EricMontreal22

Oh I hope it'll be transfered to DVD--if only so I can see these designs, but I'll keep my eyes open for the video. Have you seen it? What did you think?

KORSAR as the russians call their ballet entered bolshoi rep. in 1858.

the russian encyc. of russian ballet notes a 1956 film of some, presumably russian, produciton of the ballet, but gives no particulars.

the most recent bolshoi staging, from which ABT's comes, was first done in 1992, by k.sergeyev - thus it has a st.pete/leningrad lineage - i suspect k.s. was in some way wanting to have his 'say' likely b/c it differed in some way(s) from the gusev-based version then being done at the kirov. (a '94 prod. seems to be a slight revamping of this bolshoi theater prod. by grigorovich - for nearly the same cast as the one that led in '92, i.e. Gracheva as Medora; A. Vetrov as Conrad.)

I know this was posted years ago--before the current Bolshoi blockbuster production, but Wikipedia has a different take on Sergeyev's version. After it was pulled with only 9 performances at the Kirov in the 70s and they went back to their prior version (which they still perform) apparantly:

" In 1992 Yuri Grigorovich, director of the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, invited Sergeyev to mount his 1973 revival of Le Corsaire for the company. This production—which included a heavily re-edited and re-orchestrated score by the Bolshoi Theatre's conductor Alexander Sotnikov—premiered on 11 March, 1992 to great success, but after only seven performances Grigorovich decided to pull the production from the repertory. After witnessing the success of Sergeyev's production, Grigorovich decided to stage his own version, which premiered on 16 February, 1994. Grigorovich's production was then taken out of the repertory after the director left the company in 1995."

If I were Sergeyev I'd be mildly pissed off to say the least... But I think him and Grigorovich had a strange competitive relationship.

Was Le Corsaire thought of as silly at its premiere or was it considered a serious drama?

My impression is the original audiences for these more far fetched ballet plots lapped them up. They probably didn't take them seriously, *exactly*, but they did enjoy them and all their twists and turns. It's ironic that one of the common negative reviews of Sleeping Beauty when it premiered was its story was too simplistic--after being used to getting these exciting, plot driven melodramas for years suddenly they were meant to watch a children's fairy tale? Of course now audiences find many of those melodramas hard to swallow or take seriously (though I like that lately people seem far more willing to accept them) and a plot like Sleeping Beauty seems a natural for a ballet.

Do you think we'll ever get a DVD of the Bolshoi's production? It sounds like it's the most faithful to the various Petipa versions and the closest to a "reconstruction" we'll get (using the notations for choreography and the costume designs of the 1899 production I think). Also would be amazing to see considering that wikipedia says it's the most expensive mounting of a bellet so far. I do love the Kirov DVD but haven't seen ABT's--while I'd never confuse the music of it for Tchaikovsky or Glazunov it is interesting that the piece holds together as well as it does considering all the sources of music, etc. (and since the ABT DVD is out of print and Amazon lists it for $150 dollars I don't think I'll see it anytime soon...)

Ellen, wikipedia gives a good listing of all the myriad of places and composers the music for Le Corsair comes from--Even though it was common practice back then for ballets to incorporate whatever piece of music they wanted to, I still can't think of another example of a ballet that uses such a large mix of music sources and composers. (Wikipedia's article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Corsaire is also interesting for the drama around K Sergeyev's production for the Kirov in the 70s which was quickly pulled and then for the Bolshoi in the 90s where it was again quickly pulled)

HAHAH it's a danger... I *never* see ballet DVDs I want in the stores, but of course online thanks to Amazon it's too easy. Let us knwo what you think of it when you get it!

Updated to add that I got the DVD and it's phenomenal--even with the dated quality I'm so thankful to have this great performance. I mentioned on another board that the audio/visual synch seemed a bit off--one example was at around the 1 hour, 20 minute, 48 seconds mark, Aberakham's clapping sound happened a split second before he clapped-- I was told on another forum that perhaps I had a badly synched bootlegs as there had been rumours of such, even though mine seemed fine I got another edition from Amazon and it has the same slight problem. Anyone else notice it? I assume it just comes from such old and maybe not well kept source material, and the transfer between during formats (for example at 1:40:46 or so there's a sudden jump in the music that doesn't sound like it was done in the orchestra)

Still I feel foolish complaining about such a wonderful performance--i knew Kolpakova would be wonderful but wasn't quite ready for how PERFECT the corps are.

Maria Bjornson is an awesome designer--being a big musical theatre fan I of course know her work from Phantom of the Opera (her sets and costumes are probably the best element of that show), Sondheim's Follies, Aspects of Love and some of her opera work--and have loved *every single one* of those designs. I'm not sure if Sleeping Beauty was her first ballet--and she sadly passed away soon after--but... In theory as designs I like them very much, but when I see them on stage (or on my TV screen) they just seem so wrong with the music to me, and what I dislike more than the forced perspective is just how dark and kinda gloomy they are. Maybe Bjornson never quite "got" ballet--her opera and theatre designs are often in many layers whereas for ballet you have to keep the stage basically empty, that could have hindered her.

Durante dances *awesomely* too, and while he's maybe a bit too tall to partner her I'm not sure I've ever seen a Prince as handsome as Zoltan Solymosi But I just can't really warm to it as a whole. Still at least they tried for something interesting--I like it more than what I've seen of Peter Wright's 70s version (where the approach seemed to be to make it a "simple boy meets girl story")

I saw the Sleeping Beauty Kirov *movie* from the 60s a long time ago on a non widescreen video tape. I remember being disappointed because of how cut up it was and I foudn the scenery really odd (especially since the Kirov had the more attreactive staging we all know already in their repertoire) but the dancing is indeed magnificent and maybe I shoul dpick it up for that. Is the 1989 Kirov DVD--which is now out of print and was filmed in Montreal--as edited as it sounds? Amaazon says it's just slightly over 2 hours--and that the lighting is very dark.

Well reading all these threads got me to order the Bessmertnova one--so I should be able to comment on it this week. I still find it odd that it appears to be 20 minutes shorter. Cuban, there's probably no need for you to get the Semenyaka version--indeed some of the filming is quite bad--but her performance as Raymonda is *glorious*--perfection from start to finish I think.

But before getting that i'd recommend Kolpokova's--which is amazing, and again you get a ballerina in her prime (I believe she was about 48 years old herself when she filmed it--one or two years before her Sleeping Beauty where she's also partnered by Sergei Berezhnoi). Overall the Kirov version seems to be more faithful to the original (though it's hard to know) and it's really fascinating as a fan of classic ballet to compare it and the Bolshoi productions and dancing--they're quite different takes on the material even though much of the choreography is the same and indeed both ballets are designed by Simon Virsaladze. It's a good example of the pros and cons of each company in their prime, I think.

I was asked by a poster when the Bolshoi dropped the White Lady--I have it on good authority she was dropped completely when the Grigorovich/Virsaladze staging was cleaned up in 2003. I think that's a shame--not only is she an important story element from the original, the Kirov, even if their production is elsewhere more authentic to the original, haven't had her for 50 years or so, so I kinda liked that the Bolshoi did.

Yeah there were amusing articles about the National Ballet learning to sing in the Globe and Mail I remember.

I guess for me that'd be fine--musical theatre is right up there with ballet as my first theatrical love--getting to see the tour of the reconstructed Chorus Line with the original Michael Bennett staging and choreography was prob the dance highlight of my last year--so to see really talented dancers dance the Robbins choreography woul dbe a thrill for me (especially since the current revival of WSS which is heading to New York, directed by the play's librettist Arthur Laurents who always kinda had a love/hate thing for Robbins actually simplifies America for the actress playing Anita, and worse, cuts Robbins Somewhere ballet literally in half).

I admit I've never seen the Bolshoi's production (is it on DVD? I'm curious to now). I also have extremely mixed feelings about Grigorovich's restagings of the classics--I think he always put a lot of thought behind them and they're handsome productions but sometimes his decisions of change were really misguided, still I think I enjoy them a lot more than other Western ballet fans I've spoken to. The cynic in me thinks that with Simon Virsaladze passed away he simply didn't know any othe rmodern designer to use so had to resort to the originals ;)

Anyway this is what I do know:

From the Bolshoi's official website:

Libretto by Marius Petipa and Sergei Khudekov

Choreography: Marius Petipa

New scenic version: Yuri Grigorovich

Scenes from productions by Vakhtang Chabukiani, Nikolai Zubkovsky, Konstantin Sergeyev used

Sets and costumes after sketches by designers of the first production (1877) revived by Valery Firsov,

Nikolai Sharonov (sets) and Nikolai Sviridchikov (costumes)

Supervisor of scenery and costumes revival: Valery Levental

Premiered on November 25, 1991.

Presented with two intervals.

Running time: 3 hours 30 minutes.

So I'm not sure how faithful the designs are--probably less so than the Marrinsky's are to the 1900 production, this sounds a bit more like "inspired by".

I assume why the Marrinsky's 40s production used most of the sets from the 1900 revival simply because they were still in decent shape and were the last sets they had--and kept with them. But that's just a guess--of course the reason they were used for the reconstruction was the 1900 production, as you know, was the one that was notated.

Leonid thanks for your detailed information! You may want to update the Wikipedia Bayaderer page where they wrongly seem to think the last time the Bolshoi did Bayadere was 1917 until the Grigorovich production.

In an odd turn around the current Bolshoi version--that Grigorovich did in 1991--uses scenery based on the original 1877 designs, not the 1900 ones.

Thanks! I've been reading more past threads on Raymonda on DVD on here and it seems that more people prefer the Kirov production but the Bolshoi has a lot of fans with mixed opinions on the two versions. What I can't account for--maybe I'll have to play them side by side ;) --is why the later Bolshoi one with Bessmertnova is 125 minutes and the earlier one is 147 minutes--over twenty minutes longer! Can Helene or one of our other Raymonda experts say what was cut? Or could 20 minutes difference all be down to different tempi in the dancing and music, etc? (The Kirov one falls in between them length wise at about 135 minutes).

In the Bolshoi version, Jean de Brienne appears immediately in the first scene, and he and Raymonda dance together, clearly as an involved couple. Tutus and pointe shoes are prominent. Abderakhman appears first in Raymonda's dream in the second scene. In the Mariinsky version, Abderakhman is introduced to Raymonda and the court in the first scene; Jean de Brienne appears in that scene on a tapestry. His first live appearance is during the dream sequence, and the dancing between them is formal and serene. The women in the first scene wear long dresses and dance in heeled shoes.

I hope to read more opinions as the DVD's get delivered. I hope, too, that someone here recognizes the dancers who portray Clemence and Henrietta. One dancer is a little shorter and more muscular than the other*, but I have no idea who they are.

It's funny, when I first had only seen the Bolshoi Semenyaka version I didn't even know who Henriette was--all the other girls just kinda blended together for me--I didn't realize it was a major character.

As for the changes you mention--the Marrinsky version (though I think it's been edited--it's shorter than the Bolshoi one anyway) is closer plot wise to the original production--having a portrait of Jean, Abderakhman introduced in the opening scene, the court ladies in "real" shoes, etc.

I have a 1980s book called "The Authorised Bolshoi Ballet Book of Raymonda" (I also have Sleeping Beauty in the series--I found them by chance used but I imagine they have ones for a bunch of the major ballets) and it's a great reference though the translation from the Russian is sometimes laughably awkward and all the pimping of everything Soviet as the Best gets a bit tiresome. Grigorovich goes into a LOT of description about all the past Bolshoi versions, and why he ddi the changes he did and the book repeatedly says (as it did about his Sleeping Beauty in that book) that this is by far now the best production of the ballet in the world. Still it's a fascinating book with gorgeous imagery and there are things I like more in the Bolshoi production (I love that they still use the White Lady who is in the original production but I seem to remember is gone from the Kirov--although why they don't use her in the duel scene where she causes Jean's victory--and you briefly even hear her music theme--is beyond me--however I've heard that the White Lady is no longer in the version the Bolshoi does).

I do think it was smart of Grigorovich to have Jean enter in Act I and establish a relationship with Raymonda.

The Suite is basically all the important dance moments from the musical--including the Somewhere dream ballet that was completely cut from the movie (and is gorgeous). I might have to go over to Seattle for this!

I mentioned that I'd be getting it on DVD soon--so probably sometime this week I can report back on it ;)

I'm only recently getting into checking out and comparing modern reconstructions of the famous Diaghilev ballets. I'm a bit disappointed though because ones I know have aired on TV or video aren't on DVD (maybe we can expect more with the current centenary of the first visit to France?)

Currently all I have on DVD is the Kirov DVD filmed in Paris as a tribute to Nijinsky (something I think they called it as a selling point as for me it seems more like a tribute to Fokine...) I've read many mixed reviews of it online but i'm quite pleased with it--it's filmed very well and for the most part i like the dancing and quality of the reconstructed designs--I've never seen a Scheherazade I've liked as much nor a Firebird that claimed to use the orgiinal designs and yet looked as good.

Where would one suggest going next? I used to have a taped off tv video--years ago as a teen, of a Paris company I believe (the Paris Opera?) doing some numbers--I know they did Petrushka and I believe maybe Faun... I also had a taped off tv copy fo the reconstruction of Nijinsky's original Rite of Spring/Sacre du Printemps done by the Joffrey Ballet which I know was controversial but I loved--I've seen that on youtube but it doesn't seem to be on DVD, which surprises me.

Is ther emuch out there? I'm mainly interested in productions that try to revive the original complete Diaghilev produced production--designs and all--with emphasis on the Stravinsky works post Firebird, etc.

The Kirov one is pretty close isn't it? I believe they tried to reconstruct one of the last Petipa versions in the 1970s and that's what's still being danced (and is on DVD).

The credits given on the Mariinsky's website are as follows:

"Libretto: Vernoy de Saint-Georges, Théophile Gautier and Jean Coralli

Set design: Igor Ivanov

Costume design: Irina Press

Production reconstruction consultant (1978): Yuri Slonimsky

World premiere: 28 June 1841, Théâtre de l´Académie Royal de Musique, Paris

Premiere in St Petersburg: 18 December 1842, Bolshoi Theatre

Premiere Marius Petipa´s version: 5 February 1884, Bolshoi Theatre, St´Petersburg

Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes "

Sad to say that there's still no release of the reconstructed ballet.

However adding another vote to the 1977 Kirov performance didn't they use the same scenery as the 1900 production (the reconstructed one) for this production for the first acts--but not the Shades? (Wikipedia says so but they coul dbe wrong) which would add another partial element of authenticity. (to make things more confusing apparantly recently the Marrinsky has taken to performing the 1940s version again--but using all the desings, or so I've read, of the 1900 reconstruction...)

Sleeping Beauty is my "holy grail" ballet--the one I've been obsessed with ever since seeing the Kirov on tour do it here in Canada when I was 10 or so, 18 years ago, that I can endlessly read about, see various productions of, listen to, and always return to. I've noticed that even more than many other ballets people seem to often really take to one production of Beauty and hold on to it as their favorite...

So I was wondering, out of the filmed versions what is your personal favorite and why? It could be the production, or the way it's filmed, or a combination, or whatever.

I know for me, ideally it would be a DVD of the complete 1890 reconstruction as performed by the Marrinsky. As I said in a thread about the reconstructions it's exceedingly frustrating they haven't released a film of it--though I treasure what we do have on DVD (Act III almsot in full and some other bits).

But the one I identify the most with is the 1983 filming with Irina Kolpokova and Berezhnoi for the Kirov. I grew up with the video of this, shortly after seeing the tour, and for a long time I thought it was definetly the most authentic to the original production, while also being a gorgeously designed and danced production. Now of course I realize how much Sergeyev changed, and the controversy around many fo these differences, what's official, what's not, etc. Still, while I tend to like to go back to the orgiinal, msot of his changes make sense to me in terms of this production, I think Kolpokova even at her age is a glorious Aurora, the corps is fantastic, I love how complete the ballet is especially the divertisements, and the panorama, Valisadze designs, etc.

I haven't seen the other Kirov versions--I know on DVD you can get a 1989 version filmed in montreal that's probably the same tour as I saw--i've read the DVD is very dark and since it's only a bit over 2 hours I suspect it must be edited so it never appealed to me too much. I am curious about the 1960s Kirov movie version which i hear is of course edited and has some big changes (Carabosse is en pointe I believe)--are either of these worth tracking down if I have the Kolpokova?

I admit I also find a lot to admire in the, it seems, much hated Grigorovich production for the Bolshoi. It's interesting how Virsaladze once again did the sgins but in a much more abstract way--still I kinda like them. It's also interesting to compare with the Kirov's--i knwo Grigorovich claimed he went badck to the Petipa in many ways, and there's some fighting about this too. the DVD production doesn't have the best dancing I've seen from the Bolshoi but it makes a nice alternative and I seem to like it more than everyone else.

Otherwise I've seen several live Beauties of varying quality but on DVD only a few. I rented the 1990s Royal Ballet production with those bizarre Maria Bjornson designs and loved muchof the dancing but I really don't feel the production is right. However, as a teen I saw a ballet film with Fonteyn where they performed the full 1946 Royal Ballet Beauty Act III and liked the productiona dn Messel's designs and I've heard good things (and some mixed things) about the new DVD of the Royal Ballet production that uses these designs (I'm sorry I missed it in the movie thetares here last Summer). I just ordered the DVD and am excited to compare it. I know for many the Royal Ballet and Sleeping Beauty go together better than anything but I have to admit my biase is always for the russian style for this ballet--and small details like the jewel fairies and Hop o My Thumb in Act III, etc. But I'm curious to see this new/old production from the Royal.

So does Girgorovich's current Bolshoi production use the happy ending? I always wondered why Sawn Lake had to have a happy ending in the Soviet era but Bayadere, Giselle, etc, never did...

Thanks so much for the information! I've long been fascinated by the Diaghilev Sleeping Princess, so it's interesting to know. It seems fitting with Diaghilev's constant interest in giving the public "oriental" numbers that he'd incorporate those. Do you know by any chance which pieces he had newly orchestrated by Stravinsky?

OK so I know the new director of the Marrinsky, much to my shgrin, has said that the time of the reconstructions is behind them and it seems doubtful we'll see them again soon (the Bayadere 1900 production already hasn't been performed in a while it seems).

Does anyone have a record of what from these ballets has been filmed? As someone who's kinda obsessed with these works and their original productions--particularly Beauty, it's frustrating to think we may have them retired from the repertoire with NO filming for DVD, when they seem such a natural thing to be filmed. At first I thought maybe they weren't being filmed so they'd remain special--something people were happy to pay a lot to see in petersburg or on tour but now I find out they're not being performed much in the future--if at all--it's all the more frustrating.

What I've tracked down on DVD so far is the glorious presentation of Act III of Sleeping Beauty--witht eh Apotheosis missing sadly--from the DVD A New Year's Celebration in St Petersburg. It's one of the more pricey ballet DVDs I own, and frustrating it only has the one act but really, for me, it's worth it. I also recently got the Sacred Stage DVD, which is a pretty good (though short) documentary in itself, because I knew it had clips from the ballet as well as nearly the whoel Nereid number from Act II, which is particularly well danced. Is there anything else commercially available?

I haven't found, on youtube or anywhere, ANY clips of the 1900 Bayadere reconstruction--has anything been recorded?

As for Aurora, youtube does seem to have the complete ballet--but unfortunately it seems to be an audience bootleg, something that makes me feel pretyt morally dubious... I guess that's all we can hope for? What a frustrating situation!

Ah a pas de deux without a coda seems to wrong to me ;) So the Three Ivans DIDN'T dance in 1921 to the Russian Dance from Nutcracker?? I always had read they did! I believe Nijinska incorporated another Nutcracker dance too--the Arabian?

I'm glad you agree! There are a lot of details I find fault with in the Kirov Raymonda and the Bolshoi does have about 10 or so minutes (depending which DVD you watch) of music so I kinda wish the Kirov was a bit longer (I know, most people feel it's too long already--I'm greedy) partly as I think having more mime in the story again would help explain some of the confusions people have for the ballet. Still, it's hard to complain (and the DVD makes a nice companion piece to Kolpokova again with Berezhnoi in the early 80s Kirov Sleeping Beauty which is my fave complete version on DVD ;) )

Ah ok--and they used different music? Am I wrong in thinking the music in the clip is the Grand Pas de Deux coda? (which makes me wonder if they had a coda for the pas de deux...)

This is the kinda thing that fascinates me. I just posted in this forum asking about Pierre Lacotte's reconstruction using the 1895 designs for the Nancy Ballet in 1998 but if no one has mentioned it here it must be obscure.

It does seem odd that with all the ballet reconstructions being done--the Marrinsky/Kirov stuff (even if sadly that era may be at an end), the Lacotte stuff (faithful or not) etc--that no one;'s done a major Swan Lake. Then again most companies seem to have commercial success with ANY version fo Swan Lake, so maybe they don't feel the need?

As to the original question... I'm a Kirov/Mariinsky whore. I love the Imperial Russia ballet they came out of and I admit my bias is almost always to them when it comes to doing the ballets of Petipa (and Ivanov...), except in obvious examples like Nutcracker where there are so many differences. Even before the 1890 Sleeping Beauty reconstruction (wouldn't it be sad if that isn't performed anymore--as might happen--and we never got a good filming of it complete??) I'd argue long and hard why the Sergeyev production of Sleeping Beauty they performed was the most authentic--even with the mime missing and the known changes--compared to other choices people like to make liek the Royal Ballet. I feel the same about Raymonda and Bayadere and Giselle and others...

But when it coms to Swan Lake I just can't agree with the original poster. The jester (who did come from Gorky's mor enaturalistic staging) is one thing, but as others have said, to me chaning the ending to a happy one is just... It's not Swan Lake. I can't accept a version with a happy ending as an essential version of the ballet. Silly as it may sound, and as much as I actually love a lot of their production.

Has Vladimir Bourmeister's production been released to DVD or video? It sound sinteresting--I have to say I grew up listening to the original 1877 arrangement of Swan Lake so much that when I see the ballet all the re-arranged numbers, and new numbers (from other Tchaikovsky pieces) catch me by surprise. While the Petipa Black Sawn Pas de Deux is unquestionably classic, the music certainly doesn't have the menace and sneakiness that the actual pas de deux Tchaikovsky wrote for the scene had--particularly in Odile's variation which has such a gorgeous strange quality in the original score, but in the 1895 version (which used a Drigo orchestrated piano piece I believe) it's completely missing. Still, as a ballet I probably prefer the '95 score even if to listen to I'll stick with the '77.

I haven't seen Grigorovich's production for the Bolshoi but I like (with reservations) his productions of other Petipa classics like Sleeping Beauty and Raymonda--is it really not that good? What ending does it use?

If the Royal production is the most faithful which DVD would people recommend?

I'm cofnused--that Crnako article makes it sound like him havign an unhappy ending was a first--but didn't they die in all the Russian versions pre revolution? Does the Bolshoi have a sad or happy ending? I don't mind the Sergyev/Kirov version except that happy ending--even as a kid I knew that Swan Lake was meant to be sad... Shessh!