Date of Maximova/Vasiliev Nutcracker video?

[bart]

Does anyone know the actual performance date of the video of the Bolshoi's Nutcracker with Maximova and Vasiliev (shot onstage at the Bolshoi and available on a Kultur dvd)?

I've seen references to 1978, 1984, and 1987 -- all three of them on the Amazon site alone!

Reviews and comments seem to use one date or the other without corraboration, each person just passing on whatever date he or she happened to see somewhere.

Based on the look of the stars, I'd guess it to be the 1980s. They are clearly in middle age -- though Maximova remains incandescent, and Vasiliev still has those amazingly fast turns and quite a lot of those powerful, space-devouring jumps.

[rg]

here's a case when all the dates might have legitimate claim to accuracy.

the 1977 telecast from Moscow had to switch casts for the 2nd act b/c of injury (or fatigue) to maximova who was in some distress at that time.

the kultur release (see below) of maximova and vasiliev leading both acts was indeed '87 ('84 MAY reflect the date of the filming of the 2nd act, which was then added to the '77 filming of the first act and released as a 'single' performance.) btw, levashev's first name is vladimir as stated in the first listing from '77 and not victor as given in the '87 listing. to the best of my knowledge there is no bolshoi ballet dancer who performed drosselmeier named victor levashev.

i suspect there are bolshoi ballet followers on BT who could provide full and perhaps corrected particulars to these, but to the best of my knowledge this is the reason for the various dates.

the full '77 telecast w/ maximova and vasilier & pavlova and gordeyev was also released by kultur sometime between '77 and '87.

hope this makes some sense.

The nutcracker / WNBC-TV ; produced by Lothar Bock Associates and Gosteleradio, Moscow ; producer for NBC, Patrick Trese ; directed by Elena Maceret ; choreography by Yuri Grigorovich after Lev Ivanov ; music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. New York, N.Y. : WNBC-TV, 1977. (70 min)

Telecast by WNBC-TV, New York on December 18, 1977.

Scenery and costumes, Simon Virsaladze ; script, Catherine Faulconer.

Story tellers: Betty Ford and Katya Chakovskaya.

Performed by members of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Ekaterina Maximova (Masha, Act I), Vladimir Vasiliev (Nutcracker Prince, Act I), Nadia Pavlova (Masha, Act II), Vyacheslav Gordeyev (Nutcracker Prince, Act II), Vladimir Levashev (Magician), Sergei Radchenko (King of Mice). Cast change in Act II due to an injury to Vasiliev during Act I of the performance.

Conductor: Aleksandr Kopylov.

The nutcracker / presented by Dennis M. Hedlund ; choreography by Yuri Grigorovich after Lev Ivanov ; music by Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. W. Long Branch, N.J. : Kultur, c1987. (100 min.)

Performed by the Bolshoi Ballet. Cast: Ekaterina Maximova (Masha), Vladimir Vasiliev (The Nutcracker Prince), Victor Levashev (Drosselmeyer), Sergei Radchenko (The King of Mice), and others. The Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theater conducted by Alexander Kopilov.

Performance on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater, Moscow.

Credits in Russian and English

[bart]

WOW! Thanks, rg. I've been puzzling about this for quite a while.

I especially appreciate the credits you posted. The dvd has limited credits in Cyrillic alphabet. It's nice to be able to put a name to some of the performers: Lev Levashev as Drossselmeyer especially.

[canbelto]

I'm gonna get into a little rant here: this is perhaps my least favorite Nutcracker on video. Grigorivich's Nutcracker is a mess in every way. There are random people onstage at all times, even during the Grand pas de deux. The mouse vs. soldier "battle" is less of a battle than people marching around pointlessly. The costumes are really hideous -- the Norman Bates wigs of the Snowflakes being the most prominent example. The performance is uninspired, with some obvious gaffes by the corps de ballet (an extra sticking out of the curtain at the end of Act 1), and Maximova and Vasiliev are just flat out too old for their parts. Especially Maximova. The camera work is horrible -- way too dark, you can barely see the tree. The sound quality is awful too.

Fortunately, a prettified, dusted up version of the same ballet can be found with Arkhipova and Mukhamedov in the leads, and it's now available on video as well.

Rant over.

[FauxPas]

Just a historic note on that 1977 telecast on network television (seems unbelievable now!):

Betty Ford was the hostess. Betty Ford I believe had seriously studied dance as a young woman (with Martha Graham?). This was before her treatment for alcoholism and to put it politely, she was bombed. Her slurring, unfocused introductions were a major public humiliation on TV. I remember my late mother saying that it was a national embarassment. This incident was a major spur for Mrs. Ford to conquer her addiction and today we have the Betty Ford Clinic.

But it was not only a bad night for Maximova...