Paquita on film?

[garybruce]

I've been trying to locate a DVD of Paquita but the POB versions both receive awful reviews in Amazon.com. Kirov Classics DVD only has the Pas de Trois and Grand Pas Classique. Any leads?

PS Not having seen the ballet, I don't know if it merits full treatment. Or are the Petipa variations the only real value in the choreography?

[cubanmiamiboy]

I own the POB version. My main interest when i bought it was that of having a holistic understanding of the whole work, and finally place the Grand Pas in context, after having watched it endless times as an excerpt. I must confess that, even if i don't find Lacotte's revival as horrible as some of the Amazon reviewers do, it was indeed a little long and sometimes hard to swallow. Agnes Letestu-(Paquita) and Jose Martinez-(Lucien) do some fine stuff along the way, but the whole result, in my point of view, is kind of dry. Still, even if this is Lacotte's own recreation of Petipa-(minus the Grand Pas and the Pas de Trois)-i do find it valuable from the historic perspective, but I think that a more exciting performance could have resulted out of the whole idea.

[Marc Haegeman]

Garybruce, there is only one DVD version of the POB Paquita - those listed on Amazon are different releases of the same recording with Letestu and Martinez. If you want a complete version of the ballet, that's the only one there is. Except for the Grand Pas and the pas de trois the choreography is new (in the style of) by Pierre Lacotte, so you know more or less what you're going to get. Even if Letestu and Martinez wouldn't be my choice for the leads in Paquita either (but there is always a favourite cast that you don't have on DVD ), they are definitely not bad, while the plot is good fun, the production beautiful and well rendered by the DVD.

[garybruce]

Thanks to both of you for your assessments, which are helpful. I did note that a Mr. Lopez on Amazon.com claimed the original Petipa choreography is intact at Harvard Univ. in the Sergeyev (sp?) notations brought out of Russia after the Communists took over. Perhaps some ambitious youngster will restage the original.

[michaelbaker]

i have the POB version of Paquita by Pierre Lacotte on DVD and the dancing is marvellous. Certainly well worth buying.

I've been trying to locate a DVD of Paquita but the POB versions both receive awful reviews in Amazon.com. Kirov Classics DVD only has the Pas de Trois and Grand Pas Classique. Any leads?

PS Not having seen the ballet, I don't know if it merits full treatment. Or are the Petipa variations the only real value in the choreography?

[Natalia]

garybruce, the POB is the only ballet company in the world to perform a complete Paquita since 1910 or thereabouts. The premiere of the Lacotte reconstruction in Paris around 2000/2001 was a major event...which I attended and thoroughly enjoyed!

[garybruce]

garybruce, the POB is the only ballet company in the world to perform a complete Paquita since 1910 or thereabouts. The premiere of the Lacotte reconstruction in Paris around 2000/2001 was a major event...which I attended and thoroughly enjoyed!

Thanks to you and Michaelbaker for your reviews. I'll go and splurge on the POB version.

[dnznqueen]

there's always the abt ballet at the met....with cynthia gregory and fernando bujones. it's just the pas, variations, etc., but the dancing is fabulous! i forget what else is on the program...i think it's paul taylor triad and something else...