DVD Videos

Set design EDOARDO SANCHI

Costumes SILVIA AYMONINO

Choreography NIKOS LAGOUSAKOS

Lighting PAOLO MAZZON

Here from the iconic Verona arena is Charles Gounod’s masterpiece Roméo & Juliette, performed there for the first time since 1977. This new production was entrusted to Italian director Francesco Micheli, making his arena debut, who opted for a personal, highly original version: “An arena within the Arena, like a blood-red Elizabethan theatre. A senescent world that will not let its own children live.”

Juliette is sung by Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze, in a return to one of her early roles at the Salzburg Festival. Stefano Secco, often heard at the Opéra Bastille in Paris and other international venues, is Roméo. Artur Rucinski interprets Mercutio, Romeo’s friend and the rival of Jean-François Borras’s Tybalt. The page Stéphano is sung by soprano Ketevan Kemoklidze. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Arena di Verona are conducted by Fabio Mastrangelo.

In this remarkable film, Denis Sneguirev invites us to witness the rescue and revival of Moscow’s legendary Bolshoi Theatre. In a mix of 3D images, animation, documentary footage and interviews, he recounts the history of the Bolshoi from its origins to the present day.

Hitherto unknown archival material takes viewers back to a time when stars like Ulanova, Maximova, Plisetskaya, Vasiliev or Grigorovich graced the Bolshoi stage.

Here we watch the teams of architects, engineers and construction workers labouring day and night to rebuild the theatre in the course of a colossal venture which Russia’s media dubbed the "construction project of the century".

The Bolshoi Ballet troupe in Yuri Grigorovich’s version of the romantic masterpiece 'Giselle', at last available in HD. First performed in 1841, 'Giselle' was an immediate hit. With music by Adolphe Adam and a libretto by Théophile Gautier and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, the ballet touches on the great romantic themes: local colour, a pastoral love affair doomed to end in tragedy, a plunge into fantasy and redemption through the power of love. Learning that Albrecht, her beloved, is in fact a nobleman engaged to be married to a princess, the naive peasant girl Giselle dies. The Queen of the Wilis – the spirits of deceased young virgins– decides that Albrecht should follow Giselle to the grave, and condemns him to dance until he dies of exhaustion. But Giselle’s spirit dances with him and saves him. Composer Adolphe Adam owes his reputation to this archetypal, richly melodic Romantic ballet. As Giselle, Svetlana Lunkina is simply sensational. Her Albrecht is the iconically noble dancer Dmitri Gudanov. And the cast is perfectly rounded off by Maria Allash as the Queen of the Wilis. The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra is conducted by Pavel Klinichev.

Choreography: Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa

Choreographic version Yuri Grigorovich

Designer Simon Virsaladze

Literally "Tempest in a Skull," a stage adaptation of 'Les Miserables' by Victor Hugo. The story and the musical setting of these texts remains poignant despite the centuries that separate us from their creation, but also through the work, professionalism, effort and passion of Compagnie Air de Lune.

"You are right, sir, when you say that the book Les Miserables is written for all people. I do not know if it will be read by everyone, but I wrote it for all. It is for England as much as Spain, Italy as well as France, Germany as well as Ireland, the republics have slaves as well as empires that have serfs. Social problems transcend borders. The wounds of the human race, these large wounds that cover the globe, do not stop with blue or red lines drawn on the map. Wherever man ignores and despair wherever the woman sells bread, wherever the child is suffering because of a book that teaches and fireplace that warms the book Les Miserables knocks at the door and said, Open to me, I come to you." Letter from Victor Hugo in 1862 to Mr. Deal, editor of the Italian translation of 'Les Mis' in Milan.

Directed by Jean Bellorini

Adaptation by Camille and Jean Guillonniere Bellorini

Music creation: Celine Ottri

Set Design: Vincent Lefevre

design and construction of the tree: Nicolas Diaz

Lighting: Jean Bellorini

Stage manager: Vincent Lefevre

Stage manager: Victor Arancio

This is a film about the rehearsing of Molière's 'Tartuffe' in 1995. Working handheld or with a stand for up to 12 hours a day, cameraman Eric Darmon became so much part of the landscape that he had a totally free hand in documenting the play's gestation, complete with director Ariane Mnouchkine's instructions, urgings and moments of uncertainty. Every action, decision, and all the tensions, elation, gaffes and bouts of craziness were filmed as they happened. And then along came editor Catherine Vilpoux, faced with 580 hours of rushes and a titanic exercise in viewing, sorting, selecting and assembling.

Gradually the film took shape – a shape that reflects the Théâtre du Soleil's commitment to finding the right theatrical form. Ultimately, is this a film about stage directing? About a troupe of actors? About the way actors work? About how an actor is born? About the learning process? The teaching process? The theatre? Life? Probably all of that. And an unparalleled work of its kind.

A coproduction of AGAT Films & Cie, le Théâtre du Soleil, La Sept ARTE.

Choreography by Yuri Grigorovich

Set and costume designs Simon Virsaladze

Lighting design Mikhail Sokolov

A masterpiece of classical dance, and a Christmas favourite with audiences everywhere, this Nutcracker is a magical version of the score by Tchaikovsky filmed at the Bolshoi Theatre. Since its première in Saint-Petersburg in 1892, The Nutcracker has been one of the most successful classical ballets and Tchaikovsky's score has become one of his most famous compositions. Yuri Grigorovich deals with Hoffmann’s fantastic imagery and takes ideas from Marius Petipa’s scenario: battle of the mice, snowflakes flurry, character dances executed by the dolls that came to life…

The most talented soloists of the Bolshoi Ballet appear in this production including Nina Kaptsova (Marie) and Artem Ovcharenko (the Nutcracker Prince) and Denis Savin (Drosselmeyer).

Ten years after his death, the Paris Opera Ballet paid homage to the American choreographer who considered the Paris Opera his second home after New York City Ballet, Jerome Robbins. The three pieces performed here illustrate not only the diversity of the choreographer’s repertoire and sources of inspiration, but also his love of music and his all-embracing attitude to the performing arts. Jerome Robbins brought new energy to classical dance, introducing 20th-century urban rhythms, confirming its status as a modern entertainment form and instilling it with the interrogations of contemporary theatre.

'En Sol', set to Maurice Ravel’s 'Concerto en sol', follows no particular narrative line or dramatic effect. Echoing the music’s jazzy invitations and light-heartedly copying Broadway style, this is a light and joyous piece for two soloists and an ensemble. It provided Jerome Robbins with an opportunity to reveal the relaxed, fluid feel so emblematic of his style.

'In the Night' and 'The Concert' are two tributes to Frederic Chopin. Robbins transforms 'The Nocturnes' into 'In the Night', a long and poetic pas de deux built, whereas 'The Concert' joins the ranks of the few comic ballets in the history of dance.

Lastly, Benjamin Millepied, who made his dance debut with Robbins in New York, dedicates his second creation for the Paris Opera Ballet, 'Triade', to the choreographer. “Dance is composed of human relations”, Robbins used to say. A worthy heir to his master, Benjamin Millepied matches this credo through a fruitful dialogue with composer Nico Muhly.

Stage direction Alex Ollé, Carlus Padrissa – La Fura dels Baus

Scenography Alfons Flores, Costumes Lluc Castells, Lighting Urs Schönebaum

High Definition recording : Teatro Real - Madrid: 09/2010

Bel Air present the hard-hitting new production of Kurt Weill’s Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny by Catalan collective, La Fura dels Baus, from the Teatro Real de Madrid. Composed in the 1930s by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, this is a mordant satire on capitalism in a society in which the ultimate crime is not having money. In 20 scenes the authors tell the story of a city lost in the middle of a desert and run by three thugs; in Mahagonny food, sex, gambling and violence rule supreme.

The production, by Alex Ollé and Carlus Padrissa of La Fura dels Baus, combines enormous inventiveness, joy and energy with awe-inspiring ferocity.

Perfect casting brings together a group of singers – Measha Brueggergosman, Michael König, Jane Henschel and Willard White – who are also marvellous actors. The Teatro Real Orchestra and Chorus are directed by young Spanish conductor Pablo Heras-Casado, who received the “El Ojo Crítico” prize in 2010, awarded annually to Spain’s most outstanding artists.

La Fura was founded in 1979 as a Catalan street theatre group. Key features of the ‘Furan’ language were already apparent: interaction with the audience, the use of unusual spaces and the adaptation of the show to the characteristics of each space. Their work for the opening ceremonies of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Mediterráneo, mar olímpico brought La Fura dels Baus to an audience of billions throughout the world. Their first foray into opera was with La Atlántida, with frequent collaborator Jaume Plensa, and has developed as far as Wagner’s Ring Cycle and Boris Godunov, a daring reflection on the problem of terrorism, its limits and the manipulation it generates.

Stunning images and more information on www.lafura.com

16/9, NTSC, PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1

Total timing : 138 minutes

Subtitles : Fr, Eng, Ger, Spa

Turandot from the Verona Arena: Franco Zeffirelli’s epic production of Puccini’s masterpiece.

In its 88th year, the prestigious Verona Arena Festival honoured the legendary Italian stage director Franco Zeffirelli. Zeffirelli delivered an opulent staging af the fairy-tale story of the Chinese Princess Turandot, who will only marry a prince capable of solving her riddles.

The Russian soprano Maria Guleghina proved a brilliant Turandot, whilst tenor Salvatore Licitra’s trump card is his imposingly radiant voice of which he remains in sovereign control even in the role’s muchfeared tessitura. The soprano Tamar Iveri is a beautiful and sensitive Liù. The Orchestra and Chorus of the Verona Arena are conducted by Maestro Giuliano Carella.

NTSC 16:9, Sound: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1

Audio, Subtitles: Fr, Eng, Ger, It, Sp, Jap

Total Time: 2h 8min

Filmed in HD, August 2010

Directed by Priscilla Pizzato & Martin Blanchard

Le Jardin des Voix is the bi-annual academy for promising young singers, founded by William Christie in 2002. We share moments of grace, uncertainty and disappointment as the film follows the jury through the auditioning process, with Paul Agnew (coach and singing teacher). Then, a year later, we find the ten winners at the Théâtre de Caen, where Les Arts Florissant are resident, for three weeks of intensive rehearsal prior to an international tour that will take them to London, Brussels, Lisbon, Paris , New York…

Includes footage from London’s Barbican Centre.

Language : FR

Subtitles: ENG, DE

Colour, 4/3, NTSC, stereo, region code 0

93 min.