Dvd
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (The Royal Ballet)
Natalia Osipova (Odette/Odile); Matthew Golding (Prince Siegfried); Elizabeth McGorian (The Princess); Gary Avis (An Evil Spirit); Alastair Marriott (The Tutor); Valeri Hristov (Benno); Pas de Trois (Act I) (Francesca Hayward; Yuhui Choe; Alexander Campbell); Cygnets (Act II) (Francesca Hayward; Meaghan Grace Hinkis; Emma Maguire; Yasmine Naghdi);
"Osipova was riveting throughout... [Golding] demonstrates real brilliance and prowess." (The New York Times)
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (The Royal Ballet)
Marianela Nuñez (Odette / Odile); Vadim Muntagirov (Prince Siegfried); Elizabeth McGorian (The Queen); Bennet Gartside (Von Rothbart); Alexander Campbell (Benno); Akane Takada (Prince Siegfried's younger sister); Francesca Hayward (Prince Siegfried's younger sister);
"Nothing short of a triumph - Such is the good will towards the Royal Ballet’s new Swan Lake that when the curtain rises on Act III, an empty set gets a spontaneous round of applause... Choreographer Liam Scarlett may not have torn up the rule book, but his new production is nothing short of a triumph. Scarlett understands that if the narrative is to make any sense at all the focus must lie with its men. Thus the role of Siegfried is given proper psychological weight, while the sorcerer Von Rothbart also becomes a power-hungry court adviser. Petipa and Ivanov’s iconic lake scene has been left untouched, while Acts I and IV have been sensitively overhauled. It’s all offset by John Macfarlane’s glorious sets and the best-looking tutus anywhere. Leading the opening night’s magnificent cast were Marianela Núñez and Vadim Muntagirov, fast becoming the Royal’s dream partnership. While Nuñez is never less than exceptional, the evening belonged to Muntagirov, who even managed to outshine the famous 32 fouettés with a series of whip-fast pirouettes of his own." (Evening Standard ★★★★★)
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (The Royal Swedish Ballet)
Nathalie Nordquist (Odette); Anders Nordström (Siegfried);
"The Royal Swedish Ballet's Swan Lake, recorded on 24 May 2002, is elegant and sumptuous, inventively choroeographed and beautifully staged by Sir Peter Wright and Galina Samsova, with particularly splendid sets and costumes." (The Penguin Guide)
Tchaikovsky: The Ballets (The Royal Ballet)
Natalia Osipova (Odette/Odile (Swan Lake)); Matthew Golding (Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake)); Lauren Cuthbertson (The Sugar Plum Fairy (The Nutcracker)); Federico Bonelli (The Prince (The Nutcracker)); Francesca Hayward (Clara (The Nutcracker)); Alexander Campbell (Hans-Peter/The Nutcracker); Marianela Nuñez (Princess Aurora (The Sleeping Beauty)); Vadim Muntagirov (Prince Florimund (The Sleeping Beauty)); Claire Calvert (Lilac Fairy (The Sleeping Beauty));
"Osipova was riveting throughout... [Golding] demonstrates real brilliance and prowess." (Swan Lake - The New York Times)
Tchaikovsky: The Ballets (The Royal Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The National Ballet)
Anthony Dowell (Drosselmeyer); Alina Cojocaru (Clara Stahlbaum); Nathalie Nordquist (Odette); Anders Nordström (Prince Siegfried); Sofiane Sylve (Aurora); Gaël Lambiotte (Prince);
"Nobility and refinement in a unique production...With its lush sets and costumes, and the gold covered glittering castle, The Sleeping Beauty is still the most beautiful thing ever to appear on Dutch stages." (NRC Handelsblad)
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker (San Francisco Ballet)
Damian Smith (Drosselmeyer); Elizabeth Powell (Clara Stahlbaum); Davit Karapetyan (Nutcracker); David Arce (King of the Mice); Yuan Yuan Tan (Queen of Snow); Vanessa Zahorian (Sugar Plum Fairy);
"The opulent new version of the seasonal classic, launched spectacularly by the San Francisco Ballet, is every parents dream of a holiday treat. It looks scrumptious, tastes delicious, offers substantial nourishment and wont cause cavities." (San Francisco Examiner)