Mariano

Natalia:

I searched amazon.com but could not find that announcement. There is, however, another DVD which is "Alicia Alonso: Giselle, La Leyenda", but that's another story. Do you think a link would work?

You were at that performance! I'm sorry I missed it, I was already in the USA. (I'm glad you broke the doors!).

I'll let you know if I receive any new information.

CORRECTION!!!

I need to correct what I said. I went back to the source and, somehow it was "lost in translation" before. This is what Maya Plisetskaia is saying in that interview:

In "Swan Lake", Odile used to be just the daughter of a wicked magician and not a swan at all. So it was the part of a female demon. A woman as a demon, like her father Rothbart, who may even have cast a spell on her so that she looks like Odette and can trick the prince. It's all a great plot. So it's the role of a female demon. But in the West -I don't know who thought this up but it goes back a long way- it was thought that Odile was a black swan. And we took this over. Odile was staged like this and I played it very differently. If she's not a demon but a black swan then she moves differently and she dances like a swan, only she looks different. People think she's evil, so she's a negative character.

As we can see now, Maya is not talking about white or black but about woman or swan. I bolded the words where the confusion must have come from. So the switch I was talking about was not from white to black but from a female character to a swan.

I'm sorry I brought the incorrect information, that's why I need to correct it now, but at the same time I'm glad I'm bringing a new interesting point.

Mel:

I am not sure at what exact point in the history of the Swan Lake it happened. The 1877 was black as you say but somehow they were wearing the white dress even for the third act until the made the definite switch. That was explained by Maya Plisetskaia in an interview.l

cubanmiamiboy:

The Kirov ballet recently brought to the Met in New York city the "restored" staging of their original "Bayadere" (they did the same with The Sleeping Beauty). The difference with the ballet we've seen in the theatres and videos is amazing. I haven't seen this "original" version on DVD.

From the commercially available Bayaderes, there are 2 which I would recommend because they are "standard", both staged by Natalia Makarova for the Royal Ballet and for La Scala. Either of these two DVDs is wonderful, it's a matter of choice about the cast. The La Scala recording came out recently, and is superb, with Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle.

I always avoid Nureyev's POB version (which I saw at the Met in NYC) because it was recorded with wide angle almost all the time, to capture the lavish settings but leaving the dancers distant from the viewer, almost like part of the settings.

nin one:

One more detail I can add now about Odile is that it was not originally a black swan. Odile's tutu was white as Odette's. The switch from white to black occurred in Western Europe at the beginning of the 20th century just to bring more dramatism to the character and to the situation by using the color symbolically.

cubanmiamiboy and other friends:

Alicia Alonso's full-length "Giselle" has been captured on video or film at least 3 times. First, the black-and-white movie that was filmed not live in the former Blanquita theatre (today "Carlos Marx") in Havana. The other 2 Giselles are live performances in the Teatro García Lorca in Havana. The first of these 2 was with Vladimir Vasiliev in 1980, when the diva was 60 years old, and the second one was a Gala for the 150th aniversary of the ballet "Giselle" in 1991 where Alicia (71 years old!!!) participated with all other prima ballerinas of the company, alternating in the title role, in the same performace! I have all 3 on DVD from VHS recorded not commercially in Havana.

The last word I received this year from the people I know in Havana is that they are working on the Alonso-Vasiliev tape in order to release it commercially. It is a very hard work because they gathered all available copies on tape of that performance, all recorded from the air, and took the best preserved section from each for doing an extensive restoration of both image and sound.

bart:

I found the audio recording of Swan Lake I was talking about. I think it was produced in the early 70's with the USSR TV Radio Large Symphony Orchestra conducted by Guennadi Rozhdestvensky. I used to have the original LPs released by Melodiya records. This recording was released on CD in 1982 in the West by MCA Classics. This brilliant recording supposedly follows the original score.

The music that we regularly hear today with the Black Swan pas de deux in theatres and recordings is in the first act of the original Swan Lake score and, of course, had nothing to do with the Black Swan. However, the original Black Swan pas de deux music is what you see in the Vienna production with Nureyev and Fonteyn and in the recent La Scala production with Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle.

Some music from the first act was taken to the third act replaced the original Black Swan score a few decades ago because that music from the first act had more dramatic impact and suits the Black Swan drama better than the original.

The music in question was number 5 in the original score and is also a pas de deux that consisted of the following sections:

I. Tempo di valse ma non troppo vivo, quasi moderato: This is used as the introduction to the Black Swan pas de deux in regular contemporary productions.

II. Andante. Allegro: This is marked as adagio in the contemporary Black Swan pas de deux!

III. Tempo di valse.

IV. Coda (allegro molto vivace)

I, II and IV are now in the contemporary Black Swan pas de deux, but not No. III. The variations of the prince and Odile were borrowed from other sections of the score.

Unlike his Vienna version, when Nureyev staged the Paris Opera Swan Lake he used the contemporary arrangement for the Black Swan but included the No. III (Tempo di valse) that preceded the coda in the original score in the first act.

That No. III, tempo di valse, is Von Rothbart's variation in Nureyev's Paris version.

Sorry, bart, a few minutes after I replied I was thinking of the Paris Opera Swan Lake, which is also a Nureyev's version.

The music that the Von Rothbarth dances in the middle of the Black Swan is in Tchaikovsky's original score, along with the music that Nureyev uses in his Vienna Swan Lake for the Black Swan.

I have the original Bolshoi Ballet audio recording of the original score. I will tell you later where exactly that walz is.

bart, the Swan Lake I have with Nureyev is the Vienna film, with Margot Fonteyn (Philips). I just played the entire Swan Lake and did not find what you say. Evidently, you are talking about another version. Which one is that?

rq:

I am afraid you are correct. I contacted pbs and they told me the same thing. They also gave me the number of that particular broadcast or program with the sad note that it is no longer available.

I have... how many? 12 or 15 Swan Lakes on DVD and have seen the ballet innumerable times in the theatre.

This is a hard question. The most mature, dramatic Odette/Odile is still Maya Plisetskaia, in my opinion. Gillian Murphy danced a seemless performance on the ABT DVD, that is technically speaking. Maybe the most lyrical and technically perfect second act was Alicia Alonso, whom I saw many times in the theatre.

There are two versions of "Jardin aux Lilas" by Antony Tudor and both with the ABT: the one that was broadcasted in 1990 by pbs in Dance in America, under the title "A Tudor Evening", and the one that is on a commercial DVD, "American Ballet Theatre in San Francisco". I believe there is a third one with the Paris Opera Ballet.

The version that was aired in 1990 is my favorite. It was filmed or taped in a studio with the most beautiful settings by Zack Brown that remarkably blends with the choreography, the music and the costumes. The soloiste were Leslie Browne, Martine van Hamel, Ricardo Bustamante and Michael Owen.

Is there any commercial recording of this performance?

"Sylvia" remained a mystery to me for a long time. Despite the fact that the beautiful music Delibes wrote for this mythological theme has been one of the most popular all over the world since it was composed, the ballet was rarely seen in the theatres, not even in New York City. Nor was "Sylvia" available on film, VHS or DVD. To this day, no commercial version has ever been released on any of these two formats, as far as I know.

However, the last 2 years changed my personal experience with this unlucky ballet and, somehow, resolved the “mysteryâ€. In 2005 the American Ballet Theatre included "Sylvia" (Frederick Ashton’s version) in the repertory and I was finally able to see "Sylvia" for the first time!

Both the ABT’s and the Royal Ballet’s are the same new revival of "Sylvia" that Ashton was longing to do from his own original 1952 choreography that was danced by the legendary Margot Fonteyn. Ashton was never very happy with his original work. Then "Sylvia" disappeared again from London for nearly 40 years.

In 1988 Ashton felt that it was about the right time to revive "Sylvia", and discussed with Christopher Newton, the artistic coordinator and a former Royal Ballet dancer, all the changes he had in mind but, unfortunately, he died three months later, and "Sylvia" was put off again for almost 20 more years until Newton decided to take over the task, based on all discussions with Ashton and on a black-and-white, silent film of the original Ashton’s version.

I have to say that the ABT performance did not impact me in the theatre as much as the Royal Ballet does, although both are basically the same version but danced by different companies. And to me, Ashton’s "Sylvia" (or Ashton/Newton’s) is a more vivid and provocative rendition than the one Darsonval had staged for the Paris Opera.

Why the mystery? Why is this ballet on stage only a few performances and forgotten again for another number of years? The ABT danced "Sylvia" only one season, just a few performances. The Royal Ballet was more successful but still nothing compared to the rest of their repertory.

After watching these three performances and learning what "Sylvia" is all about, it seems to me that this ballet is lacking impact somehow, no matter who choreographed it or who is dancing it.

I think any choreographer would struggle with this challenge. Why is that? For one thing, it is my impression that religious stories, even from the Greco-Roman mythology, do not mix with ballet easily. But in this particular case of "Sylvia", the libretto is more responsible for the lack of success than the story itself.

There are many incidents throughout this libretto (naïve, or even laughable for some audiences), which I have no intention to describe, that reduce the weight or impact of this ballet. In my opinion, same incidents, if treated in a different fashion by the librettist, could have had a different result on this ballet as a whole, and Delibes would have written a different score, maybe shorter, maybe longer, but with the same main themes and equally beautiful. The Tchaikovsky-Petipa binomial was a miracle in the history of ballet.

The first act of "Sylvia" can stands on its own. The story is coherent and attractive. I cannot say the same about the second act where no much happens. And the third act is like the grand finale where the conflicts are resolved and where Diana appears just for 4 or 5 minutes at the end.

I saw the ABT "Sylvia" only once at the Met here in New York City but have watched the Paris Opera’s and Royal Ballet’s many times. The Ashton’s choreography still amazes me, so sharp and eloquent, with all the steps tailored not only to the character but also to the dramatic situation, and it is so demanding!

I love the way Darcey Bussell portrays the title role with her remarkable technique only equaled by her partner Roberto Bolle. Although this was the first and only time I have seen Thiago Soares, what he did with Oberon put him at the same level.

Then I let time pass by and let my brain slowly “digest†these impressions. When I look back and I ask myself “do you think the music by Delibes still stands out in spite of the efforts by the British genius?†I think so, but at least I can say that "Sylvia" is no longer a mystery, and that this version is to me very enjoyable, and that the Royal Ballet and their soloists made of this unlucky ballet a memorable evening that I can watch over and over.

Mariano

Thanks, Giannina. Yes, I've been in the ballet world for a long time so I have a lot to say .

Mariano

Welcome to Ballet Talk, Mariano. We are very glad you found our site. Every member is a ballet lover. Just about every aspect of ballet is discussed on the board and you will find a wealth of information. We hope you enjoy sharing in our discussiions.

Giannina

I started my love for this beautiful art many years ago when I saw the first ballet performance in my native country, Cuba. It was Swan lake. A second perforamce followed Swan Lake and it was Coppélia with Alicia Alonso, still at her prime.

Those first experiences left an indeleble mark, so I decided to be a dancer. I started studying ballet. After a few months taking clases I realized that my limitations were stronger than my passion for this art because I was too old (17), so I quit.

However, my frustration did not take me away from the beloved art. To this day, I am the same ballet lover I was when I was 17. Since I moved to New York 27 years ago, I have been an enthusiastic ballet goer.

Besides the theatre, I have a good ballet video collection (DVD) that keeps growing every week.

Today I discovered this site, and I am happy to be here.