Bringing together four seminal works, this attractive collection
offers a perfect introduction to the world's oldest national
ballet company.
Jewels This alluring, abstract ballet, a triptych in which each
piece sparkles with the brilliance of a precious stone, is a
lyric tribute to women and to the cities of the great dance
schools.
La Dame aux camélias Based on the novel that also inspired the
stories of Verdi's La Traviata and Hollywood's Moulin Rouge,
Neumeier has created a riveting dance drama which unfolds
ingeniously through love, passion and danger. Chopin's ravishing
music combines with the lavish production, filmed live at the
Palais Garnier.
Prokofiev: Cinderella Rudolf Nureyev's colourful, “movie-star”
production retains the classic Perrault story but sets it in
America during the difficult years of the Great Depression in the
1930s and 1940s. Agnès Letestu stars as Cinderella who, living
with her alcoholic her, tyrannical stepmother and two spiteful
stepsisters, dreams of escape and stardom in Hollywood.
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake Agnès Letestu, a feminine and warm Odette,
and José Martinez, a convincing, pale, vulnerable prince
Siegfried, are the stars of this deeply passionate, ‘dream’
version of Swan Lake. Rudolf Nureyev's interpretation of
Tchaikovsky's lyrical ballet, far from being a clichéd stereotype
of this celebrated masterpiece, is an exposé of astonishingly
powerful and recognisable human emotions.
Works
Balanchine: Jewels; Neumeier: La dame aux camélias; Nureyev:
Cinderella; Swan Lake
Press Reviews
"A gem of dazzling brilliance." (The Independent - Jewels)
"It is open to doubt whether even Balanchine has ever created a
work in which the inspiration was so sustained, the invention so
imaginative, or the concept so magnificent." (The New York Times
- Jewels)
"... a glorious achievement, beautifully captured on DVD under
the expert direction of Thomas Grimm. It is also a traditional
narrative ballet at its best: the romantic, tragic love story is
eloquently told, the costumes are gorgeous, the dancers
excellent, Chopin's music is luminous and Neumeier's choreography
is as ever beautifully original yet purely classical in its
discreet but stylish elegance. If you like the great classical
ballets of the past, like Giselle or Swan Lake ... then you will
adore John Neumeier's La Dame aux Camélias. I simply loved it and
would recommend it whether one is a hopeless romantic or not!"
(Musicweb International - La Dame aux Camélias)
"... a musical fantasy overflowing with vitality." (Le Figaro -
Cinderella)
"Readers used to traditional views of the ballet should see this
gripping newcomer." (The Penguin Guide - Swan Lake)
Cast
Aurélie Dupont
Agnès Letestu
Marie-Agnès Gillot
José Martinez
Stéphane Bullion
Dorothée Gilbert
Paris Opera Orchestra; Vladimir Jurowski; Michael Schmidtsdorff;
Koen Kessels; Vello Pähn
Production
Company: Ballet de L’Opéra national de Paris
Stage Director: Annabel Arden; John Neumeier
Choreographer: Georges Balanchine; Rudolf Nureyev
Disc Information
Catalogue Number: OA1068BD
Running Time: 673 minutes
Sound: 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic
Label: Opus Arte