DVD Videos

Duration: 90’

English commentary with French and German subtitles

No performer on the world stage received so much acclaim and publicity as Rudolf Nureyev, and no one gave away so little about their private life and thinking. In this television biography, made some twelve months before his death in 1993, Nureyev tells his own story in his own words and recalls turning points in his career.

The programme traces Nureyev’s life, starting out from his home town of Ufa in the shadow of the Ural Mountains, half way between Moscow and Siberia. When filming took place there, Ufa had changed very little since his departure thirty years before. The school was still there and so was the modest wooden house, which his family shared with two others. The green curtains still hung at the old theatre, where he saw the ballet performance which changed the course of his life.

Nureyev’s sister, his head mistress and the dance teacher who first discovered him (101 years old at the time this programme was made), all recall the solitary rebel. At the Kirov Theatre, the prima ballerina who was his first partner remembers the student who emerged as the most brilliant dancer of his generation.

The cameras were also allowed to film Nureyev on his Mediterranean island of Li Galli, which once belonged to another Russian dancer, Massine.

Nureyev’s dancing career has been extensively chronicled on film and television. This definitive biography incorporates extensive archive material and documents Nureyev’s career with footage of his greatest roles and the most important events in his life.

Ninette de Valois, mentor; Margot Fonteyn, partner; Roland Petit, choreographer; and Sylvie Guillem, dancer, are among those who comment on the life and legend of this fiery Tartar. There are extracts from the following ballets: Le Corsaire, The Sleeping Beauty, Marguerite and Armand, Apollo, Aureole, Don Quixote, Cinderella and Pierrot Lunaire.

THE STORY

This is the story of a dancer. It describes the struggle of an impoverished and misunderstood boy against his environment, enfolds a dramatic and romantic success story and reveals unexplored scenes of Russian life. Above all, it traces the development of an exceptional artist who totally changed the face of ballet.

Nureyev was born on a train, in the vicinity of Irkutsk, on 17 March 1938. His mother and three sisters were on their way to Vladivostock to join his father who was a political instructor with the Red Army. Both parents were Moslem Tartars and Nureyev never regarded himself as Russian. His early years were spent in a poverty-stricken village near Ufa. The farnily of five shared one room with an old couple and existed on an irregular diet of potatoes. He was permanently hungry and inadequately clothed. On his first day at kindergarten, he wore his sister’s dress and had no shoes. His mother carried him to school and all the children laughed and called him “the beggar”.

Shortly before hs sixth birthday, his whole world changed. His mother smuggled him into a ballet performance at the local theatre. The impact of the experience had such a magical effect that, from that moment, he resolved to become a dancer. He joined the folk dance class at school and could think of nothing else. At home he danced and sang continuously. His father planned a military career for his only son and found these artistic inclinations frivolous and unmanly. He beat him for dancing. Nureyev was always frightened of his father and, even in his teens, could never look him in the eye.

Nureyev was always a loner. About tlvs time he discovered a small hill near hs home fkom which he could observe the people of Ufa going about their daily lives. It had a good view of the Bath House, which was the social centre on a Saturday morning, but, more important, it dominated the railway station. He was magnetised by the trains and, throughout his childhood, spent hours each day watching them and imagining himself aboard.

It was not until he was 17 that Nureyev took one of those trains. He saved up and bought the cheapest ticket to Leningrad (St Petersbwg). He made his way to the Kirov Theatre and asked for an audition with the Ballet. He was 18 years of age with almost no classical training but was accepted. Within three years, he had become the most outstanding dancer of his generation.

There were constant collisions with authority. He rehsed to become a Party member and in other ways maintained his independence. Matters reached a climax during the visit of the Kirov Ballet to Paris in June 1961. As the Company were waiting at Le Bourget

Airport to board the plane for London, Nureyev was told he would be returning immediately to Moscow. Eluding his two Russian guards, he gave a balletic leap over the barrier to freedom. Overnight, he became the most famous dancer in the world. He was 23.

The following season he made his dkbut with the Royal Ballet, in Giselle, with Margot Fonteyn. This legendary partnership generated international acclaim and they danced all over the world. They were ‘superstars’, bringing ballet to a new and wider audience. Nureyev was equally at home in the classics or modem dance styles, with a repertoire of more than 90 roles.Averaging 200 performances a year, he re-established the importance of the male dancer and his image was comparable with that of a pop idol.

With so much creative energy, Nureyev’s talents expanded beyond dancing. He choreographed five original ballets and remounted 20 more classical productions. He CO-directed films and appeared as an actor. He starred in a stage revival of The King andI. In 1983, he became Artistic Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, transforming it into one of the finest companies in the world, remaining, until his death, their Resident Choreographer.

Nureyev’s life-style was exotic but he never put down roots. He had a wardrobe of designer clothes, but invariably wore well-worn garments. He had homes in Paris, Cannes, London, New York and a farm in Maryland, as well as an island between Capri and Positano. The island had previously belonged to the dancer and choreographer Massine and, in a Saracen’s tower, there is a fully equipped dance studio. The island had been unoccupied for ten years and, with a concentration of energy and involvement, Rudolf set about making it habitable. A helicopter pad was made and building materials and furniture began to arrive. A gilded bath was ordered from Paris. Its perilous delivery by helicopter, swinging and glinting in the sun, was for Nureyev a moment of sheer delight. The Bath House at Ufa was far, far away.

This Tchaikovsky Gala is a must for ballet fans, showcasing Roberto Bolle, resident star of La Scala, and Polina Semionova, Nadja Saidakova and Ronald Savkovic, all Berlin State Ballet principals, in their very first appearances on the Scala stage. Some of the most exacting and demanding moments from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker are presented, showing to great effect the prowess of the corps de ballet and stars alike. David Coleman conducts musical highlights from the three ballets all set in the Act III décor of Swan Lake: Prince Siegfried's birthday festivities are being held in the castle hall, a veritable tourbillon of dances, from Czardas to Spanish, Neapolitan to Mazurka all of which leads into the celebrated 'Black Swan' pas de deux, starring Roberto Bolle and Polina Semionova. As if by magic, another homage to Tchaikovsky appears:Aurora and her four princes in the immortal 'Rose Adagio', encompassing both dreamy sweetness and technical strength, being one of the most difficult choreographic passages of Sleeping Beauty alongside the 'Blue Bird' pas de deux and the Act II pas de deux from The Nutcracker performed here by Nadja Saidakova and Ronald Savkovic.This perfect gift for any ballet lover is also available in Blu-Ray HD format for the best quality video and audio available.

Bonus: " Etoiles et petits pas" by Liliane de Kermadec.

Backstage at La Scala with the artists in rehearsals (31 minutes)

A major figure on the contemporary choreography scene, Billy T. Jones is also a remarkable dancer and a performer with an electrifying stage presence. Jones choreographed and performed worldwide as a soloist and duet company with his late partner, Arnie Zane before forming the Bill T. Jones /Arnie Zane Dance Company in 1982. Creating more than 100 works for his own company, Jones has also choreographed for American Dance Theater, Boston Ballet, Lyon Opera Ballet and Berlin Opera Ballet among others. In 1990, Jones choreographed Sir Michael Tippett's New Year under the direction of Sir Peter Hall for the Houston Grand Opera and the Glyndebourne Opera Festival. He conceived, co-directed and choreographed Mother of Three Sons, which was performed at the Munich Biennale, New York City Opera, and the Houston Grand Opera. He also directed Lost in the Stars for the Boston Lyric Opera. Here, alone in a studio and filmed from a totally cinematic point of view, he speaks to us of violence, gentleness and emotion in three short pieces: Ionization to music by Edgar Varèse; Chaconne, from Bach's Partita for solo Violin in D minor; and Tea for Two, the famous classic song. Bonuses on the The dancing man include interviews with the choreographer, master classes and dance excerpts.

"We will either dance or die" Bill T. Jones

Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson

This visually stunning, all-new production of Nutcracker, choreographed by Helgi Tomasson (artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet) is a graceful and timeless adventure on a grand scale. The scenic design by Michael Yeargan, setting the tale at the time of the 1915 San Francisco World Fair, is sensational. From the lovely Waltz of the Flowers to the crystalline beauty of the stunning Snowflake Waltz, each scene is more breathtaking than the last, bringing to life all the well-known and beloved characters with fresh sparkle and compelling originality. Recorded in High Definition video and true surround sound, this age-transcending production offers a dazzling magical journey which is garnering critical acclaim throughout the world.

Bonus material:

Illustrated synopsis & cast gallery.

Interviews with Helgi Tomasson, Michael Yeargan and Martin Pakledinaz.

Documentary: 1915 World's Fair.

‘The opulent new version of the seasonal classic, launched spectacularly by the San Francisco Ballet, is every parent’s dream of a holiday treat. It looks scrumptious, tastes delicious, offers substantial nourishment and won’t cause cavities.’ San Francisco Examiner

Choreography: Yuri Grigorovich

Scenario: Nikolai Volkov

Scenography, Set and Costume Design: Simon Virsaladz

Lighting Design: Mikhail Sokolov

A production of State Academic Bolshoi Theatre of Russia

Co-produced by Bel Air Media, Bolshoi Theatre of Russia In association with France 2, BBC and Decca Music Group with the support of Centre National de la Cinematographie

The world's greatest male dancer, Carlos Acosta, dances the greatest male ballet lead Spartacus, in Grigorovich's famous Soviet ballet, created for the Bolshoi to Khachaturian's famous score. Following sensational performances in Moscow and London in 2007, the Bolshoi's production was re-staged and filmed in January 2008 in the Paris Opera's Palais Garnier, especially for Carlos.

Captured in HD widescreen, this is the first major DVD/video of Spartacus since the Bolshoi's own performances from the 70s.

This is the first DVD marking the signing of Carlos Acosta to the Decca label as an exclusive artist, and the next DVD release is expected to be the Royal Ballet's production of Romeo & Juliet, starring Acosta and Tamara Rojo.

Extras: The DVD will also include a 30 min extra film, featuring interviews with Carlos and choreographer Yuri Grigorovich.

Choreographer: Rudolf Nureyev

Rudolf Nureyev’s colourful, “movie-star” version of Prokofiev’s Cinderella retains the classic Perrault story but sets it in America during the difficult years of the Great Depression in the 1930s and 1940s. Agnès Letestu stars as Cinderella who, living with her alcoholic father, tyrannical stepmother and two spiteful stepsisters, dreams of escape and stardom in Hollywood. After a promising screen-test during which The Film Star, suavely portrayed by José Martinez, falls head over heels in love with her, she is fearful that her new-found happiness is too good to be true and will vanish with her youth. Fortunately, her magical protector (in the form of The Producer) and her lover move heaven and earth for a ‘happily ever after’ ending. This is Paris Opera Ballet at its very best.

‘More than a traditional full-length ballet, Nureyev’s Cinderella is a musical fantasy overflowing with vitality.’ Le Figaro

Stage Director: John Cox

The 1993 Winter Gala Concert from the stage of the Royal Opera House sees a stellar array of the world’s greatest artists celebrate the music of Tchaikovsky – composer of many of the all-time opera, concert and ballet favourites, including The Queen of Spades, the 1812 Overture and The Nutcracker.

‘…a dazzling evening in the company of a galaxy of stars from The Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera. …an unsurpassable celebration of opera and ballet.’ Daily Telegraph

Directed by Brian Large

After three decades of collaboration with the Vienna Philharmonic, Zubin Mehta made his New Year’s Concert debut, which instantly achieved legendary status.

"It’s easy to hear why they keep inviting him – Mehta brings a knowing discretion of touch, freeing the amazing Vienna Philharmonic to weave its customary magic” (BBC Music Magazine)

First release in 5.1 DTS Surround Sound

Perhaps the most celebrated ballet of the Romantic era, Adolphe Adam’s intoxicating ballet Giselle is the dramatic story of a peasant girl whose betrayal by her aristocratic lover causes her to go mad before dying and returning as a ghost. Featuring the fabulous Alina Cojocaru in the title role and Johan Kobborg as a torn Count Albrecht, Peter Wright’s sparkling production and John Macfarlane’s pastoral designs create an opulent feast for the eyes, here captured in High Definition video and true surround sound.