DVD Videos

Marius Petipa’s demanding but enchanting choreography of Tchaikovsky’s romantic fairytale The Sleeping Beauty is one of the best-loved of all classical ballets. This recording of Anthony Dowell’s gloriously romantic 1994 production, with charming, dreamlike designs by Maria Bjørnson, features an all-star cast led by Viviana Durante as a charismatic Princess Aurora, Zoltán Solymosi as a delightful Prince Florimund and Anthony Dowell as a wonderfully dishevelled Carabosse. The Royal Ballet, in exceptionally fine form, is beautifully accompanied by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, conducted by Barry Wordsworth.

‘Viviana Durante, who replaces the injured Darcey Bussell, is outstanding as Aurora. Radiant and youthful, she dances with an ease and naturalness that is enchanting. She also takes astonishing risks, holding a difficult balance for an extra few seconds while maintaining immaculately clean lines.’ Evening Standard

Choreographers: Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov

Yolanda Sonnabend's Faberge-inspired designs evoke a world of Imperial Russia in Anthony Dowell's acclaimed production for The Royal Ballet of one of the world's best-loved ballets. Marianela Nuñez as Odette/Odile and Thiago Soares as Prince Siegfried bring new vitality to a compelling story of tragic romance. The Russian conductor Valeriy Ovsyanikov directs the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House in Tchaikovsky's lush romantic score. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.

Bonus material:

Illustrated synopsis.

Cast gallery.

Interview with Anthony Dowell

Four Swan Queens - Exclusive 30-minute conversation on the demands of dancing the role of the Swan Queen with former Prima Ballerinas Dame Beryl Grey, Dame Monica Mason, Lesley Collier and current principal Marianela Nuñez.

‘Anthony Dowell’s production…offers the ultimate classical experience, with the sights and sounds of a proud 19th century tradition running at full throttle. Fancy a romantic tragedy in a tutu? Then this is the ballet for you. …The production as a whole is beautifully formed and dramatically convincing… And praise, too, for the corps, who made us feel the sorrow and anger of the swans’ collective misfortune.’ The Times

Running time 179 mins

Region code All regions Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic

Sound format Half DTS 2.0 / 5.1

Menu language EN Subtitles (extra features) FR/DE/ES/IT

Dimensions (mm) W135 H190 D25

Choreography: Alastair Marriott.

Based on Gogol’s fantastical and comic story of the Devil’s antics on Christmas Eve, this magical blend of opera and ballet is brought to vivid life in Francesca Zambello’s colourful production. Magnificent set designs (Mikhail Mokrov) and costumes (Tatiana Noginova), and an excellent, largely Russian cast provide authenticity. Splendid dancing by The Royal Ballet and Cossack dancers completes the spectacle. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.

“It’s pretty as a picture, no question – an animated pop-up book of naïve and colourful charm.” Independent

“…this expensive-looking production that combines the forces of the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet…” The Guardian

Extra features:

Introducing Cherevichki by Francesca Zambello

Cast & Characters

Staging Gogol's world

Running time 154mins

Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic

Sound format 2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS digital

Menu language EN

Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES

Five years after first conducting the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra in their Venezuelan home, Claudio Abbado continues his commitment to this stunning ensemble in this first joint audiovisual concert recording.

Prokofiev’s extrovert Scythian Suite is a gift for the boundless energy of these young players, while the intricacy and anguish of Berg’s Lulu-Suite are an Abbado speciality, with soprano Anna Prohaska, in her Lucerne Festival debut, singing the heroine’s dazzling statement of self-justification.

The concert ends with an impassioned account of Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, his final symphony, one of the most moving works in music history.

Picture Format DVD: NTSC 16:9

Sound Formats DVD: Dolby Digital 5.1., DTS 5.1, PCM Stereo,

Region Code: 0 (worldwide)

Booklet notes: Songtexts in German

Running Time: 111:45

Disc Format: DVD 9

FSK: 0

Tchaikovsky’s three ballet masterpieces are all rare studio performances from the 1950s, featuring the legendary Margot Fonteyn.

Innately musical and technically perfect, Fonteyn was also a brilliant actress and is seen here at the height of her career with the celebrated Michael Somes, her dynamic partner during this creative period.

Fonteyn and Somes were the perfect match in terms of physique, presence, style and technique. The selections from these three classic ballets demonstrate just how successful their partnership was. Fonteyn made her mark dancing Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, a role in which she and the Sadler’s Wells Ballet made their American debut in 1949, ten years before this BBC studio production.

All three performances are released here for the first time on DVD with the extracts from Swan Lake representing one of the earliest appearances of Fonteyn on film.

1DVD

Sound format: LPCM Mono

Picture format: 4:3

Running time: 72’

Subtitles: n/a

Menu languages: English

Booklet languages: E/F/G

Region code: 0

Territory Restrictions: None

Gustavo Dudamel, Gramophone magazine’s "Artist of the Year" 2011 and Grammy award winner 2012, leads the classical summer live and TV event of 2012: The Summer Night Concert with the Vienna Philharmonic.

The concert takes place on June 7th in the gardens of Schönbrunn Palace. Last year’s Summer Night Concert was a huge success.

In 2012 a total of 62 countries on five continents will share in the spectacle, including a BBC4 broadcast in the UK.

This year the main theme is Dances and Waves, a programme showcasing symphonic and operatic highlights.

This is a unique ballet master class, given by Andrey Klemm.

He teaches at Opera National de Paris and is guest tacher at the Bolshoi and the National Ballet, Amsterdam.

The music is from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty

PAL - Region 0 - ENG/FR

Set Designer George Tsypin

Costume Designers Martin Pakledinaz & Helen Siebrits

Lighting Designer James F. Ingalls

Iolanta is a one act lyric opera, sung in Russian, by Tchaikovsky. Performed in the style of a nineteenth-century Italian melodrama, the scenes have a recitative introduction followed by a single arioso, aria, duet or chorus.

Persephone is a three act melodrama, sung in French, by Stravinsky. It is a story of regeneration, symbolised in Sellars use of dancers from the Cambodian dance company, Amrita Performing Arts.

Peter Sellars, one of the most innovative creators on today's stage, has linked these two productions by using the same stage setting, instantly archaic yet modern, and lit by rich colours to define the journey from darkness to light.

When it premiered at Sadler’s Wells in 1995, Matthew Bourne’s triumphant modern

re-interpretation of SWAN LAKE turned tradition upside down, taking the dance world by storm. Now firmly crowned as a modern day classic, this iconic production is perhaps best-known for replacing the traditional female corps de ballet with a menacing male ensemble. Matthew Bourne blends dance, humour and spectacle with extravagant, award-winning designs by Lez Brotherston, to create a provocative and powerful Swan Lake for our times.

Collecting over 30 international theatre awards, SWAN LAKE has been acclaimed as a landmark achievement on the international stage, and has thrilled audiences all over the world. It has become the longest running ballet in the West End and on Broadway and enjoyed four hugely successful tours in the UK.

This 2010 production features the exciting dancer/actor Richard Winsor in the dual roles of the Swan and the Stranger, in which he “exudes a charismatic narcissism that makes him both threatening and seductive.” (The Times). Richard has starred in many of Matthew Bourne’s productions, including Dorian Gray, Edward Scissorhands and The Car Man. He is also well known to television audiences as Father Francis in Channel 4’s Hollyoaks and featured in the dance film Streetdance 3D.

Duration: Approx 118 mins

NTSC 16 : 9

All Regions

L-PCM Stereo

Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound

Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich, Nov 2011

Sets Designed by Ezio Frigerio

Costumes Designed by Franca Squarciapino

Classical ballet release event for this year!

Tchaikovsky’s ballet in a new production for the reopening of the historic Bolshoi Ballet stage. It also celebrates superstar David Hallberg's Bolshoi debut, the first American principal soloist ever to be hired by the Bolshoi Ballet. The choreographer, Yuri Grigorovich presents a new version of his most famous choreography for a breath taking experience in splendid sets designed by Ezio Frigerio and more than 400 new costumes designed by Franca Squarciapino.

The American superstar dancer David Hallberg is Prince Désiré. Hallberg is the first main american soloist ever to be hired by the Bolshoi Ballet. Princess Aurora is danced by the principal Svetlana Zakharova, well known to Parisian audiences thanks to her many performances at the Palais Garnier. She is also the soloist on the best seller 'Pharaoh's daughter' DVD released by Bel Air Classiques in 2004. They are joined by a great cast : Maria Allash (Lilac Fairy) , Artem Ovcharenko (Bluebird) and Nina Kaptsova (Princess Florine). The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra is conducted by Vassily Sinaisky.