Dvd
Ashton: Rhapsody / The Two Pigeons (The Royal Ballet)
Natalia Osipova (Rhapsody); Steven McRae (Rhapsody); Lauren Cuthbertson (The Young Girl (The Two Pigeons)); Vadim Muntagirov (The Young Man (The Two Pigeons)); Fumi Kaneko (The Two Pigeons (The Two Pigeons)); Ryoichi Hirano (The Two Pigeons (The Two Pigeons));
"Watching the Frederick Ashton double bill now installed at Covent Garden, we see yet again how varied, how beguiling are Ashton’s dance ideas, how elegantly they wear their music, and how flattering they are to their interpreters. Steven McRae dances, blazing through steps, turning with an incandescent bravura, cutting tremendous shapes in the air, wrapping the score round himself, with Paganini (and Baryshnikov) evoked just as awestruck legend has told us. And thus Natalia Osipova, holding Ashton up to the light of her artistry that we may admire the facets and bright-cutting of her dances and his inventions, and moving with the delight in a role that marks her great gift." (Financial Times ★★★★★)
Bach: Bach Cantatas
Magdalena Koená (Soprano); William Towers (Alto); Mark Padmore (Tenor); Stephan Loges (Bass);
"A revealing diary of an ambitious pilgrimage...the Monteverdi Choir, typically bright and incisive the four soloists matching them in those qualities...it is the Czech mezzo, Magdelena Koená, who wins first honours with her superb singing...moving on the one hand, brilliant on the other." (Gramophone)
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);
"A gem of dazzling brilliance." (The Independent - Jewels)
Ballet du Capitole: Trois ballets de Kader Belarbi
Davit Galstyan (Le Corsaire (Le Corsaire)); Maria Gutierrez (La Belle Esclave (Le Corsaire)); Julie Loria (The Beauty (La Bête et la Belle)); Takafumi Watanabe (The Beast (La Bête et la Belle)); Artjom Maksakov (Roi Ferrante (La Reine Morte)); Maria Gutierrez (Dona Ines De Castro (La Reine Morte));
"… all the markings of one of the classic ballets: It had romance, spectacle and drama, and it was beautiful." (The Times - La Bête et La Belle)
Ballet for Children (The Royal Ballet)
Miyako Yoshida (Ballet Dancer); Steven McRae (Ballet Dancer); Victoria Hewitt (Ballet Dancer); Ricardo Cervera (Ballet Dancer); Lauren Cuthbertson (Ballet Dancer); Sergei Polunin (Ballet Dancer);
"Peter Rabbit’s beautiful and magical garden of dreams will transport every adult straight back to their childhood." (The Stage - The Tales of Beatrix Potter)
Ballet Spectacular Box Set (The Royal Ballet)
Carlos Acosta (Colas (La fille); Franz (Coppélia)); Alina Cojocaru (Giselle (Giselle)); Marianela Nuñez (Queen of the Wilis (Giselle); Lise (La fille)); Johan Kobborg (Count Albrecht (Giselle)); Leanne Benjamin (Swanilda (Coppélia)); William Tuckett (Widow Simone (La fille));
"The Royal Ballet's recent triumphs continue with this exquisite Giselle. Beguiling actress-dancer Alina Cojocaru embraces both Act I's sweet rural girl and the tragic ghost of Act II." (BBC Music Magazine - Giselle)