Ballet (Ballet de L’Opéra National de Paris)

Aurélie Dupont (Ballet Dancer); Agnès Letestu, (Ballet Dancer); Marie-Agnès Gillot (Ballet Dancer); José Martinez (Ballet Dancer); Stéphane Bullion (Ballet Dancer); Dorothée Gilbert (Ballet Dancer);

Bringing together four seminal works, this attractive collection offers a perfect introduction to the worlds oldest national ballet company.JewelsThis 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. Couturier, painter and craftsman Christian Lacroix created the glorious costumes and sets which, together with the outstanding performances of the dancers and the sensitive musical direction of Paul Connelly, result in a celebration of sumptuous splendour.La Dame aux caméliasBased on the novel that also inspired the stories of Verdis La Traviata and Hollywoods Moulin Rouge, Neumeier has created a riveting dance drama which unfolds ingeniously through love, passion and danger. Chopins ravishing music combines with the lavishproduction, filmed live at the Palais Garnier.Prokofiev: CinderellaRudolf Nureyevs 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 father, tyrannical stepmother and two spiteful stepsisters, dreams of escape and stardom in Hollywood.Swan LakeAgnès 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 Nureyevs interpretation of Tchaikovskys lyrical ballet, far from being a clichéd stereotype of this celebrated masterpiece, is an exposé of astonishingly powerful and recognisable human emotions.

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)

"This production of Neumeiers ballet La Dame aux Camélias is 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, Chopins music is luminous and Neumeiers 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, if you love John Crankos amazing story ballets, like Onegin or The Taming of the Shrew; then you will adore John Neumeiers La Dame aux Camélias. I simply loved it and would recommend it whether one is a hopeless romantic or not!" (Musicweb International)

"More than a traditional full-length ballet, Nureyevs Cinderella is a musical fantasy overflowing with vitality." (Le Figaro)

"This Parisian Swan Lake offers the reworked choreography which Nureyev devised for his 1984 production of the ballet and which has remained a favoured recital ever since...Readers used to traditional views of the ballet should see this gripping newcomer." (The Penguin Guide)

Extra features

Jewels: Documentary George Balanchine Forever. Camélias: Illustrated synopsis · Cast gallery. Documentary Flashback on Lady of the Camellias.Cinderella: Cast gallery · Illustrated synopsis · Documentary.Cinderella goes Hollywood.Swan Lake: Illustrated synopsis · Cast gallery.