Ballet DVD recommendations

[r***@googlemail.com]

Hello to everyone.

My partner would like to start a ballet DVD collection. In a hurry
before Christmas I bought a DVD of the Bolshoi ballet performing "The
Nutcracker". While it's acceptable in terms of picture and sound, I
wouldn't say it's wonderful. Particularly the audience noise has a
strange flanging sound on it. And the lighting seems harsh, with it
being difficult to see the features of the set. Dancers leaving the
spotlight are hard to see as well.

It being her birthday in early-ish January, I'd like to get a really
good one this time. She doesn't seem too fussy about the choice of
ballet itself. She thought that when starting a collection it would be
best to stick with "the classics", and pick up more specialist things
later. For example, she wants to get the all-male Swan Lake, but not
immediately. One DVD I decided against was a TV transmission of Margot
Fonteyn in black and white. Interesting for a specialist, but probably
not one to start with.

Would anyone be able to make some recommendations. A quick look on
amazon brings up the following candidates:

The Kirov Ballet: Sleeping Beauty
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleeping-Beauty-Kirov-Ballet/dp/B0009XCCKO/sr=1-24/qid=1167142880/ref=sr_1_24/026-4871823-4128420?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

The Paris Opera Sleeping Beauty
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sleeping-Beauty-Paris-Opera-Ballet/dp/B00005JI16/sr=1-22/qid=1167142880/ref=sr_1_22/026-4871823-4128420?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

Coppelia - Delibes
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coppelia-Delibes-Irina-Shapchits/dp/B0000505FU/sr=1-27/qid=1167143054/ref=sr_1_27/026-4871823-4128420?ie=UTF8&s=dvd

Actually there are too many to think about. Does anyone have any
comments on the former DVDs or suggestions of other DVDs that I should
consider? I know this is a difficult question as I can't give details
of preferred composers, etc. But it's the age old problem of having to
buy presents on limited information.

[keith]

Why not start with something that is immediatly spectacular such as the
collection of Circus Du Soleil DVD's, they may not be ballet but there is
the element of dance about it and they are spectacular. All your examples
are from 'Amazon', why not go straight to the horses
mouth...http://www.vaimusic.com/index.htm ,http://www.naxos.com/ and so
on.As far as a nutcracker is concerned the Mikhail Baryshnikov with Gelsey
Kirkland and the American Ballet Theatre is a good one. Something modern,
maybe Roland Petit's Clavigo with Nicolas Le Riche by the Opera National de
Paris. Dont forget there are films such as 'the red shoes' and 'the little
humpbacked horse', 'cinderella' etc.

[Trog Woolley]

Post by r***@googlemail.com
Hello to everyone.

[snip]

Post by r***@googlemail.com
Actually there are too many to think about. Does anyone have any
comments on the former DVDs or suggestions of other DVDs that I should
consider? I know this is a difficult question as I can't give details
of preferred composers, etc. But it's the age old problem of having to
buy presents on limited information.

Amazon isn't the best place for DVDs; try www.dancebooks.co.uk
A couple of "must haves" are the Les Ballets Trockadero, programme 1 and 2
www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/2312.asp & www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/3831.asp
Great fun and the dance technique is beyond reproach - best version of the
pdd from Le Corsaire there is.

I can also recommend the following :
Paris Opera Ballet - La Bayadere www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/2753.asp
Australian Ballet - Coppelia www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/3739.asp
American Ballet Theatre - Le Corsaire
Birmingham Royal Ballet - Hobsons Choice www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/4704.asp
Birmingham Royal Ballet - Nutcracker Sweeties www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/4894.asp
(the Judas Tree also on this DVD isn't very good though)
St Petersburg Ballet Theatre - Swan Lake www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/4788.asp

All of the above, and many others can be found at www.dancebooks.co.uk/catalog/dvdsballet.asp

Don't dismiss the old recordings. The recordings of Fonteyn and Nureyev are
hard to beat, especially their Romeo and Juliet. Don't ignore the modern
ballets either, such as Adventures in Motion Pictures and Nederlands Dans Theater;
www.dancebooks.co.uk/catalog/dvdsmodernballet.asp
Rightly you've identified Swan Lake; Mathew Bourne's Nutcracker is good too.

Here is a very good box set www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/789832
Released in November and sold out already. I can recommend this particular
firm, and even with shipping costs they are very good. By way of example,
a Space 1999 box set cost me £20 including postage; it's £60 locally.

Finally, you could consider investing in a DVD recorder. If you're in the UK,
they do occasionally show ballet on the TV. For instance, just yesterday there
was Giselle danced by the Royal Ballet. This is not going to be released on DVD
and it is unlikely to be repeated either.

[Arrow]

There are at least four "SLEEPING BEAUTY" DVD's from the Kirov, and the
earlier the
performance date, the closer the performance is to old-fashioned Kirov
standards. The early
1960's DVD has Natalia Dudinskaya, Alla Sizova, Natalia Makarova, Yuri
Solevyev and Valeri
Panov among others. It hasn't been previously issued in a version
longer than 84 minutes, though
some believe that the complete ballet was filmed and this DVD MIGHT
have more of it. The 1982? DVD has
Irina Kolpakova, Gabriella Komleva, Yelena Yevteyeva, Lyubov Kunakova,
Vladimir Ponomaryov,
Gennadi Selyutskii, Sergei Berezhnoi and Andre Garbuz among others,
many of the big
stars of the Kirov who were still performing as principals or character
dancers in that era.
The vhs had the applause cut, but the new DVD, at nearly 3 hours, has
all the applause included.
The short-time reissue with the great Altynai Asylmuratova was
relatively short-lived because
the photography wasn't as clear as in the others and this is not the
best role in which to
see this lyric prima ballerina. The one from the '90s was made on tour
in Canada, so one
misses the thrill of a Kirov audience, but has several famous stars of
the time,
including Vadim Gulyaev, Tatiana Terekhova and Larissa Lezhnina .
Arrow

Post by Trog Woolley

Post by r***@googlemail.com
Hello to everyone.

[snip]

Post by r***@googlemail.com
Actually there are too many to think about. Does anyone have any
comments on the former DVDs or suggestions of other DVDs that I should
consider? I know this is a difficult question as I can't give details
of preferred composers, etc. But it's the age old problem of having to
buy presents on limited information.

Amazon isn't the best place for DVDs; try www.dancebooks.co.uk
A couple of "must haves" are the Les Ballets Trockadero, programme 1 and 2
www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/2312.asp & www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/3831.asp
Great fun and the dance technique is beyond reproach - best version of the
pdd from Le Corsaire there is.
Paris Opera Ballet - La Bayadere www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/2753.asp
Australian Ballet - Coppelia www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/3739.asp
American Ballet Theatre - Le Corsaire
Birmingham Royal Ballet - Hobsons Choice www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/4704.asp
Birmingham Royal Ballet - Nutcracker Sweeties www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/4894.asp
(the Judas Tree also on this DVD isn't very good though)
St Petersburg Ballet Theatre - Swan Lake www.dancebooks.co.uk/titles/4788.asp
All of the above, and many others can be found at www.dancebooks.co.uk/catalog/dvdsballet.asp
Don't dismiss the old recordings. The recordings of Fonteyn and Nureyev are
hard to beat, especially their Romeo and Juliet. Don't ignore the modern
ballets either, such as Adventures in Motion Pictures and Nederlands Dans Theater;
www.dancebooks.co.uk/catalog/dvdsmodernballet.asp
Rightly you've identified Swan Lake; Mathew Bourne's Nutcracker is good too.
Here is a very good box set www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/789832
Released in November and sold out already. I can recommend this particular
firm, and even with shipping costs they are very good. By way of example,
a Space 1999 box set cost me £20 including postage; it's £60 locally.
Finally, you could consider investing in a DVD recorder. If you're in the UK,
they do occasionally show ballet on the TV. For instance, just yesterday there
was Giselle danced by the Royal Ballet. This is not going to be released on DVD
and it is unlikely to be repeated either.
--
Trog Woolley | trog at trogwoolley dot com
(A Croweater back residing in Pommie Land with Linux)
Isis Astarte Diana Hecate Demeter Kali Inanna

[m***@webtv.net]

my favorite filmed ballet is nureyev in the australian ballet's don
quixote. i think you can get it from www.vai.com
my 2nd favorite is nureyev and fonteyn in the royal ballet's romeo &
juliet, but i don't know if that one is on dvd. mike in L.A.

[m***@webtv.net]

make that www.vaimusic.com