Swan Lake: Mariinsky Ballet [Blu-ray] [2008]

Item arrived on time, as described and good value for money

Ms Lopatkina is THE (not “one of”, but I do mean, “the”) most exquisite Swan Queen (and her mysterious counterpart, of course) of our time. No one else but Ms Lopatkina has that mixture of delicateness, sincerity and purity, innate warmth and soulfulness, genuine forgivingness, and regalness. She has the most profound of expressions. She does so without letting anyone see her strictly disciplined minds and totally controlled body from head to toe (to finger tips); and without needing to show off her skills like most others do.Her artistry goes beyond just being unequalled; because her soul becomes that of a character, and above all, that of the music; with music, she floats on stage (cheating gravity, as someone has once described; it is a wonder how she can express all the human emotions from the deepest of her heart and with warmth, while she “is” airy and weightless); and her soul transcends audiences into a timeless space, in which we become hypnotised as we breathe in the magical air.– During Mariinsky’s London tour at the ROH in the summer of 2014, I was so privileged to have been able to travel to the lake side where Ms Lopatkina’s story unfolded. Her maturity, in particular, as an artist, is apparent in her all-embracing reactions to her fans. These qualities are the quintessence of entertainment in her comical roles as well. Ms Lopatkina was also in Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand, my favourite ballet. She was the passion, happiness, devastation, forgiveness, and in the end, death. –This Blu-ray will be for ever my treasure in the memory of her appearances at the London stage (I hope she will come back to London during the Mariinsky’s next tour here).~~~Mr Korsuntsev was not able to make to the London stage in 2014, but here, he is a noble prince, creating such breathtaking scenes especially in Pas de Deux both in Act I and II with Ms Lopatkina. All the supporting casts also have strong techniques and sophisticated expressiveness; Mr Kuznetsov’s von Rothbart is particularly deliciously evil (!), Mr Ivanov is an amazing Jester, Mr Korsakov is an excellent friend to the prince, so are the two ladies.~~~Small or Large, Swan Quartets are also fantastic in complete synchronisation. All the folk dances are beautifully choreographed and danced. Everyone could not help themselves for commenting on the level of Mariinsky’s Corps de Ballet during their London tour; and with a good reason. Only the best of the best dancers can be in the Mariinsky’s Corps, and this recording was able to capture that.~~~Sets and costumes are gorgeous; in particular, the use of colours are wonderful.Orchestra is amazing, too. Mr Gergiev has the ability to bring out the best in each player. My special congratulations to Violin and Cello soloists for their genuinely impressive performances.

For lovers of this ballet, this production should be a 'must have' purchase. The magnificent Mariinski Theatre with it's huge stage is the spiritual home of this Tchaikovsky ballet & this spectacular version does it more than justice.Not since Natalia Makarova has Russia produced an 'Odette/Odile' as heart-rending & captivating as Ulyana Lopstkina who's performance brings a unique combination of emotion, flawless technique & that exciting almost heart-stopping flourish of fouettés - every other a double - in the celebrated 'Black Swan' solo of act III. She is ably partnered by the 'Siegfried' of Danila Korsuntsev who gives a an assured performance with flashes of virtuosity in his solos & is entirely believeable as a Prince who is drawn into this drama, which of course being a Russian production has a happy ending rather than European versions which has Odette & Siegfried drowning in the lake, to be re-united in a redemptive eternal life.However, the rôle of the'Jester', no matter how brilliantly danced, (here by the obviously talented Andrei Ivanov), tends to upstage & distract from the action & ultimately becomes tiresome!The evil 'Rothbart' is in the capable hands of Ilya Kuznestsov, a character artist/dancer with years of experience in this rôle. Mention must also be made of the non-dancing rôle of the Queen, here given the finest interpretation by Alexandra Gronskaya. Tall, regal, with acutely delivered mime perfectly conveying all facets of feeling, expectations, & finally shock & heartbreak at the end of the ballroom act. After Lopatkina delivers a devastating beguiling and transfixing performance as Odile to hypnotise Siegfried into believing she is Odette, there is one of the most dramatic and upsetting scenes in all ballet. The evil couple reveal their true intentions and depart, throwing the court into chaos, Siegfried, distraught, dashes off into the night leaving his mother to collapse into the arms of her attendants....The final act by the lakeside Is heartbreakingly beautiful and Tchaikovsky’s music is nothing short of miraculous.All the music is included here, some of which is always cut in European productions & will be unknown to many.The designs have been realised into stunning scenery & sumptuous costumes. Thankfully, the usually over-done hand gestures from corps de ballet members & courtiers, as soloists dance by, have been eliminated! All Russian ballet suffers from this distracting practice!The huge orchestra gives a thrilling account of Tchaikovsky's famous score & this DVD has the added bonus of Valery Gergiev as conductor.It will be a long time before Swan Lake will be given a production to top this!This is arguably the best Swan Lake ever to be placed before an audience!Excellent booklet included.HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This has become my favourite Swan Lake in the blu ray format.In this production, they have managed to create absolute opulence with minimum fuss about the sets. The dances, dancers, costumes, videograpy and the whole approach to the work is just about near perfect.Yes, Lopatkina does look anorexic, but her technique and elegance is magnificent.I prefer this production to the much vaunted and overpriced (comparatively) Paris Ballet with Letestu. They too have done with minimal sets, but these look drab and dull and recognizable as unchanged in every act with different backdrops. I wonder what makes that one doubly expensive as this to buy (I have both). The corps de ballet is just as good in both, and Letestu is just as impressive to watch (in fact visually, she makes better viewing than Lopatkina), but Danila Korsuntsev makes a far better prince than Martinez in the Paris production.The first act in this production makes a world of difference between this and the Paris version, which is dull by comparison, in fact the whole of the Paris production has a depressive aura about it throughout which makes it a bit of a drag.Gergiev in this production, does a better job with the orchestra too, which is recorded beautifully.Lesser said about the 'glittering' Royal Ballet the better, in comparison to both these...This is an absolute bargain at the price at which it is being sold today (lesser than 12 bucks). I would choose this over all the others as of date.

All the cast gave stellar performances. This is a quality dvd and worth the price. A must have if you want to share the classics with grandchildren. Highly recommend.

Bien reçu mon blu-ray et c'est très beau

Tremendo espectáculo. Me encantó. Maria

tutto ok

他の方のレビューにある通り、カメラワークがバレエの魅力を活かしきれていません。最後の決めポーズでなぜかカメラを引いて小さく映す、黒鳥の踊りでロッドバルドの顔を何度も挿入するのは本当にやめてほしいです。おそらく、どうだ私の自慢の娘、美しいだろう？って感じの自慢げな表情を写したかったのでしょうが、それなら一度だけにして欲しかったです。しかし、そんな不満を打ち消して有り余るほどロパートキナの踊りが最高でした。どの瞬間を切り取っても美しい、気品と優雅さ、いるだけで空気が変わる佇まい。特に、ゆっくり目の回転が実に優美でした。最高の踊りが自宅で何度でも観られるので、もし購入を迷っているなら買った方がいいです。今まで見た中で最高の「白鳥の湖」でした。