# Ballet on DVD and Blu-Ray



## Scopitone

I was looking for a general discussion/recommendation thread, but I can't see one. Ballet on video is frequently expensive compared to Opera! I think it would be a good idea to have a place to talk about it before we spend lots of money. 

I am a noob, so I hope lots of you will bring your expertise to the thread. :tiphat:


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## Scopitone

For starters, I am looking at this one:

*Giselle*
Natalia Osipova, Carlos Acosta

Anyone have it? What can you tell us about it?


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## Pugg

I am not that big of a Ballet fan, I do like the music only the artist get on my nerves. ( al that jimping around)
This one I do have :
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## Zhdanov

Scopitone said:


> *Giselle* Natalia Osipova, Carlos Acosta


not recommended. Acosta is unlikely dancer pleasing to watch. Osipova is long past her best form since she left The Bolshoi.


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## Zhdanov

i'd recommend for Osipova fans -




















though not sure the latter released yet.


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## Scopitone

Zhdanov said:


> not recommended. Acosta is unlikely dancer pleasing to watch. Osipova is long past her best form since she left The Bolshoi.


Thank you for your thoughts. It helps!


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## Poodle




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## Pugg

Zhdanov said:


> i'd recommend for Osipova fans -
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I made someone very happy with this recommendation, thanks you very much.


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## Scopitone

Thanks to Z's link above and going through the related videos, I am finding a number of good things on youtube.

Probably for the best, since I have spent a lot of money lately.


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## Pugg

Pugg said:


> I made someone very happy with this recommendation, thanks you very much.


It 's getting even better , she ordered it right away, so again many thanks from my dear grandmother.


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## Johnnie Burgess

Pugg said:


> I am not that big of a Ballet fan, I do like the music only the artist get on my nerves. ( al that jimping around)
> This one I do have :
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I agree with you on that. I like the music. Do not care for the dancing or whatever that is called.


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## Pugg

Johnnie Burgess said:


> I agree with you on that. I like the music. Do not care for the dancing or whatever that is called.


As long as we can enjoy the music , its fine.


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## Scopitone

I like the music in opera, but I don't care for the singing or whatever that is called.


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## QuietGuy

Two of my favorite ballets on youtube, each in mutilple parts:

*Ravel*: _Daphnis et Chloe_ 



*Prokofiev*: _The Stone Flower_


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## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> I like the music in opera, but I don't care for the singing or whatever that is called.


This is a joke..... right?


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## Scopitone

Pugg said:


> This is a joke..... right?


Yeah, I was poking fun at the comment above that said the same thing about ballet and not liking dancing.


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## Pugg

Scopitone said:


> Yeah, I was poking fun at the comment above that said the same thing about ballet and not liking dancing.


I forgot the


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## Pugg

​Present from my dearest.

*Tchaikovsky Gala*

Tchaikovsky:Swan Lake, Op. 20 (excerpts)
Vladimir Bourmeister (Choreography & staging) & Roberta Guidi di Bagno (Sets & costumes)
Polina Semionova, *Roberto Bolle*, Maurizio Licitra, Gianni Ghisleni & Flavia Vallone

Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66 (excerpts)
Marius Petipa (Choreography) & Franca Squarciapino (Costumes)

Marta Romagna, Antonino Sutera & Daniela Cavalleri

The Nutcracker Ballet, Op. 71 (Excerpts)
Patrice Bart (Choreography and staging) & Luisa Spinatelli (Costumes)

Nadja Saidakova & Ronald Savkovic

Corpo di Ballo ed Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, David Coleman


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## Zhdanov

the Daghilev ballets, three most famous of them, staged by Fohkin to music by Rimsky-Korsakov and Stravinsky.
































https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballets_Russes


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## Pugg

Zhdanov said:


> the Daghilev ballets, three most famous of them, staged by Fohkin to music by Rimsky-Korsakov and Stravinsky.
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Found one for € 5.00 euro, delivered, thanks for the tip.


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## Zhdanov

http://www.hdcollection.biz/esmeralda-2011-moscow-sd-dvd-.html


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## Pugg

I do hope this gets a DVD release, must have for ballet lovers.


​
The Dancer, based on the life off *Sergei Polunin*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Polunin


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## jegreenwood

New York City Ballet in Paris was just released on DVD and Blu-Ray. This is a treat as the NYCB does not often release video versions of its performances.

















For anyone interested, of the four ballets on the program the latter two are the more interesting (IMO - but also by general consensus, it seems).


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## Pugg

​
Malandain Ballet Biarritz

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EuroArts/8024264198


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## JAS

This is perhaps an admission that will raise boos and heckling, but as much as I love ballet music, I often find the conventions of ballet itself to be strangely off-putting. I seem to like the actual dancing in small doses. I am not sure that this is an entirely unique view or there would be no audience for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (which, by the way, is available on DVD).


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## Zhdanov

JAS said:


> I often find the conventions of ballet itself to be strangely off-putting.


it simply isn't your cup of tea.


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## jegreenwood

JAS said:


> This is perhaps an admission that will raise boos and heckling, but as much as I love ballet music, I often find the conventions of ballet itself to be strangely off-putting. I seem to like the actual dancing in small doses. I am not sure that this is an entirely unique view or there would be no audience for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (which, by the way, is available on DVD).


Is it the story-telling aspects that put you off? I prefer non-narrative ballet.


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## Pugg

Zhdanov said:


> it simply isn't your cup of tea.


I do still treasure your tip about the Daghilev ballets, the are great .


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## JAS

Zhdanov said:


> it simply isn't your cup of tea.


That may well be true. It think it may be the degree of abstraction necessary to vaguely tell a story without any words. (At least a silent movie has insert titles for key plot points.) The staging and costumes are generally a plus, although usually less elaborate than opera, and needing to leave a large part of the stage open. After a while, it all begins to feel like a mime marathon, although the dancing is obviously more intricate and involving.

The Nutcracker is okay, perhaps because I already know the story so well. And, of course, there is no harm at all in just sticking with the music on its own.


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## jegreenwood

JAS said:


> That may well be true. It think it may be the degree of abstraction necessary to vaguely tell a story without any words. (At least a silent movie has insert titles for key plot points.) The staging and costumes are generally a plus, although usually less elaborate than opera, and needing to leave a large part of the stage open. After a while, it all begins to feel like a mime marathon, although the dancing is obviously more intricate and involving.
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> The Nutcracker is okay, perhaps because I already know the story so well. And, of course, there is no harm at all in just sticking with the music on its own.


Why don't you try a plotless ballet. I posted a YouTube video of "Serenade," one of the best, on the Tchaikovsky ballet thread today. The music is his "Serenade for Strings." (OK - it looks like there's some story associated with the last portion, but Balanchine intentionally left it completely ambiguous.)

What I end up focusing on is the beauty of the human body in its response to music.


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## Pugg

More new releases, as always, other shops are available.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC143

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC301

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Opus+Arte/OA1241BD


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## Zhdanov

Pugg said:


> More new releases, as always, other shops are available.
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC143
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC301


these two are a sure must have, especially The Golden Age with choreography by Yuri Grigorovich, a legendary maestro.

although here's a better, older performance of the ballet, with such masters as Bessmertnova, Mukhamedov & Taranda -


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## Marsilius

The third new release listed in Pugg's post above features three productions by the Ballet du Capitole company. Here are individual reviews of each performance. They were reviewed in their Blu-Ray format but, of course, the evaluation of each performance applies to both Blu-Ray and DVD.

Le corsaire: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Apr14/Adam_Corsaire_OABD7140D.htm

La bête et la belle: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2015/June/Bete_belle_OABD7158D.htm

La reine morte: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2016/May/La_reine_morte_OA1201D.htm


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## Pugg

Pugni: The Pharaoh's Daughter

Svetlana Zakharova (Aspicia, daughter of the Pharaoh), Sergey Filin (Lord Wilson, an Englishman), Gennady Yanin (John Bull, his servant), Maria Aleksandrova (Ramze, Aspicia's Nubian slave)

Bolshoi Ballet, Alexander Sotnikov
Release July 18-24


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## Pugg

​
We watched this one last night, must see .


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## Zhdanov

Pugg said:


> We watched this one last night, must see .


seen him in a recent Bolshoi production of Giselle -


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## Pugg

That's why you should see that documentary , from almost a choir boy to a wild beast, sex, drugs and rock and roll.


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## Pugg

Interesting new or re-releases.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC615

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC617

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/C+Major/742408

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Opus+Arte/OA1246BD

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Opus+Arte/OA1252D


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## Crawford Glissadevil

I'm looking for Stravinsky Ballets on DVD. Especially DVD's with superior dance performances.


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## Allegro non troppo

*Ballet DVD's*



Scopitone said:


> I was looking for a general discussion/recommendation thread, but I can't see one. Ballet on video is frequently expensive compared to Opera! I think it would be a good idea to have a place to talk about it before we spend lots of money.
> 
> I am a noob, so I hope lots of you will bring your expertise to the thread. :tiphat:


I'm happy to help and advise. I have over 80 ballet dvd's


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## MrqMarc

Another source worth considering: https://marquee.tv - Many current/recent ROH, Bolshoi and newer productions as well.


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## Rogerx

MrqMarc said:


> Another source worth considering: https://marquee.tv - Many current/recent ROH, Bolshoi and newer productions as well.


How noble of you to share this, hope we see more from you.


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## Marsilius

Pugg said:


> Interesting new or re-releases.
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC615
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Bel+Air+Classiques/BAC617
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/C+Major/742408
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Opus+Arte/OA1246BD
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> http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Opus+Arte/OA1252D


Some reviews that may be of interest:

Zakharova collection: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Feb/Zakharova_Bolshoi_BAC616.htm

Hillberg collection: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Mar/Hallberg_Bolshoi_BAC618.htm

Wiener Staatsballett _Don Quixote_: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Jan/Minkus_Quixote_742504.htm


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