DVD Videos

Choreography and Stage Direction: Pina Bausch

Set, costume and lighting designs: Rolf Borzik

Filmed in HD at the Palais Garnier February 2008 Orpheus and Eurydice is Pina Bausch's masterpiece and the ultimate symbol of the genius of this German choreographer, who died last June, five days after being diagnosed with cancer. Bausch was the artistic director of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, which she founded in 1973. She had a formidable international reputation as one of modern dance's greatest innovators. Her dance-theatre works include the melancholic Café Müller (1978), in which dancers stumble around the stage crashing into tables and chairs, and a thrilling Rite of Spring (1975), which required the stage to be completely covered with soil. Excerpts from Bausch's Café Müller and another of her works, Masurca Fogo, reached a wider audience when they were featured in Pedro Almodóvar's film Talk to Her (2002). Bausch also appeared in Federico Fellini's 1983 film And the Ship Sails On. In recent months, she had been preparing a 3-D cinema project with Wim Wenders; shooting was slated to commence in September. Bausch continued to perform as a dancer throughout her 60s. Her company last visited the UK in 2008 for a sold-out series of performances, drawing long queues for returns at Sadler's Wells in London.

Guardian critic Judith Mackrell gave the show a five-star review, praising Bausch's ability to "combine movement of shocking visceral intensity with stage visions of often hallucinogenic strangeness".

"She was an artist of the kind that the world is only blessed with from time to time. Her repertoire of works has inspired generations of audiences and artists with an impact that is hard to overestimate." Alistair Spalding, artistic director, Sadler's Wells

Color, 16/9, NTSC - PCM STEREO, DOLBY

DIGITAL 5.1, DTS 5.1

Choreography: Kenneth MacMillan

Cuban Superstar Carlos Acosta dances Romeo in Kenneth Macmillan’s timeless version of the Shakespeare/Prokofiev Classic Ballet ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ In this perennial favourite, Carlos Acosta dances alongside his regular partner, the Spanish ballerina, Tamara Rojo – a celebrated stage partnership which currently has no equal. The drama of the doomed lovers is set against the ravishing sets and costumes designs of Nicholas Georgiadis.

‘Romeo & Juliet’ and ‘Manon’ signal the beginning of a major collaboration with Carlos Acosta and The Royal Ballet, which continued in early 2009 with the filming of ‘La Bayadère’.

World Premiere on Stage at Théâtre De La Ville, Paris, 1988 Adapted For TV in 1989.

Choreography by Carolyn Carlson, Original Music by Joachim Kühn, Digital Mixing by Walter Quintus, Set Design by Frederic Pierre Robert, John Virke & Costume Design by Maritza Gligo.

Symbolic, spiritual and rich in contrast: Dark by Carolyn Carlson

Her body is long and slender – emaciated, almost. But certainly not lacking strength. Those distinctive lines – once in motion – are reminiscent of the rapid strokes of a calligrapher’s brush moving across a sheet of paper. Yet for all the spontaneity, every detail is considered. Nothing is left to chance. And the observer is given complete freedom to interpret the message the choreographer communicates in partnership with her performers, the composer and the designers of set, costume and lighting. Carolyn Carlson is a magician of ambiguity who transports her audience into a netherworld where life meets death. Her characters (or choreographic structures) are subject to constant metamorphosis. For the inspiration she offers, modern and contemporary dance owes a debt of gratitude to this purist of simplicity. The piece is set to an original score by Joachim Kühn, played on a piano, modified via a digital console. A company of eight dancers, including Carlson herself, perform Dark for this specially-shot studio recording.

BONUS: Making of Dark. Introduction by Carolyn Carlson

Sound Format: PCM STEREO

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Picture Format: 4:3

Running Time: 64 mins (Performance) + 17 mins (Introduction)

FSK: 6

Languages: GB, DE, FR, ES, IT (Introduction)

World Premiere Recording on DVD.

Set Design by Valery Levental, Costume Design for Maya Plisetskaya by Pierre Cardin & Ballet Master and Staging by Maya Plisetskaya.

The Seagull is an amazing and touching ballet performance in two acts based on the play of the same name by Anton Chekhov. It tells a moving love story about young people reflecting on their human existence and the art of theatre acting. The romantic and artistic conflicts of the four characters are beautifully choreographed by Maya Plisetskaya who also dances as the main character Nina Zarietchnaya. Plisetskaya is ranked among the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. Her superior choreography is brilliant, with strong images and excellent dancers whose performance gives a breathtaking adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s play. The accompanied music of Rodion Shchedrin amplifi es the moving story. With his music the pre-eminently Russian composer shows his passion for Russian folklore and folk music, Russian poetry and literature. Furthermore Shchedrin succeeds in synthesising traditional and new forms by using every contemporary technique of composition including aleatoric and serial. This production shows the ballet performance live from the historic Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow 1980. Due to the high professional level of the dancers and musicians it is a unique and very enjoyable experience for the spectators and a historical document of the outstanding dancer Maya Plisetskaya as well.

BONUS: Interviews with Maya Plisetskaya and Rodion Shchedrin. Introduction to the ballet and choreography.

Sound Format: PCM STEREO

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Picture Format: 4:3 (Ballet) / 16:9 (Bonus)

Running Time: 85 mins (Ballet) / 30 mins (Bonus)

FSK: 0

Languages : RU, GB, DE, FR, ES, IT (Bonus)

Choreography, sets and costumes by Pierre Lacotte. Conducted by Alberto Ventura. Bonuses: interviews with Mrs. Vittoria Ottolenghi (1984), Pierre Lacotte (2009)

Subtitles: English, French, Italian, Spanish

110 minutes

Choreography: Heinz Spoerli & Sets: Florian Etti

Lighting: Martin Gebhardt

Film director: Andy Sommer

In Peer Gynt Zurich choreographer Heinz Spoerli has attempted a daring combination of Grieg's score and modern sounds for a dance translation of the interior monologue of Ibsen's hero. Going beneath the surface of Ibsen's narrative, Spoerli explores the emotional abyss the protagonist is plunged into. Finding that the Grieg work alone fell short of his ambitions, the choreographer turned to two contemporary composers whose music, rather than competing with Grieg's, enriches it and gives rise to different worlds.Thus the Grieg lends itself to the ballet's classical, narrative-style aspect, while the input from Brett Dean and Mark-Anthony Turnage provides an excellent vehicle for visual expression of Peer Gynt's moods and his inner distress. The production is performed by the Zurich Ballet, of which Spoerli is the director, with Peer Gynt danced by Stuttgart Ballet soloist Marijn Rademaker.The Orchestra and Choir of the Zurich Opera are conducted by Eivind Gullberg Jensen. Heinz Spoerli received the German Dance Prize 2009. In addition Marijn Rademaker, Principal Dancer of the Stuttgart Ballet, is the recipient of the German Dance Price ´Future´ 2009.

Illustrated booklet FR, EN G, GER

DVD : Color, picture format 16/9, NTSC

PCM Stereo - Dolby Digital 5.1 - DTS 5.1

Subtitles : FR, EN G

Duration 110 min

Choreography and TV adaptation by Mats Ek

Stage Designed by Marie-Louise De Geer Bergenstråhle

“Giselle“ is seen as the epitome of romantic ballet and ever since its debut performance in 1841, it features among the standard repertoire of countless ballet companies. The acclaimed Swedish choreographer and dancer, Mats Ek, made dance history in the early eighties with his bizarrely unromantic and radically drastic new interpretation of the ballet classic. He interpreted the content and the style of the second act in a contemporary way for the Swedish Cullberg Ballet - one of the most famous modern dance formations in the world. Mats Ek keeps the music of Adolphe Adam: he uses a 1969 recording of the Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge that we also hear in this studio recording. The premiere cast of characters, Ana Laguna (Giselle), Luc Bouy (Albrecht), Yvan Auzely (Hilarion), Vanessa McIntosh (Bathilde) and Lena Wennergren (Myrtha), turn the accompanying recording into a fi rst class ballet documentation.

“My version of Giselle is an attempt at retelling the story. For me Giselle – and this applies to the old ballet as well – is about love. Love, which in the old version conquers death. That differs in mine. But love remains the main thing.” Mats Ek

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Picture Format: 4:3

Running Time: 89 mins

FSK: 0

Featuring some of the world’s most exciting and talented dancers, this sparkling collection brings together some of the best scenes from your favourite ballets -- from the graceful elegance and passion of Swan Lake, to the humour and wit of the Clog Dance from La Fille mal gardée and the exuberant liveliness of The Nutcracker, this is a perfect collection for any ballet beginner.

Running time 92 mins Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic Sound format 5.0 Full Half DTS / PCM Stereo

Menu language EN Dimensions (mm) W135 H190 D15

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

Set Design by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Costume Design by Luisa Spinatelli & Lighting by Marion Hewlett.

Clavigo is an amazing ballet performance of the five-act romantic tragedy written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. It is Goethe’s first play that he published under his own name in 1774.

The ballet which is choreographed by Roland Petit tells the harm of a disoriented lover who is in the conflict of listening to his heart or his evil mind. Petit’s superior choreography is brilliant, with strong images and excellent dancers. The lead role was created by Nicolas Le Riche who is one of the most talented dancers of today. The gorgeous dancing choreography is emphasised by the straightforward stage design which consists of grey, black and white panels.

This production shows the ballet recorded in the Opéra national de Paris - Palais Garnier in France. The accompanied music of Gabriel Yared is created in a particular style. The composer describes his working progress as follows: „I definitely did not want to write ‘ period’ music. On the contrary, I tried to use the greatest variety of styles, to explore the various types of music I like, for the sheer pleasure of composing music one could dance to.“ Yared’s music underpins the entire ballet and makes it a unique and highly enjoyable experience for the spectators.