sejacko

I think it's beyond dispute that no conductor did more for recorded ballet music than Richard Bonynge. But what about Bonynge as a live ballet conductor? Did anyone on this board ever hear him conduct fully staged ballet productions (ie. not recordings or concerts)? In their heyday the Bonynge/Sutherland "package" was sometimes resented: if opera houses wanted Sutherland, (more often than not) they had to take Bonynge. In my opinion Bonynge was a far better ballet conductor (judging from his records anyway), than say a Verdi or Bellini conductor. Having said that, his recordings of the Tchaikovsky ballets do sometimes feature rather extreme tempi (fast as well as slow) -- perhaps if he had more "live" ballet experience that would have been different, who knows. It seems strange that all those Decca records could've just been a "sideline" for Bonynge whilst furthering his wife's career... or were Decca just indulging him so they could hold on to Sutherland? (If so, thank goodness they did!)

Wasn't that he didn't have access at the time to the original "lost Act" score...? I wonder what's the fate of this piece of music, and if exist in some russian vaults why it doesn't get used nowadays in modern productions of Bayadere The Kirov have it, they're just not sharing.

According to the VAI website this production is 140 mins long. Typically the Drigo version clocks in at well under 2 hours, eg. the recent (very disappointing) Gergiev recording of the Drigo version is around 110 mins. Seems a very big difference in the timings if this is indeed the "standard" 1895 score. Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part to think that a "centenary" production (1877/1977) would involve the actual 100 year-old score, and not the 1895 one! I've never seen the lakeside PDD (good name, since the Act-breaks are not the same in all productions) done with the original Allegro ending either, but no doubt RG has seen many more different productions than I have! I do think that in, for instance, the Sleeping Beauty's Vision Scene the short Allegro section acts as a welcome bit of "light relief" after the intensity of the main PDD. But then I guess in the Drigo version the Dance of the Little Swans, moved to its new position after this PDD, serves the same purpose. Jack

Is it though? The full 1877 score with no Drigo additions/changes? The clip posted here of the Act II PDD is with the Drigo-amended version with the slow ending and *not* the fast ending in the original 1877 score.. ? ?

..and finally here are the details (from the DG website): BEST OF BOLSHOI BALLET Paul Czinner’s acclaimed 1956 filming of the Bolshoi Ballet’s first-ever tour of Great Britain, which preserves two complete programs: a Bolshoi Highlights Program featuring Raissa Struchkova in the Walpurgisnacht from Gounod’s Faust, and Galina Ulanova in The Dying Swan and a thrilling performance of Giselle with Ulanova and Nikolai Fadeyechev Also included in the Highlights Program is the celebrated Spring Water ballet, set to music by Rachmaninoff and danced with dazzling virtuosity by the outstanding members of the Bolshoi troupe In Dance Magazine, critic Clive Barnes eulogized the artistry documented here: “Everything the Russian critics have written about her is true. The impeccable technique, the expressive body, the intellect, the informed face; yet Ulanova has something criticism could never define, something you might look for in Shakespeare’s sonnets.” In 5.1 DTS Surround Sound First time on DVD

Maybe we should draw up a petition? Jack

It seems Makarova allowed her version to be chopped & changed at the drop of a hat. I've also just started another related thread about the different Lanchbery versions that have been used. It was that very same "mad dance" you refer to that started me thinking... For my money, the La Scala DVD version is simply not competitive. The principles are good, and the video quality is certainly superior to both the Paris & RB versions, but the smaller roles and corps simply are no match. Until something better comes along (from say.. St.Petersburg!), I'd stick with the Paris and RB versions, and in addition I'd recommend the "Dancers Dream" documentary, with fascinating rehearsal footage and insights from the dancers preparing for a revival of Nureyev's version. It really is a must-see! As for A.Schwarzenegger and the Neo-Cons, all I can add is, Hasta la vista, baby! Jack

I've always wondered why, on Bonynge's splendiferous Decca recording of the Lanchbery version of the score, they didn't include the little fast section of Nikiya's dance, just before she's bitten by the snake. This is especially strange since it *is* included in the Royal Ballet version, conducted by Lanchbery himself on the 1990(/91?) DVD, and the Bonynge recording was only made in 1992. I always miss hearing it at that point. Perhaps the original version Lanchbery prepared for Makarova/ABT in 1980 didn't include it and it was published that way, and then just added "ad hoc" into the live performances. I'm sure it coundn't have been too hard for R.Bonynge to get Lanchbery's permission to add it (and maybe other dances that had been added upto that point) for the sake of the recording. Of course the charming little "Danse Manou" (water-jug-balance dance) does not appear in the Makarova version at all, but happily it (along with several other delectable bits and pieces) is restored in the Nureyev/Paris DVD version (1992) -- again orch. Lanchbery but in a more authentic style this time. It's a real shame, also, that this Lanchbery/Paris version of the score is not available on CD. It sounds a little bit overblown in the acoustics of the Palais Garnier and a studio recording would have been welcome. (Is it my imagination or did someone once say there had indeed been a selection of highlights on CD of this version, or maybe I'm going mad..?) Either way, maybe the world simply didn't need more than one full-length (I'm deliberately avoiding the word "complete") La Bayadere recording at the time. But the world DOES need another one now: COME ON folks at the Mariinsky, it's just plain SELFISH not giving us a recording the full Minkus version used in the reconstruction!!

I just noticed on the DG website that they are releasing a new DVD "The Best of Bolshoi Ballet" in August 2008. No repertoire is listed (yet), but details of the artists are given: Galina Ulanova · Raissa Struchkova · Nikolai Fadeyechev Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden · The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra The Bolshoi Theatre Ballet Yuri Faier (Directed by Paul Czinner. A production of UNITEL, Munich) http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/res...amp;per_page=10 For those not familiar with Unitel, it is a German company with a vast catalogue of filmed Classical Music, esp. operas and concerts (from the 1950s onwards), but with (as far as I know) a very limited number of ballet films (of which the Nureyev/Fonteyn Swan Lake is of course the most famous). http://www.unitel.de/unitel_homepage/unite...allet/index.htm So this upcoming DVD comes as a bit of a surprise (to me anyway). At least we can expect the highest quality of picture & sound from DG (whatever it turns out to be!) Jack

I've just ordered my copy of Roland John Wiley's "A Century of Russian Ballet" (long out-of-print in harcover), thankfully now available in paperback. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Century-Russian-Ba...174&sr=8-12 Synopsis (from Amazon) "A Century of Russian Ballet" brings its readers as close as written records can to the realities of being a student, dancer, choreographer or critic in Russia, from the period 1810 to 1910.It is built on a framework of famous ballets (translations of the printed libretti of which are included) by such celebrated choreographers as Charles Didelot, Filippo Taglioni, Jules Perrot, Arthur Saint-Leon, Marius Petipa, and Mikhail Fokine. On to this framework are placed eyewitness accounts and criticisms, including biographies of choreographers, accounts of life in the Imperial Theatres' school, reminiscences of important artists, and reviews of first performances. Each of the ten chapters of the book is introduced with further commentary which draws on press accounts and literature of the time. For those who don't own (or haven't read) Mr. Wiley's book on Tchaikovsky's ballets, I suggest you get a copy while you can. It's absolutetly invaluable in terms of musical insight and historical background. I cannot wait to get this one. Now, Mr. Wiley (or anyone else), can we PLEASE have a good new book on the ballets of Leo Delibes? Or (dare I suggest) those of Minkus? (Still much underresearched, undervalued and underrated!) Jack Murray London

I assume this is the version without the Temple Destruction Act eh? Is the picture & sound quality accetable on the DVD? I'm very tempted to get it too.. Jack London PS: Isn't it a CRIME (no other word will do) that the Kirov havent filmed or recorded the complete Bayadere 2001 reconstruction? If they ever do, I hope it's not with Gergiev -- his recording of the 1895 Swan Lake was very disappointing. Fedotov still rules!

I recently bought the Japanese re-issue of the Decca LA BAYADERE (cond. Bonynge) which has two additional tracks, the PDDs from PAQUITA and DON QUIXOTE. See link: http://www.hmv.co.jp/product/detail/2540452 I already had both these PDDs in my Fete du Ballet (Australian) set, or so I thought... When listening to the DQ PDD from this Japanese set the other day, I noticed within a few seconds that it wasn't the same performance that I had been used to from Fete du Ballet! Even thought the notes are in Japanese, this track is listed as being with the LSO, and recorded in November 1962, the same as in the Fete du Ballet set. Yet, althought its clearly the SAME ORCHESTRATION (unattributed) it is definately a DIFFERENT PERFORMANCE or at the very least a different "take" from the same sessions. In terms of the performance there is the odd slightly longer/shorter pause here and there, the odd accent placed a bit differently, mostly quite subtle things. Plotting the waveforms (on WAV editing software) of the two tracks confirmed that they are both very similar but not identical. The fact that the sound quality varies (cleaner Japanese sound vs. more "ambient" but slightly shrill Australian sound) could have something to do with them being remastered differently. Also the Australian version is slightly faster, shorter (8.13 vs. 8.50) and sharp compared to the Japanese one. I suspect one of the two was not remastered at the correct pitch. I wonder if anyone can shed some light on this. Did Bonynge make more than one recording of it and maybe one of these is not the stated "November 1962" one? Also I'm curious who orchestrated this version. It doesn't say in the Fete du Ballet booklet, although the Paquita Grand Pas (elsewhere in Fete du Ballet) is attributed to Peter Marsh. Are the altenative Paquita PDD (a shorter version) and the Don Quixote PDD (discussed above) also his orchestrations? It's a shame the Fete du Ballet booklet is so vague ragarding these mattters... Jack Murray London PS. Tonight I'm seeing the touring Bolshoi Le Corsaire!