Swan Lake; Sleeping Beauty

[agnes]

I am looking to add these Kirov productions to my collection. In the two VHS productions I am considering, Yulia and Farukh?? danced in both, and Larissa only in Sleeping Beauty (with other partners). How would you review and rate these performances in terms of their faithfulness to the original choreographies, the emotional pathos projected by the dancers, the technical quality, the quality of the corps, the performance's reflection of Kirov quality overall?

[Phaedra392]

I own both of these DVDs, and I would not recommend the "Swan Lake." I watched it once and shelved it. Someone once described Makhalina as "callow," and I saw what was meant in this performance. She's not horrible, just not good. And this may sound weird, but everyone's pointe shoes bothered me. They looked all floppy, as if they'd been worn too often.

I would recommend "Sleeping Beauty," however. I watched this one many times. Lezhnina is lovely, Razimatov is fabulous, and Makhalina was so much better here as Lilac.

I'm no expert on either of these ballets, so take my opinion for what it's worth.

[Hans]

Actually, Lezhnina is in the Act I pas de trois on the Swan Lake video. I like both of these, but while I find Makhalina to be lovely in the role, she is not moving.

[agnes]

Thank you Phaedra and Hans. Too bad about Makhalina....and to dance the principal role at that! Hmm, not too good a reflection on the Kirov's selection of principal for the role, especially for a ballet that is 'signature Kirov'.

Does Makhalina have more recent performances captured on VHS/DVD that showcases improvement in maturity and emotional/artistic interpretation?

[Hans]

Does Makhalina have more recent performances captured on VHS/DVD that showcases improvement in maturity and emotional/artistic interpretation?

Not that I'm aware of. Makhalina makes a very beautiful Odette and a striking Odile--she has a strong, beautiful technique and an appropriate sense of what she ought to convey. She just doesn't always quite get to the point of actually conveying it. I have this video, and I really enjoy it, so I am not at all trying to disparage Makhalina, it is just that as far as acting goes, I prefer other dancers (such as Makarova).

[Ostrich]

Regarding the Sleeping Beauty, while I enjoy the dancing of Lezhnina and Ruzimatov very much, there are some costume choices that really hurt me, like the courtiers in the last act. And - can it be true - does Ruzimatov wear glitter on his hair for the wedding scene??? My only big complaint about Lezhnina: her "awakening" is so bland, compared to Ruzimatov's intensity, I want to slap her!