Bolshoi's Nutcracker 1989 (released 2005)

[dachnitsa]

I've just bought the original arthaus DVD "The Nutcracker" in the 1989 Bolshoi version with Irek Mukhamedov, Natalya Arkhipova and Yury Vetrov.

The quality of sound is absolutely dreadful - the music and the applause seem to be coming right out of a bucket! Impossible to connect the DVD-Player to the HiFi-system without hurting your ears... even my three year old son is complaining about it.

Before I'm going to write to the dealer I would like to know whether this a general problem or if it is just my copy?

Thank you!

dachnitsa

[rg]

if this is a an item packaged in red and gold - it must be in the same 'series' of an equally dreadful DVD i have of the maksimova/vasiliev NUTCRACKER - my copy if memory serves - i have lost sight of it since i first played it and found it so poor - the packaging is all red, w/ gold scrolled lettering noting the BOLSHOI. as i recall my NUTCRACKER says only bolshoi ballet and tchaikovsky's name - the name of the dancers is in tiny print, as a kind of afterthought credit on the backof the dvd box. i don't recall what label put this out, but the disc was generally badly produced, including poor resolution and often corrupted transfer to digital disc.

[Natalia]

RG, thanks for the warning on the 'red and gold' series. I have not purchased any yet. Now I don't think I will.

However...I believe that Dachnitsa is referring to yet another series of video-to-DVD transfers on the market: the 'old' NHK 'Bolshoi at the Bolshoi' VHS series ca 1990, which included eight or nine titles (including Bessmertnova 'Raymonda,' Mikhalchenko 'Swan Lake,' Semenyaka 'Stone Flower,' etc, etc.). Those DVDs offer good resolution (visual) but very poor sound. I agree with you about the sound, dachnitsa!

Natalia

[dachnitsa]

Thank you Natalia!

I was indeed referring to the Nutcracker of the <<NHK 'Bolshoi at the Bolshoi' >>. Of the same series I had already purchased Swan Lake, Spartacus and Raymonda and even if their sound is not overwhelming it is 1000 times better than this Nutcracker ...

Perhaps it is really just my copy ... I will get in touch with the dealer and tell you afterwards.

[DSanderson]

if this is a an item packaged in red and gold - it must be in the same 'series' of an equally dreadful DVD i have of the maksimova/vasiliev NUTCRACKER - my copy if memory serves - i have lost sight of it since i first played it and found it so poor - the packaging is all red, w/ gold scrolled lettering noting the BOLSHOI. as i recall my NUTCRACKER says only bolshoi ballet and tchaikovsky's name - the name of the dancers is in tiny print, as a kind of afterthought credit on the backof the dvd box. i don't recall what label put this out, but the disc was generally badly produced, including poor resolution and often corrupted transfer to digital disc.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I bought a Boris Godunov on this series, which includes the Nutcracker rg refers to, Cinderella, Gisella, and I Pagliacci. The Boris is absolutely dreadful, murky picture, fuzzy sound, and no subtitles. The company that produced these appears to be "ABC Empire" Avoid at all costs!

Dana

[shulie]

Those Kirov Classics are horrible quality. I bought two of them (Giselle, Cinderella) because they were sold really cheap around here- but I guess I got what I paid for.

Bad bad picture and sound quality, faded colors, blurry pictures, menu in Russian (!).... oh well...

Here is another thread: http://ballettalk.invisionzone.com/index.php?showtopic=21069

[Marc Haegeman]

Dachnitsa, I'm afraid it is not your copy. If you look at the back of the case of the Bolshoi Nutcracker (w Mukhamedov, Arkhipova) it's so far the only release in this series which is supposed to have Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 (the others are just plain PCM stereo). The DVD producer tried to enhance the sound but unfortunately totally blew it: the Dolby sounds like recorded in a swimmingpool, the DTS in a cavern. You can also distinctly hear the applause is overdubbed, since it does sound even worse than the music.

It is one of those tape-to-disc-transfer mistakes, that unfortunately are still being made every now and then in the CD and DVD production. It's no use of getting it back, they all have it.

The DVD's in this series come with a booklet, situating the ballet etc, which is great. But, why can't the information be accurate? In The Sleeping Beauty of the Bolshoi (w Semizorova, Fadeyechev) one can read that Konstantin Sergeyev is the son of Nikolai Sergeyev, assistant of Petipa! And if that wasn't enough, Konstantin S. is credited with staging Beauty for Sadler's Wells Ballet before and after World War II, and before he did it for the Kirov! Well, there you go, folks!