit for example, and head/hand movements that were just plain unnatural. But humorous!

But Nureyev - I had forgotten what a great dancer he was.

lara