| | |  | LATIN MUSIC | Home » » Minkus - La Bayadere / Guerin, Hilaire, Platel, Paris Ballet | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Description: | | Exotic and mysterious India serves as the backdrop to this story of doomed love between the warrior Solor and the bayadère, Nikiya, who is killed by her jealous rival, Gamzatti. Breathtaking sets and costumes are designed by Ezio Frigerio and Franca Squarciapino in this exceptional production, recorded at the Palais Garnier in Paris. Direction and choreography in this fully restored version of Petipa's original ballet are by Rudolf Nureyev. Stars Isabelle Guérin, Laurent Hilaire, and Élisabeth Platel. | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Minkus, Isabelle Guerin, Laurent Hilaire, Elisabeth Platel, Nureyev | | Format:
| Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Kultur Video | | Run Time:
| 133 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| July 27, 2004 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 13 reviews |
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| New | |
| $16.43 | New | | | $16.44 | New | | | $16.50 | New | | | $17.23 | New | | | $17.25 | New | | | $17.66 | New | | | $18.15 | New | | | $18.75 | New | | | $19.11 | New | | | $19.99 | New | | | $20.06 | New | | | $21.29 | New | | | $22.51 | New | | | $23.35 | New | | | $25.99 | New | | | $26.99 This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. | New | | | $27.91 | New | | | $28.21 | New | | | $33.46 | New | |
| Used | |
| $26.97 | Used
- Mint | | | $33.46 | Used
- Mint | |
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Nureyev's shadesJul 19, 2010
In my opinion this is the best Bayadère that is available on DVD, and one of the best ballet DVDs ever made: the dancers are fantastic, the costumes and stage design opulent without ever creating the impression that the stage is crowded, and the orchestra (and sound recording) is very good as well. Filming never gets in the way either.
Rudolf Nureyev finished his work on this production shortly before he died in 1993, when he was the director of the Paris Opera Ballet. About one year later a performance was filmed with the original cast, the document of which we have here.
For the rehearsals Nureyev brought Ninel Kurgapkina to Paris, who had been one of his partners at the Kirov, to help him recreate the style he had known in Russia. He also choreographed additional soli for Solor, because in the original version Solor's part consisted mainly of pantomime and partnering. The ballet ends with the third act (the Kingdom of Shades), whereas at the Royal Ballet Natalia Makarova included a reconstructed fourth act that shows the destruction of the temple.
Étoiles Isabelle Guérin, Elisabeth Platel und Laurent Hilaire are celebrated dancers, and as celebrated is the Parisian Corps de Ballet: the entrance of the 32 shades in the third act is awesome in its homogenity and precision, the effect is hypnotizing. All the dancers were trained at the same school and the way they do their arabesque penchée really creates the impression that they are 32 shades of Nikiya.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
GREAT !Apr 10, 2009
Even if you're not a big ballet fan, and I'm not, the music and the dancing here is beautiful. Worth the price for the "Entrance of the Shades" section alone.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A common man's point of view.Feb 18, 2009
I now have two copies of this ballet, this copy by the Paris Opera Ballet and the other by the Kirov Ballet......Minkus - La Bayadere / Kirov Theatre....... Which is best? They are both so good that for the common man, there is very little difference. The POB version was filmed in HI-DEF which gives a very good picture quality, although the DVD is not HI-DEF. (PS, This version is now available in BluRay......Minkus: La Bayadere [Blu-ray]).... Color, lighting, sets are superb in both productions. Run time on this copy is 135 minutes, and the Kirov version is 130 minutes. The extra time on the POB version may have been the bonus segment on Nureyev.
There was one little blurb in the Kirov version during the closing of the entrance of the Shades segment, where the ballerina who had just completed 38 beautiful Arabesque movements (she was the first to enter) nearly fell when her knee buckled slightly. A couple of others lost their balance too. That sort of thing does not upset me much, but just shows that they are human. Which one of us never makes a mistake? I loved the Kirov corps even with the minor boo-boo.
There was no such blurb in the POB version, as their Shades appeared to be perfect. Their formations were magnificent, however they did use a marked stage to help with their alignment. One reviewer commented on the smiles on the faces of the three soloists, so if a smile on the face of a Shade is going to rankle you, better not buy this one. It did not bother me at all. In fact after reading his complaint, it made me love them even more. Some folks are way yonder too critical in their reviews, and I try to make it a point to remind you that you should NOT believe everything you read in these reviews.
I do wish there was a better ending for La Bayadere, because it seems to be unfinished. After all, there has been a murder committed, and to end the ballet with the Shades Scene seems to say that it's OK to kill Nikia.
Someone says there is a fourth act showing the destruction of the temple during the wedding of Solor and Gamzatti, by the ghost of Nikia. It would be interesting to hear the music for the fourth act.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Winner by acclamationJul 08, 2008
Others have established that this DVD is a winner. But I didn't see anyone mention the "Dancer's Dream" documentary on the making of this ballet. It's precious-- especially for those like me who have never had ballet training. The interviews and rehearsals significantly increase one's enjoyment of the ballet itself.
A couple of reviewers, in comparing the Paris performance with the Royal Ballet performance, noted that Irek Mukhamedov seemed uninspired as Solor in London. My theory: he requires a manic role like Ivan the Terrible, Spartacus, or Mayerling to be at his best. Solor may be a "warrior," but he is a not-too-constant lover, not a fighter.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A must own classic to be enjoyed over and overApr 03, 2008
This is superbly choreographed, superbly danced and superbly produced. It is a classical ballet in the strict sense. The highlights for me:
1. As an Indian to have an Indian theme, gorgeous Indian consumes and a superb set made it very enjoyable.
2. The story is intense. The dancing is correspondingly very passionate and for this the music would have to be very appropriate and it is.
3. The technical quality of the dancing is of very high order for dancers as individuals and as a group.
4. There are so many special beautiful dances in the DVD: All of Nikya's (played by Isabel Guerrin)dances, the dances in the palace (very notable is the dance by the golden idol, just extraordinary, it was like the God Indra of the Indian Rig Veda come down to earth to dance), and of course last but not the least the Hades.
5. The video production: Wow, rarely is it this good. The lighting is perfect, the set and colors are perfect, the quality of the DVD (compression, resolution, etc) are very good. The camera angle is especially good being almost just above floor level and seems to travel with the dancers across the stage. The floor itself is slightly shiny and nicely reflects the dancers giving a salutory effect. A minor complaint is that the recorded volume level is low so the volume level on your amplifier needs to be turned up to get a reasonable output.
This will be a classic in your collection. This is one of POB's best.
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