volcanohunter

I just got a message from english amazon that my copy has dispatched after some delay.

My copy also shipped today.

Canada's Empire Theatres chain has posted the Opus Arte offerings that will be screening this fall at its multiplexes. Most productions will be screened at 1:00 p.m. local time, and, obviously, they've been scheduled not to conflict with the Met's simulcasts.

http://www.empiretheatres.com/opusArte

The good news includes an increase in the number of participating cities, particularly in Ontario, and sufficient demand for opera to warrant double showings. The bad news is that ballet audiences aren't large enough to merit similar treatment. () On the other hand, Atlantic Canada won't get to see the operas. Odd indeed.

July 26 - Le nozze di Figaro (Royal Opera)

August 9 - Spartacus (Bolshoi Ballet w/Nina Kaptsova & Carlos Acosta)

August 16 & 17 - Aïda (Teatre del Liceu) - 12 p.m.

September 13 - Cinderella (Paris Opera Ballet w/Agnès Letestu & José Martinez)

September 27 & 28 - Cav/Pag (Teatro Real)

October 4 - Don Quixote (National Ballet of Cuba w/Viengsay Valdés & Romel Frómeta)

October 25 & 26 - Don Giovanni (Royal Opera) - 12 p.m.

November 1 - Giselle (Royal Ballet w/Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg & Marianela Nuñez)

November 29 & 30 - Don Carlo (Royal Opera)

December 6 & 7 - The Adventures of Pinocchio (Opera North)

December 13 - The Nutcracker (San Francisco Ballet) - presumably a repeat from last year, w/Maria Kochetkova, Davit Karapetyan, Yuan Yuan Tan & Pierre-François Vilanoba

Participating cities for ballets: St. John's, Halifax, Sydney, Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, Charlottetown, St. Catharines, Kitchener, North York, Mississauga, Ottawa, London, Richmond Hill, Burlington, Kingston, Bolton, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, North Vancouver and Victoria. The Digiscreen site also lists showings at the Ex-Centris Theatre in Montreal, the Princess Twin in Waterloo and the Ridge Theatre in Vancouver.

There are two DVDs of Nina at the age of 29 (approx, I'm not exactly sure of her age then), one dancing Don Q and one dancing Swan Lake with the State Ballet of Perm. She is breathtaking in both. I understand that the Swan Lake DVD is becoming a collector's item, so get it while you can. I recommend Amazon or Kultur. But why no Nina as Giselle? I think someone should capture Julie Kent and Ethan Stiefel before it's too late.

Where are you, DVD people?

The Don Q and Swan Lake videos have been reissued, at a slightly higher price, by VAI.

http://www.vaimusic.com/VIDEO/DVD_4450_SwanLake.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Tchaikovsky-Swan-Lak.../dp/B0015RB70Y/

http://www.vaimusic.com/VIDEO/DVD_4451_DonQuixote.htm

http://www.amazon.com/L%C3%A9on-Minkus-Don.../dp/B0015RB718/

The corps in these videos leaves something to be desired, but Ananiashvili is magnificent.

Kultur will be releasing Dancing for Mr. B on September 30, 2008.

http://estore.websitepros.com/1652646/Detail.bok?no=1326

The next airing on Canadian Bravo will take place tomorrow, Monday, July 7, at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

Next Bravo.ca showing: Monday, July 28 at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT.

Opus Arte seems to have underestimated the demand for this video. Even on its own site the DVD is out of stock until July 18. Let's hope that when the time comes for its release on this side of the Atlantic, Opus Arte distributors will be well supplied.

Having seen this performance on the big screen, I can understand the popularity. It isn't completely perfect, but it comes pretty close.

Carla Fracci's 1973 television special, just out on DVD, concludes with Cranko's balcony scene, sadly mangled to run in the time allotted, so to speak. The pas de deux does not begin the familiar way: Juliet doesn't spend a long time staring at Romeo from her balcony, he doesn't help her down off the balcony. Was the 1958 staging so different, or was choreography from the ballroom scene inserted here for the benefit of the tv special?

It reminds one a bit of one of the B'way Haitians in the cast album of 'House of Flowers'

In That's Entertainment III Debbie Reynolds narrates a split-screen comparison between the unused Charisse number and a number from Torch Song which recycled the song. In it Joan Crawford wears "tropical makeup."

The Empire Theatres web site now states that Spartacus, filmed during the Bolshoi's visit to Paris, will be screened on August 9.

http://www.empiretheatres.com/promotions/opusArte2007.asp

I am partial to Semenyaka, who is equally wonderful in each variation, and whose Act 3 variation is particularly gorgeous. I'm not especially crazy about Mukhamedov, but as Helene said, the best thing about the Bolshoi videos is Gedeminas Taranda, channeling Douglas Fairbanks for all he's worth. In terms of picture quality and maneuverability, the DVD isn't great, but the performances make up for it.

Though tickets are not yet available, the flyer notes that Le nozze di Figaro will be shown on July 26, as binklemom pointed out. It's one of the operas already available on DVD, as is Aida. What's encouraging is that the performances are identified as being part of a "fall season." Hopefully this means that more screenings will follow in spring.

I enjoyed today's performance tremendously. I don't think that any number of repeat viewings will make me warm to Wheeldon's stilted garland dance, and I still don't like the idea of turning the Lilac Fairy into a dancing role, but the production is very solid, and I appreciate the fact that the dances for the hunting party have been shortened, since I have always found them to be the least interesting part of the ballet.

I think that the POB's corps is better, that Benjamin Pech's Bluebird soars far above Yohei Sasaki's, and wish that Marianela Nuñez's Lilac Fairy were a bit taller (though the smile could win anyone over). But the prologue fairies are excellent (so it's a pity that there were so many waist-up shots during their variations), Sarah Lamb is radiant, Genesia Rosato's mime is admirably lucid, and Federico Bonelli is very fine. He doesn't quite nail Ashton's Act 2 solo, but then I've seen only Anthony Dowell do that. As for Alina Cojocaru, she is pure magic. Perhaps she doesn't turn quite as well as Aurélie Dupont or Sofiane Sylve, but she's magnificent.

The crowd in my city was larger than at previous screenings and applauded the dancers straight through the curtain calls. The children present seemed to enjoy it especially. Hopefully that's an investment for the future.

An insert in the program for today's screening indicated with Opus Arte productions would be shown next season. Most of the ballets will have been filmed on Parisian stages. (It's comforting to know that the Royal Opera House isn't shutting other companies out of Opus Arte.) Presumably all of these performances will be released on DVD eventually.

ballets:

Spartacus (Carlos Acosta & the Bolshoi Ballet)

Cinderella (Paris Opera Ballet)

Don Quixote (National Ballet of Cuba)

Giselle (Royal Ballet)

operas:

Le nozze di Figaro (Royal Opera)

Aida (Teatre del Liceu)

Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci (Teatro Real)

Don Giovanni (Royal Opera)

Don Carlo (Royal Opera)

The Adventures of Pinocchio (Opera North)

There is a score by Bogdan Pawlowski, titled Królewna Śnieżka i siedmiu krasnoludków in Polish. At one time the ballet was very popular in Eastern Europe and often alternated with The Nutcracker in the weekend matinee slot. I once saw a 19-year-old Irina Dvorovenko in the lead at the opera house in Kiev.

The DVD is now available for pre-order in the UK. If previous patterns hold, it should go on sale in North America two months later.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Ovsyan.../dp/B001B223UG/

Also before jumping onto the Bluray bandwagon quite yet, notice that there is ONE (1) Ballet bluray disc; it is Midsummer Night's Dream by PNB and MSRP is $46 (amazon price is $32)

http://www.amazon.com/Mendelssohn-Midsumme...5666&sr=8-3

The POB's Swan Lake has also been released on Blu-ray in the UK but has yet to hit North American shores.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tchaikovsky-Swan-L...y/dp/B0019MQBJW

Watching her in "Baby, You Knock Me Out" from It's Always Fair Weather, flying at hyper-speed over boxing ring ropes while wearing stiletto heals, is really one of the most thrilling and mind-boggling displays of virtuosity I've ever seen on film. Equally spectacular is the "Red Blues" number from Silk Stockings. It's awe-inspiring to watch how she keeps going and going, whatever her stamina may have been like in reality. I'd also single out her "Desert Song" number from Deep in My Heart as the quintessence of Charisse-as-sex-goddess, and the "Two-Faced Woman" number that was cut from The Bandwagon (because with a number like that, the movie's original Faust musical wouldn't have flopped), but which is included on the film's DVD. I wouldn't hesitate for a second in describing her as one of Hollywood's greatest dancers, even if her ballet numbers left something to be desired.

And for those who haven't seen it yet, I'd wholeheartedly recommend the "Girl Hunt" ballet from The Band Wagon for Michael Kidd's visionary choreography for the corps of gansters, in addition to Charisse's spangles and singularly erotic arches.

Undoubtedly she was one of the sexiest women ever to appear on screen, but what I admired most about her was the strength of her dance personality. Gene Kelly in particular, I think, had a bad habit of imposing his own low-centre-of-gravity style on his leading ladies, and some of them really struggled with the unsuitability of it for their bodies. Charisse, though, always managed to adapt to the choreography and make it inimitably her own.

The North American release date is listed as July 29.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018MRAZC

This season's final installment of The Royal Opera in HD is The Sleeping Beauty, getting the big-screen treatment at Empire Theatres across Canada on Saturday, June 21, at 1:00 p.m. local time, before coming out on DVD.

Princess Aurora: Alina Cojocaru

Prince Florimund: Federico Bonelli

King Florestan XXIV: Christopher Saunders

His Queen: Elizabeth McGorian

Cattalabutte: Alastair Marriott

Carabosse: Genesia Rosato

Lilac Fairy: Marianela Nuñez

Princess Florine: Sarah Lamb

Bluebird: Yohei Sasaki

Participating cities: St. John's, Halifax, Sydney, Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, Charlottetown, St. Catharines, Kitchener, North York, Mississauga, Ottawa, London, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria. The Digiscreen site also lists showings at Ultra Star Theaters in California and Arizona, and the Ex-Centris Theatre in Montreal.

http://www.empiretheatres.com/promotions/opusArte2007.asp

Trailer: http://centralsystem.digiscreen.ca/ShowPag...resentation=213

Opus Arte channel on the Digiscreen channelizer: http://www.digiscreenmovienetwork.com/Channelizer.html

Having recently seen this production in London, I must confess to being underwhelmed by Alexandra Ansanelli and David Makhateli in the leads, so I'm hoping for better. Salient excerpts from this telecast have been floating around on You Tube for some time, and they look promising.

The audiences at these broadcasts, at least where I've been attending, also seem to be growing, albeit very gradually, so I hope that Empire Theatres will bring them back next season. I would hate to think that only wrestling, boxing and hockey are capable of drawing audiences to the multiplexes.

Australian actor Matt Day attempting a Canadian accent in a recent version of The Hound of the Baskervilles: absolutely awful.

Jean-Christophe Maillot's Cinderella with the Ballets de Monte-Carlo is now available for pre-order at Amazon. The expected release date is July 8.

http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Cinderella-S/dp/B0012EF7ME/

For those working to acquire a comprehensive POB DVD collection, Angelin Preljocaj's Le Parc, previously available in Region 2 coding, will be issued on a region-free disc on July 8.

http://www.amazon.com/Parc-Ballet-Angelin-.../dp/B0015U42FI/

http://www.amazon.ca/Parc-Ballet-Angelin-P.../dp/B0015U42FI/

Though the new DVD of La Fille mal gardée has just hit the shops in the UK (with no sign of a North American release as yet), Opus Arte has announced that its next release will be the Royal Ballet's Sleeping Beauty, filmed in December 2006. The UK release date is listed as July 1.

Princess Aurora: Alina Cojocaru

Prince Florimund: Federico Bonelli

King Florestan XXIV: Christopher Saunders

His Queen: Elizabeth McGorian

Cattalabutte: Alastair Marriott

Carabosse: Genesia Rosato

Lilac Fairy: Marianela Nuñez

http://www.opusarte.com/pages/product.asp?ProductID=244

Canadian audiences can get a sneak peak when the big screen version comes to Empire Theatres on June 21.

http://www.empiretheatres.com/promotions/opusArte2007.asp

Trailer: http://centralsystem.digiscreen.ca/ShowPag...resentation=213

Also, select Opus Arte on the Digiscreen channelizer.

http://www.digiscreenmovienetwork.com/Channelizer.html

The next installment of The Royal Opera in HD is Tales of Beatrix Potter, filmed last Christmas and showing at Empire Theatres across Canada on Saturday, June 7, at 1:00 p.m. local time.

Participating cities: St. John's, Halifax, Sydney, Fredericton, Saint John, Moncton, Charlottetown, St. Catharines, Kitchener, North York, Mississauga, Ottawa, London, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Victoria.

http://www.empiretheatres.com/promotions/opusArte2007.asp

Trailer: http://centralsystem.digiscreen.ca/ShowPag...p;style=beatrix

Hopefully there will be more kids in the audience this time around. Mind you, I don't know how familiar Canadian children are with the stories these days.

P.S. The Digiscreen site also lists showings at Ultra Star Theaters in California, Emagine Theaters in Michigan and the Ex-Centris Theatre in Montreal.