DVD Videos

The ballet Masquerade is a rarity. The Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978) originally conceived the evocative score as incidental music for a 1941 production of Mikhail Lermontov’s play of the same name. The ballet, following Lermontov’s drama, tells the tragic tale of a bracelet lost at a masked ball which leads Arbenin to wrongly accuse his wife Nina of infidelity. Despite her protestations of innocence, Arbenin poisons her, only to learn that she was guiltless.

The 1985 filmed production presented here makes full use of cinematic techniques to convey the ambiguity of sinister stratagems lurking at the fringes of a swirling masquerade ball, while Khachaturian’s music – in particular the famous Waltz and the wistful Nocturne – provides the perfect accompaniment to the inventive choreography.

63 minutes, colour, mono, 4:3.

Choreography by Heinz Spoerli.

In 2005 it was over 30 years since the Zurich Opera House had seen a performance of probably the world’s best-loved ballet, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. The Zurich Ballet, which has become one of the world’s leading dance ensembles under Heinz Spoerli’s direction, raised this famed work from its slumber with a dream team to tackle this classic anew. Zurich Ballet Director and choreographer Spoerli has long been confirmed as a master storyteller and an imaginative renewer of the genre: with the support of set designer Erich Wonder and costumier Florence von Gerkan he has devised a new and contemporary version of this classic dance tale that has been eagerly awaited by ballet enthusiasts all over the world, in this his third production of Swan Lake. Top Russian conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev ensures an evening of musical excellence, too.

It has just been announced that at the end of the 2011/12 season, Heinz Spoerli is to stand down as Ballet Director and Principal Choreographer at the Opera House in Zurich.

Two twentieth-century ballet masterpieces performed by major Russian ballet troupes. Petrushka is a live 1992 performance by the Bolshoi Ballet, with choreography based on the original Fokine. The Rite of Spring is a filmed 1990 studio production by the Moscow Classical Ballet starring Ilgiz Galimullin and Valeria Tsoi. 76 minutes, Color, Mono, 4:3, All regions.

Choreographer: Frederick Ashton

Miyako Yoshida dances the title role originally created for Margot Fonteyn in the hauntingly beautiful underwater world of Ondine, vividly brought to life by The Royal Ballet. Frederick Ashton’s shimmering choreography, Lila de Nobili’s impressionistic designs and Hans Werner Henze’s specially commissioned, vibrant and inventive score, memorably combine to evoke the many moods and colours of the sea. Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true surround sound.

Extra features:

Illustrated synopsis

Cast gallery

The Making of Ondine – an interview with Hans Werner Henze

“Yoshida’s is a musical, well-mannered reading… Watson moves through it as through a nightmare, gesture urgent, dance vivid, the portrait compelling. … We see a masterpiece, disquieting, ever-mysterious.” Financial Times

Running time 114 mins

Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic

Sound format 2.0 LPCM & 5.1 DTS

Menu language EN

Subtitles EN/FR/DE/ES (documentary only)

Born on the Trans-Siberian express train, Rudolf Nureyev never stopped moving in his meteoric rise to become the most brightly shining star of the ballet universe. From commanding the stage of the Paris Opera to cavorting with Miss Piggy on the Muppet Show, Nureyev’s charisma and virtuoso talent brought a new, modern dimension to classical dance. Seventeen years after his life was prematurely claimed by AIDS, we take a retrospective look at the great artist, his long personal journey and his body of work – in all its grace, passion, excess and drama. Through interviews, archive footage, re-enactments and original dance sequences, the fi lm recreates the key moments of Nureyev’s life and shines a light on his unparalleled talent.

“I saw my beloved mother, I saw my birthplace. I defi ed everyone and I accomplished everything: dance, choreography, conducting orchestras, directing my Bayadère one last time. And I loved. A lot. What could I possibly regret? Nothing. At least I think not. The hardest thing for me to do is leave this place. Here where everything began.”

“One must invest one’s lifeblood in every step.” Rudolf Nureyev

“When Rudolf came on stage, he was a tiger, an animal. He was no longer human. He was neither male nor female. No one had ever seen anything like it.” Charles Jude

Sound Format: PCM STEREO

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 5, NTSC

Audio Languages: GB, FR

Subtitle Languages: DE, ES, IT, JP

Running Time: 53 mins

FSK: 0

Choreographer: Kenneth MacMillan

Edward Watson takes the role of Crown Prince Rudolf in Kenneth MacMillan's compelling ballet which lives out the final eight years of Rudolf’s life with its relentless downward spiral of political intrigue, drugs and murder. It culminates with the suicide pact at the hunting lodge - known as Mayerling - between Rudolf and his 17-year-old mistress, Mary Vetsera (Mara Galeazzi). Filmed in high definition and recorded in true surround sound.

“…while Mara Galeazzi as Mary Vetsera nearly stole the show with her natural conviction, exuberance and authoritative technique, the evening belonged to Watson as Rudolf, one of the most challenging male roles ever created.” Sunday Express

Extra features:

Illustrated synopsis

Cast gallery

Principles in rehearsal with Edward Watson & Mara Galeazzi

Short feature on costumes

Running time 157 mins

Region code All regions

Picture format 16:9 Anamorphic

Sound format 2.0 PCM & 5.1 DTS Master Audio

Menu language EN

Subtitles FR/DE/ES (extra features only)

New York City Ballet: Bringing Balanchine Back tells the story of New York City Ballet’s historic visit to St Petersburg, Russia, in 2004, to perform at the famed Mariinsky Theatre, where ballet legend and NYCB co founder George Balanchine received his training and began his career. One of the most famous theatres in the world, the Mariinsky is where Tchaikovsky created The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty, and where other greats of the ballet world such as Nureyev, Nijinsky and Baryshnikov took their first ballet steps. The eagerly anticipated trip coincides with the worldwide celebrations marking the centennial of Balanchine’s birth, and takes place during St Petersburg’s annual White Nights festival. Included is performance footage of several of Balanchine’s most acclaimed works, including Serenade, Western Symphony, Symphony in C and Symphony in Three Movements, as well as ballets by Jerome Robbins (Glass Pieces) and Peter Martins (Hallelujah Junction), and a rare glimpse behind the scenes for a number of backstage dramas. Through interviews with NYCB’s dancers and artistic staff, Russian audiences and performers, and the sights and sounds of an extraordinary city, Bringing Balanchine Back is a beautiful and unforgettable look at Balanchine’s birthplace and his legacy – New York City Ballet. Bringing Balanchine Back is narrated by Kevin Kline and directed by Richard Blanshard.

SPECIAL FEATURES

• additional interview material with Ballet Master-in-Chief Peter Martins, Valèry Gergiev, Ballet Mistress Rosemary Dunleavy and Principal Dancer Darci Kistler.

• tour of the Mariinsky Theatre.

• 5.1 surround sound.

Approx Duration:

Feature: 78mins+Bonus: 12 mins

Picture format: NTSC 16:9 Anamorphic

Colour

Region Code: 2,3,4,5

Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 &

Dolby 2.0 Stereo

Subtitles: English / French /German

Issued separately earlier this year, now available as a specially priced box set.

"best fun for both balletomanes and balletophobes: the jokes (with not a little malice used to leaven the dancing) are cunningly truthful." Financial Times

Choreography by Ugo Dell’Ara

In 1881 La Scala Milan staged a magnificent ballet spectacle. The aim was to present by means of a ballet all the great discoveries and achievements which had illuminated the late 19th century. The result was ‘a choreographic, historic, allegoric, phantastic plot in two parts and eleven scenes’, i.e. this was not a ballet in the classical sense. Excelsior is a kind of choreographic composition, which sings the praises of progress in science and accomplishments, in keeping with the era of supreme optimism. The steam engine, the Brooklyn Bridge, electricity, telegraph, the Suez Canal and the tunnel between Italy and France are all technical achievements, which are shown on stage. Despite its seemingly dreary subject matter it was a huge success when fi rst performed, and enjoyed a run of 103 performances during that year alone. This production from 2002 at the Teatro alla Scala brings a riot of colour to Manzotti‘s work. With 100 dancers on stage at a time, references to the golden MGM film era and Busby Berkeley-style dancing, it is guaranteed to intrigue and charm!

Sound Format: PCM STEREO

DD 5.1, DTS 5.1

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Picture Format: 16.9

Subtitle Languages: GB, DE, FR, ES, CN (Bonus)

FSK: 0

Running Time: 120 mins