Minkus;Leon La Bayadere [Import]

La Bayadere - Royal Ballet

The Royal Ballet comes from long line of amazing, gorgeous dancers: Fonteyn, Shearer, Nureyev and Sibley are names that evoke some of the best in ballet. However, it seems that England's own has gotten a little lost.

The staging of this Bayadere--set by Natalia Makarova--is lovely, taken after the former Kirov (now Mariinsky). It is in all senses of the word, a classical ballet. While not Petipa's strongest work, the choreography is nothing less than what you would expect from him. Minkus's score is pleasant and suited to the ballet, and one can see why it is a standard, long lasting composition. I have no issue with any aspects of the staging or spectacle of this ballet. On top of it, the Blu Ray recording is absolutely stunning in quality, and well filmed. There are no missing dancers, chopped off feet, or misplaced shots. Additionally, the costumes are so stunning that Blu Ray makes them dazzle. One can see every detail, down to the Swarovski stones glittering on Nikiya's bodice in the Kingdom of the Shades.

Quite possibly the best part of this production is not Tamara Rojo's Nikiya, but the ever charismatic Marianela Nunez as the devilish Gamzatti. While Nunez does not have the same lines as Royal Ballet predecessor Darcy Bussell, her Gamzatti equals--if not surpasses--Bussell. Nunez presents the powerful princess in many dimensions; she is a seductress; a woman who knows what she wants and goes for it; a guilt wracked temptress; a scared little girl. While the tendency is to play Gamzatti as the girl you hated in high school, Nunez uses her ice cold control and smooth technique to give a performance that juices the choreography for depth in the character. By the final act, I found myself almost rooting for Gamzatti in spite of her actions--something I have never done in seeing La Bayadere. Suffice to say, Nunez is the Royal Ballet's gem.

Disappointing were the performances of Rojo and Carlos Acosta as tragic lovers Nikiya and Solar. Having never seen Rojo in a full length production outside of her incredible Isadora, I was looking forward to seeing her dance Nikiya. While Rojo's technique had that lovely measure of control and strength that is trademark of Royal Ballet ballerinas, her emotional performance was lacking. She seemed set on one expression, tragic angst, throughout the entire ballet. By the end it seemed she was wallowing in self pity, and one wondered why it is the gods seemed to favor her so much. Solar, on a similar plane, seemed chronically depressed and unsure, if not flat. While Acosta has some brilliant technique, it did not seem to shine through in this performance. Instead, he seemed a bit behind on his game.

Overall, the DVD is worth a purchase for just Nunez's performance as Gamzatti. Additionally, the corps work in the Kingdom of the Shades is stunning and well performed. Do not hope for a stunning or moving performance by Rojo and Acosta, however, as you will find yourself disappointed.

I had previously owned, and been very happy with, the Paris version of this ballet. However, it is becoming more and more clear that true HD recording technology is a great advantage especially in ballet where movement blur is reduced to the point of not being apparent. This is in addition to increased definition both visually and sonically. Extra recorded clarity would be no compensation however if the newer performance was musically / dance-wise below the previous standard.

In this case we get everything. The musical and dance values of this new and extremely lavish production easily match that of the earlier Paris version and the recorded quality is far superior. Opus Arte are generally very reliable in all aspects of video recording and so they are here.

The fairly extensive 'bonus' features would be a good place to start to enjoy this production as they offer real insights relating to several features of both the ballet generally as well as to this particular production. These bonus items should offer interest to both new comers and to those with greater knowledge and experience. The first bonus is in the form of a 9 minute interview with Tamara Rojo as regards the particular challenges involved in dancing this role. This is followed by Leanne Cope and Francesca Filpi, members of the corps de ballet, who give their views on the challenges in dancing the famous shadows sequence in act 2. In particular they concentrate on the entry sequence involving up to 39 steps for members of the team as they descend to the stage. This 8 minute feature is followed by a 20 minute series of rehearsal extracts featuring Carlos Acosta and Tamara Rojo individually and as a pair. The final feature is a short 4 minute film where Natalia Makarova explains her approach to directing this production, her choreography and the way it fits in with that by Petipa.

As regards the performance of the ballet, this seems to be to verge on complete perfection as implied in my opening remarks. Both Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta deliver star quality lead performances and the corps de ballet are simply mesmerising throughout act 2. The costuming and staging are traditional in style and sumptuous in effect. It is difficult to imagine this ballet being performed or produced in a more effective manner.

To complete this very desirable issue, the imaging is crisp, detailed and involving without a trace of movement blur. The sound is of demonstration quality and is presented in DTS-HD 5.1 and stereo.

Owners of the earlier Paris version have a very good product but, I would suggest, that most new purchasers would be better served by buying this splendid new offering and should derive great pleasure and satisfaction from it for many years ahead.

The Royal Ballet has released the first performance in High Definition of 'La Bayadere'. The sets are spacious and extravagant, and costumes are authentic. The corps de ballet had strong synchronization, and the 'Kingdom of the Shades' scene was especially mesmerizing to watch. Tamara Roja as Nikiya is passionate, and a bit reserved; Carlos Acosta as Solor is powerful, but his facial expressions seemed strained; Marianela Nuñez as Gazmatti is seductive and graceful. Interviews with Tamara Rojo and members of the corps de ballet, and twenty minutes of rehearsal footage, may be of interest to ballet dancers. A disclaimer on the back of the DVD case indicates the use of strobe lighting, which appears in the 'Destruction of the Temple' scene.