Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Recommended Posts

This is a list of what I hope one day (SOON :blink: ) to find on DVD.

Do you think there is hope?

What other performances do you think should be issued/reissued on DVD?

(some items on the list do exist as region 1/NTSC DVDs but not as region 2/PAL)

Here we go:

Anything by Bournonville !

I know there was a vhs tape of La Sylphide and one of Napoli. Yet I can't find them anywhere. Are there plans to reissue them as DVDs? Is there any hope of a Bournonville boxed set coming out, with all the ballets we have been reading about in the Bournonville Festival threads? There are a lot of people in the world (dance professionals and balletomanes) interested in Bournonville. With the scarcity of Bournonville on video it would be easy for the RDB to market Bournonville DVDs. I know I would buy the box the moment it came out!

Alexandra, is there hope?

Sleeping Beauty Sizhova/Kirov (:huepfen024: - isn't this the perfect smilley for Sizova?)

Sleeping Beauty Kolpakova/Kirov

Sleeping Beauty Assylmuratova/Kirov

Bayadere Komleva/Terekhova/Kirov

Vasiliev/Maximova Giselle (:P)

Raymonda from the Paris Opera Ballet. The Dancers Dream documentary has been selling quite well and it's a documentary!!! So where is the whole performance? Another one of the mysteries of DVD distribution...

Swan Lake with Makarova/Dowell (no region 2/PAL) (I hope it's a matter of time for this one)

Makarova/Baryshnikov Giselle.

Any Swan Lake with the Kirov (there are none in region 2/PAL) I'm not sure Mezentseva will be good in SL and a black swan pdd with Makhalina was not my taste but I still would like to have a Kirov SL.

More DVDs from the POB: Almost perfect dancing, amazingly rich productions (costumes/scenery), clear and crisp image, non-intrusive video editing - what more can one ask for? Even, if the dancing may - very rarely - appear technically perfect but soulless, the POB DVDs are the definition of eye-candy. Beautiful!!!!!

More Ashton, please! I'd like to see Enigma Variations (isn't there a film of Beriosova and Dowell?), A Month in the Country, Les Patineurs, Symphonic Variations. (:) I told someone that I like Ashton the other day and he asked me if I'm British. I thought that was depressing...)

And obviously, more Balanchine! (the only DVDs I can find in region2/PAL are the "Choreography by Balanchine", so start by Davids bundlertanze and Balanchine Celebration) After that, wouldn't it be great if someone went through the Balanchine foundation archives and compiled 3-4 DVDs of historic performances? It should be low cost and easy. Are there permission/copyright/other issues?

So, what do you think?

Is there hope for these items being issued as DVDs?

What's your ballet DVD wish list?

Link to comment

We have the same wish list!! I have some of these on VHS (and there is a film of "Enigma Variations," but nothing on tape, as far as I know).

Re Bournonville, I don't know. There were a lot of ballets shown on Danish television over the years, but I don't think any of them have been released commercially. (I've seen 3 or 4 different versions of "Napoli" and 3 of "La Sylphide.") The "La Sylphide" was on video laser disk and shown on Bravo; the Napoli was on video but it's no longer available. That's all I know.

(I wonder about the Paris Opera Raymonda, too. The Sleeping Beauty is available in England and France, but not the U.S. )

And what about all the ballets that are in the Russian Vaults -- you see bits of old film on those wonderful Glory/History/Magic of tapes, but where are the full versions?

Hope the DVD makers are reading this!

Link to comment

There is other Balanchine. The Pacific Northwest Ballet's take on Midsummer Night's Dream is on DVD, as are some historical films with Tallchief on her DVD from VAI.

If you like POB you are in luck, since the company does seem to be one of the few regularly releasing videos. The new one is La Sylphide with Aurelie Dupont and Mathieu Ganio. It comes out June 21.

Link to comment

I've always wondered what the rights are for the kinescope of Agon, as well as the CBC broadcasts of Balanchine.

Re the Royal Danish Ballet, if there aren't union issues with releasing the ballets, one of the easiest ways to see if it's worth putting out the DVD's is to take pre-paid pre-orders. (The other way is to take pre-orders, and then extrapolate down by at least 50%, to see if it's worth a printing. They wouldn't even have to worry about retail distribution if they sold directly, and there are plenty of companies in Ireland and Bertelsmann in Germany that could take the orders, process them, burn the disks, prepare the export documentation, and ship them out, if there wasn't a Danish firm that could do the same.

Link to comment
There is other Balanchine.  The Pacific Northwest Ballet's take on Midsummer Night's Dream is on DVD, as are some historical films with Tallchief on her DVD from VAI.
Thank you Dale! I forgot about Midsummer Night's Dream!

As for Tallchief, her DVD is perpetually out of stock at amazon.co.uk. There are other sellers for the DVD, but they are located in the US, so the DVDs they sell are probably region 1/NTSC.

And what about all the ballets that are in the Russian Vaults -- you see bits of old film on those wonderful Glory/History/Magic of tapes, but where are the full versions?
The first that springs to mind: Plisetskaya's Kitri!
Link to comment

Thanks for the heads up on the POB La Sylphide. I just ordered it (through the link).

I would also like to see a POB Raymonda.

I haven't seen the PBS ABT Swan Lake yet, but I imagine I'll want that on DVD, although I haven't seen it for sale or pre-order yet.

Also, despite all of its faults, I wish Dancers (Baryshnikov/Ferri/Kent) would come out on DVD.

Link to comment

The ABT Giselle with Makarova and Baryshnikov is definitely on my "want" list. It's an incredible performance. Makarova and Giselle is that rare fusion of dancer and role that creates perfection.

I'd also like to see the recent BBC telecast of Cojocaru and Kobborg in "Cinderella" released. Actually I wouldnt mind if every performance of the lovely Alina were released to DVD, as I'm positive I could never tire of watching her.

Link to comment

I can understand why it's so rare nowadays to produce and record ballets for video or DVD release. But why do so many ballets ALREADY taped for TV, etc., still remain unavailable for home video sale -- the fastest growing market in the performing arts?

Of course there are questions of "rights," but these don't seem insuperable in other arts. For example, you'd think that the "Dance in America" quality and brand name recognition -- and its large, mostly invisible inventory -- would attract someone to put together as complete a set of releases as possible. Ditto the productions presented on BBC, CBC, the French arts channel, and other television entities.

Link to comment

Among those performances that were taped but never released were two "Live From Lincoln Center"s by ABT. The first was before practically anyone but hard-core video buffs had a VCR:

Theme & Variations: Kirkland, Baryshnikov

[????]

Don Q pas de Deux: Markarova, Nagy

Firebird: Gregory, ???, Browne

The second was Baryshnikov's Petipa program:

Raymonda (Act III): vanHamel, Godunov

Jardin Anime from Le Corsaire: Jaffe, deRibere

Pdd from La Fille Mal Gardee: Tcherkassky, Bujones

Sleeping Beauty, Act III: Makarova, Baryshnikov

I count on those of you who still have records of these performances to fill in my memory blanks.

Link to comment
Among those performances that were taped but never released were two "Live From Lincoln Center"s by ABT.  The first was before practically anyone but hard-core video buffs had a VCR:

Theme & Variations:  Kirkland, Baryshnikov

[????]

Don Q pas de Deux:  Markarova, Nagy

Firebird: Gregory, ???, Browne

I count on those of you who still have records of these performances to fill in my memory blanks.

Les Sylphides: Nagy, d'Antuono

Don Q: Makarova, Bujones

T&V: Kirkland Baryshnikov

Firebird: Gregory, Meehan(the Australian guy?)

Richard, who only got his first VCR in 1979 when blank tapes cost $20 each

Link to comment
I do remember seeing Pillar of Fire on TV, but I can't remember if it was Cynthia Gregory or Sallie Wilson in the role of Hagar.  Unless this is a hallucination, not a memory.

Helene,

I believe that this was part of a program ABT 1973 on TV (I'm a bit vague here)

Was this actually in , say PBS, or like a closed circuit or cable ?

I think the program is in the archives here.

From memory

:)

Pillar of Fire with Sallie Wilson

ex from The River Gregory

Black Swan Gregory , Kivitt

ex from Etudes D'Antuono, Kivitt, Nagy

There may have been more, but that's all I know of, and I'm not sure just how bad the condition is.

Richard

Link to comment

richard53dog

It would have had to have been on TV. Thank you so much for posting the info. I vaguely remember Gregory in The River. I can't believe that I didn't remember either of the more traditionally classical pieces, or Nagy, whom I had loved as Albrecht and Prince Siegfried in live performances in 1971.

Link to comment
Les Sylphides: Nagy, d'Antuono

Don Q: Makarova, Bujones

T&V: Kirkland Baryshnikov

Firebird: Gregory, Meehan(the Australian guy?)

Thank you, Richard! Yes, John Meehan is currently head honcho of ABT Studio Company, where he is doing a terrific job turning students into very promising pros. He also has served as moderator of the ABT Works & Process evenings at the Guggenheim Museum where, equipped wtih an abundance of Irish-Aussie charm, he does another fine job.

Link to comment
you might wanna check this amazing website that has been recently releasing stuff that we havent seen for years...

www.arthaus-musik.de

There is a link for english on there so don't have a cow.

~Ian~

Don't have a cow? I haven't heard that phrase in years!

It's a nice site -- many thanks for the link. They've got that old Dance Theater of Harlem program with Lester Horton's Beloved. Such a spooky dance.

Link to comment

I'd also love to have Balanchine's Coppelia released on dvd. Patty McBride is beyond adorable as Swanilda.

I saw once on one of the documentaries a tantalyzingly brief excerpt of a Giselle with Asylmuratova and Ruzimatov. Oh how I wish that would be released in its entirety!

"Dancing for Mr. B" is also pretty priceless, especially the rare footage of Allegra Kent in Symphony in C.

And of course, it goes without saying that the MND film with Farrell, Mitchell, Amboise, Paul, McBride, and Kent NEEDS to be commercially released.

Link to comment
richard53dog

It would have had to have been on TV.  Thank you so much for posting the info.  I vaguely remember Gregory in The River.  I can't believe that I didn't remember either of the more traditionally classical pieces, or Nagy, whom I had loved as Albrecht and Prince Siegfried in live performances in 1971.

Helene, yes it was shown on NET which is basically (one of) our PBS stations in the NYC area. So it was probably carried on others.

The program is in fact in the archives, my memory wasn't too bad(!) at least for what I listed. But there was also an excerpt from Les Sylphides and a scene from Rodeo.

Richard

Link to comment

Oh, I thought of something else. Around 1980 there was a telecast (from London of course) on one of the indy NYC TV stations of a Royal Ballet production of Sleeping Beauty with Merle PArk and David Wall.

I actually did video tape this and had a copy for a while, all I have left is the second half of Act 3, in terrible condition.

So I'd love a commercial release of this.

Richard

Link to comment

i suspect the ABT film, once shown on public television, under discussion is the following:

American Ballet Theatre: A close-up in time / WNET/13-TV ; directed by Jerome Schnur ; produced by Jac Venza.

New York, N.Y. : WNET-TV, 1973. (90 min.)

Telecast on October 8, 1973 by WNET/13-TV, New York.

Associate producer, Ken Campbell.

Members of American Ballet Theatre are seen in rehearsal, in class, backstage, and in performance. Includes commentary by Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, Lucia Chase, and others.

Les sylphides (excerpts) / choreography, Mikhail Fokin ; music, Frédéric Chopin ; scenery, Alexandre Benois ; danced by Karena Brock, Ellen Everett, Christine Sarry, John Prinz and corps de ballet.

Rodeo: Scene one / choreography, Agnes de Mille ; music, Aaron Copland ; sets, Oliver Smith ; costumes, Kermit Love ; danced by Christine Sarry, Terry Orr, Marcos Paredes, and company.

Pillar of fire (complete ballet) / choreography, Antony Tudor ; music, Arnold Schönberg ; scenery and costumes, Jo Mielziner ; cast, Sallie Wilson (Hagar), Ellen Everett (Youngest sister), Bonnie Mathis (Oldest sister), Marcos Paredes (Young man from the house opposite), Gayle Young (Friend), and company.

Swan lake: Black swan pas de deux / choreography, David Blair ; music, Peter Tchaikovsky ; sets, Oliver Smith ; costumes, Freddy Wittop ; Performed by Cynthia Gregory and Ted Kivitt.

The river: Lake / choreography, Alvin Ailey ; music, Duke Ellington ; costumes, Frank Thompson ; danced by Cynthia Gregory, Marcos Paredes, and company.

Etudes: Tarantella / choreography, Harald Lander ; music, Knudage Riisager ; sets and costumes, Rolf Gerard ; danced by Eleanor D'Antuono, Ted Kivitt, Ivan Nagy, and company.

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...