Swan Lake / Nutcracker

Starring: Oliver Matz, Steffi Scherzer Original UK Premiere: 1998 Dvd Release: 3rd February, 2003 Number Of Discs: 2 Format: Box set, PAL, Widescreen, Region 0 Encoding Subtitled In: English, French, German, Spanish

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Swan Lake is one of the most famous & critically-acclaimed ballets, with music by Tchaikovsky. It was first performed at full length in Saint Petersburg in Russia on February 17, 1895. Tchaikovsky was dead by then & it was based on an earlier, smaller-scale work, which had premiered on March 4, 1877. The choreography at the premiere was by Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov & many later stagings have followed their work more or less closely. A single dancer dances the twin roles of Odette & Odile, which is one of the most taxing of all roles because it requires acting two entirely contrasting characters, as well as the strenuous showpiece dancing itself, including thirty-two fouettes. This feat was put into the choreography because it was a party piece of Pierina Legnani, first prima ballerina assoluta of the Maryinsky ballet. It concerns a prince, called Siegfried, who falls in love with a princess called Odette, who is in human form at night, but has been turned into a swan by day by the evil magician Von Rothbart. She has a retinue of other swan-maidens to attend her. Posters Of Swan Lake

Swan Lake: a disaster at its 1877 premiere, the fantastical Swan Lake was revived in 1895 & has since established itself as the most popular ballet ever. Daniel Barenboim conducts this sumptuous performance at Berlins Staatsoper Unter den Linden using choreography adapted & subtly modernised by Patrice Bart from the 1895 staging; combined with elegant costume & set design the result is a very traditional & thoroughly engaging evenings entertainment. Barenboim ensures that Tchaikovskys score is a romantic delight, the ensemble dancing is highly polished, Oliver Matz passionately intense as Prince Siegfried, Steffi Scherzer making an enchanting fairytale heroine. , Gary S Dalkin

The Nutcracker: as Patrice Barts 1999 production of The Nutcracker shows, Tchaikovskys perennially popular ballet lends itself to the Christmas season where it has a permanent place in the schedules of the major dance companies. Barts production for the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin builds on Petipas original choreography & develops the context of the child Maries anxiety into a strong narrative. The godfather Drosselmayer is initially a sinister figure, forcing her to confront past events before leading her into the glittering land of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Here, all expectations are exceeded. The familiarity of Tchaikovskys intricately woven themes works in total harmony with sumptuous production values. The dancing is sublime. As the Prince, Vladimir Malakhov evokes the spirit of a young Nureyev. His pas de deux with the Sugar Plum Fairy should challenge even the most cynical tear ducts. Sit back, share the frisson of anticipation as Daniel Barenboim enters the conductors box & let the whole experience engulf you.

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