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Paris Opera Ballet in "Jewels" - PBS Spring 2006


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...although I have reservations about  the costumes by Lacroix---too many ruffles for 'Rubies' ...

M. Lacroix has quite an intellectual interest in the color red, to the extent that he's mounted an exposition on the theatrical history of the color. As quoted in Le Monde:

"J'ai voulu donner une idée de générosité et d'opulence, à la limite du kitsch avec une scénographie un peu dramatique." Maybe that's why the ruffles....

The full article:

http://www.lemonde.fr/web/article/0,1-0@2-...1-685059,0.html

From the exposition's site:

http://www.bnf.fr/pages/cultpubl/exposition_404.htm

If you click on "decouvrir" you'll get to a photo of one of his red costumes, click on it , then click again bottom left ("symbolique"), and you get an intellectual slide show on the ancient history of red in France.

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The clip doesn't seem to work for me (or isn't there yet). However, the listing says there will be this extra:

George Balanchine forever - A film by Reiner E. Moritz, including interviews with Barbara Horgan, chairman of the Balanchine Foundation, Brigitte Lefèvre, director of Ballet de L’Opéra, designer Christian Lacroix and star dancers Laëtitia Pujol, Clairemarie Osta, Aurélie Dupont, Agnès Letestu and Marie-Agnès Gillot

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The video is up and running. It's the finale from Diamonds. Already, I'm a little concerned about the camera work. The camera starts to roam to the corps, skipping the part when the leads step out and perform their own steps. Why can't directors actually watch a ballet a bunch of times? Notice where one wants to look. The corps has a long section where they are dancing alone, this is the time to pull back and show the patterns. When the soloists enter, this is the time to concentrate on the soloists. Dance on video is about the dancers. I hope the rest is better. Of course, one is happy for anything, but since these things come out so rarely, one does hope they get it right when it happens.

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...Already, I'm a little concerned about the camera work. The camera starts to roam to the corps, skipping the part when the leads step out and perform their own steps...

One almost hopes it was because, as you posted in November,

I found Letestu too up and down in Diamonds (not in focus but in execution).

so that the rest is video'd as it should be. Still, that corps is quite wonderful in the finale... And, hasn't the Mariinsky just made (or plans to make) a video also?

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A stunning set of images.

Could someone answer a question about tempo: though I've only seen Diamonds a few times (most of them during Balanchine's lifetime), the music seemed rather fast, even for the finale. Or is it that some of the corps members were pushing to keep up? or am I mistaken?

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[One almost hopes it was because, as you posted in November,
I found Letestu too up and down in Diamonds (not in focus but in execution).

so that the rest is video'd as it should be. Still, that corps is quite wonderful in the finale... And, hasn't the Mariinsky just made (or plans to make) a video also?

It's true that I wrote that about Letestu, but that didn't mean I didn't want to see her! :) Listen, I was talking about perfect Balanchine style. Her performance was just fine in many respects. Diamonds is all about the Farrell skill of balance-imbalance, so if a dancer performs it straight, it's more of an Odette fantasy, at least for me. Not that an Odette fantasy can't be beautiful to watch.

Re: the Mariinsky-Jewels. I think as Natalia posted, the Mariinsky filmed it but it is not yet known how much of Jewels will be seen in the overall movie.

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Many thanks for the link, canbelto! The Jewels release note also says,

Bonus: Reiner E. Moritz film George Balanchine Forever that includes interviews with Barbara Horgan, Chair of the Balanchine Foundation, Brigitte Lefevre, Director of Ballet de L'Opera, designer Christian Lacroix, and star dancers Laetitia Pujol, Clairemarie Osta, Aurelie Dupont, Agnes Letestu and Marie-Agnes Gillot (Opus Arte)
:)
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... Not that an Odette fantasy can't be beautiful to watch.

....and, happily, we'll soon see Letestu deliver it, as the dvd of Swan Lake was recorded last December (see POB thread, Dec. 21)! Any news of a release date yet? With all these dvd's coming out, isn't it about time for a POB American tour?

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Hello Everyone!

I received my copy of this DVD today and have just finished watching it. I really, really liked the choreography :(

I've never seen a live performance of this work nor any other filmed version so I am curious to know what others who have seen this DVD thought of the production/performances.

Many thanks in advance!

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I would say Emeralds--by a nose--but I might change my mind after repeated viewings. :(

I thought all the soloists did well. I particularly enjoyed Pujol in Emeralds, though her close ups were a little distracting; Dupont (with Carbone) and Gillot in Rubies; and Bart in Diamonds.

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