Search - The Ultimate Swan Lake / Bolshoi Ballet, Bolshoi Theatre on DVD

Outstanding Swan Lake! And A Sad Swan Song.

J. M WILINSKY | teaneck, NJ United States | 03/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a wonderful, classical version of Swan Lake. It has all the elements and parts I want to see in this ballet: most of the dance segments and artistic excellence and balance. Right from the beginning we can tell this is going to be a great, energetic ballet as Prince Siegfried comes onto the stage in the very beginning and joins his tutor and jester in a lively pas de trois. it is choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, Natalia Bessmetnova's husband and the director of the Bolshoi Ballet at that time. He was a great choreographer and was especially gifted at staging the classics so that they fit the standards and requirements of today. The role of Odette and Odile is danced by Natalia Bessmertnova magnificently. She always danced with a combination of technical excellence and dignity. Another remarkable aspect of this performance is the uniform excellence of the dancing. Nowhere is there the slightest imperfection! Additionally, I was very impressed with the combination of youthful vigor and mature stature of all the dancing. All of the ethnic dances are included, and the Black Swan pas de deux follows the Petipa version. Rothbart is also given some great choreography here, something that is often neglected in other stagings. The sets and costumes are also at the highest standard--absolutely gorgeous. The image and sound are very good, as well, but keep in mind that this is a ballet movie on color film, so it has that special quality that film imparts. If you don't mind a Swan Lake on film, this is a fine Swan Lake to have in any collection.

Sadly, on February 19, 2008 Natalia Bessmertnova died of a grave, protracted illness, just a few weeks after the release of this DVD. After her retirement from the stage, she had been teaching until her illness."

Absolute beauty!

M. Zlatarova | Bulgaria | 03/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Performance of a great quality! The orchestra plays so fine,with a rich and beautiful sound.A special attention should be paid to the soloists- the violin and cello leaders,as well as the oboe player whose play meet very high standarts indeed.



Natalya Bessmertnova is my favorite prima-balerina. She is so perfect that when you watch her,you completely forget what a difficult physical act is the dancing and how many hours stand behind a single performance.

She embodies the spirit of the balley. She dances with her heart and soul,not with her body. Natalya Bessmertnova gives an excellent interpration of the White and Black Swans. She is so tender,unearthy,angelic in the role of the White Swan,and decisive and strong-willed as the Black Swan.

The other balley soloists perform also at a high level.

My sole regret was that the recording was not taken during a live performance."

Ultimate Swan Lake - are you kidding me?

Lady Virgo | Woodland hills, CA United States | 05/18/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"To call this the Ultimate Swan Lake is very misleading. In fact the DVD itself does not carry this title. It is merely "Swan Lake". It is a pleasant enough production and the corp de ballet are lovely with excellent technique. But Alexander Bogatyrev has no stage presence at all and although his turns are good, his jetes are very lacking - he seems to forget he has a second leg, and never lifts it into arabesque properly, it just hangs down. The decision to take some of the beautiful and dramatic music from the last Act and bring it into the 2nd Act is so wrong. other than the beautiful corp de ballet and strong supporting dancers, this is a very mediocre performance, made all the more disappointing by the hype that it's the ultimate.... For a true ULTIMATE Swan Lake, take a look at ABT's Swan Lake starring Gillian Murphy and Angel Corrella, with Marcelo Gomes in Act II as the Evil Sorcerer. THE ABT version is the best production I've ever seen, and the dancing is exquisite in both technique and artistry, and the ending is the most moving you will see."

SWAN LAKE

Jeanette Groth | Maryland | 04/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There is not much I can add to what has already been said about Tchaikovsky's ultimate Swan Lake, so I will just say that, in my opinion, after viewing other Swan Lake videos, this is BY FAR THE VERY BEST performance I have seen and enjoyed. I hope you, too, will enjoy this superbly magnificant and entertaining performance as much as I have."