Upcoming DVD/Blu-ray Releases

[alison]

What a shame the World Gymnastic Championships have just finished  

[Vanartus]

4 hours ago, Esmeralda said:

 

My dear colleagues heard a shout of joy just now😄! Thank you for bringing such great news!

Screams from Antwerp!!! Btw Akram’s Giselle overpoweringly wonderful here with the Ballett Vlaanderen. Act two about to start...

[Stevie]

32 minutes ago, alison said:

What a shame the World Gymnastic Championships have just finished  

Don't think Max Richter could have done gymnastics. Irena Osipova on the 😼other hand is a very accomplished pianist

 

[Stevie]

On 05/11/2018 at 17:05, John Mallinson said:

Please don't answer that. This site is not in the business of promoting illegally acquired videos.

 

There are many sites, which legally stream or hire ballet. Some free, some to pay, depending on whether Royalties are due and other considerations. Netflix for Arts lovers are a big one, Amazon Prime are expanding into the market all the time. There are also many Arts companies that legally stream their production, albeit with a nominal fee. Marguee TV, is a recent addition.

It appears to be the way things are trending, with on line entertainment technology moving so fast. I, like many traditionalist, with cupboards full of DVD 's and blu-rays, bursting at the seams and with no intention of keeping up with the times, have to get rid of one DVD before I can buy another. 

There is no longer a need to own a DVD or blu-ray player for home entertainment, if one prefers not to and these products are severely challenged by trending towards online streaming.

For those who would prefer to buy  DVD or blu-ray player, don't waste your money buying anything under £20. For that price, it will only have a SCART socket and UHD TV's are now being supplied with only HDMI connections. It required an HDMI cable for the highest resolution. So unless you don't mind low resolution and are not concerned about compatibilty with a future TV, you will need to fork out considerably more than than £20 for a DVD or Blu-Ray player.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Stevie

[Richard LH]

11 hours ago, Stevie said:

Netflix for Arts lovers are a big one

The only thing I can find for "Netflix for Arts lovers" on a Google Search is a phrase describing Marquee.TV. Netflix itself does not seem to have recordings of staged ballets.

Amazon Prime, Marquee.TV and other pay-for services (medici.tv is another) do have a choice of staged ballets but as yet that choice is fairly limited - certainly for RB lovers.

12 hours ago, Stevie said:

There is no longer a need to own a DVD or blu-ray player for home entertainment

There is, if you want the fullest choice of staged ballet recordings. Also the recorded quality of some of the streamed stuff is variable, and not all "smart" TVs are that good at high quality streaming. 

12 hours ago, Stevie said:

There are many sites, which legally stream or hire ballet

The reference earlier in this thread to Woolf Works being available online, only seems to refer to illegally obtained material. When WW  is officially released next February I am assuming we are referring to a disc only, not streaming.

[Stevie]

It appears that Richard has selectively missed out the vital words from this quote  'there is no longer a need to own a DVD or Blu-Ray Player', which are, 'if one prefers not to'. This was in reference to one member in this thread, who said the she did not own a DVD and Blu-Ray player and was kindly told she could go buy one for under £20. Certainly not for me, I personally have three blu-ray players and two DVD player in the house. Hardly someone who would claim that there is no need for one. There would appear to be a definite need in my house with over 200 Ballet DVD's and blu-rays taking up one cupboard, some of the boxed sets, many dance documentaries, 168 Operas in another, 42 Orchestral, 78 shows and concerts and innumerable films. Hence my reference to storage space for this format.

The relevant Netflix items I could see are First Position, Ballet 422, Restless Creature, A Ballerinas Tale, La Dance POB, which all of interest to followers of Ballet. There are probably others, but I only noticed those because I have them on DVD. 

Not many years ago, the needs for a VHS player in the household was essential. The charity shops will no longer take VHS free, since no one buys them. Technology is advancing in media entertainment at such a rate, that not only the public have difficulty in keeping up, the relevant legislators around the World cant keep up nor agree with each other. The UK legislator has taken a different route to the EU and found itself challenged by the UK High Courts, who are supposed to be there to administer the legislation, not impose it. Ballet lovers are all part of this, not isolated nor a special case.

We don't know what we will happen next February with Woolf Works, members can  only follow the News, others will make it.

[alison]

42 minutes ago, Stevie said:

This was in reference to one member in this thread, who said the she did not own a DVD and Blu-Ray player and was kindly told she could go buy one for under £20.

 

Ahem.  I did not - and certainly didn't claim that Blu-Ray players are obtainable for under £20.  I merely pointed out that, given the number of older ballet recordings available on DVD which are, I would think, unlikely to be available for streaming, dance lovers might want to have a DVD/Blu-Ray player anyway, which is pretty much what you are saying above.

 

Incidentally,  the new TV I bought about 3 months ago has SCART, AV, HDMI, USB and I can't remember what else connectivity.  It does mean that there's no need to buy a high-spec player if all you're wanting to do is watch older, lower-quality DVDs.

[Richard LH]

53 minutes ago, Stevie said:

It appears that Richard has selectively missed out the vital words from this quote  'there is no longer a need to own a DVD or Blu-Ray Player', which are, 'if one prefers not to'.

But just  adding  "if one prefers not to"  simply constructs a truism,  that you don't have to own a Player if you don't want to. The rationale for  your point, however, as to there no longer being a need for a Player  was contained in your full sentence which also states  "these products are severely challenged by trending towards online streaming".   I don't agree that to be the case at present, for the reasons I gave, and unless and until streaming covers everything one may wish to watch ballet-wise, that is otherwise on a disc, one will still "need" a Player.  

[Stevie]

9 minutes ago, alison said:

 

Ahem.  I did not - and certainly didn't claim that Blu-Ray players are obtainable for under £20.  I merely pointed out that, given the number of older ballet recordings available on DVD which are, I would think, unlikely to be available for streaming, dance lovers might want to have a DVD/Blu-Ray player anyway, which is pretty much what you are saying above.

 

Incidentally,  the new TV I bought about 3 months ago has SCART, AV, HDMI, USB and I can't remember what else connectivity.  It does mean that there's no need to buy a high-spec player if all you're wanting to do is watch older, lower-quality DVDs.

Many TV,s are now being produced without SCART connections. This is because SCART will not carry sufficient DATA for UHD resolution. Just check that your TV also has HDMI connection. You will certainly need that if you want to take advantage of high definition Blu-ray /UHD. Some models are still on sale with SCART and HDMI for the interim period. I have an old Panasonic which has both. If there is no SCART  on your TV, or HDMI, you can buy and adaptor, but it will not allow you to view UHD. Good luck.

[Stevie]

42 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

But just  adding  "if one prefers not to"  simply constructs a truism,  that you don't have to own a Player if you don't want to. The rationale for  your point, however, as to there no longer being a need for a Player  was contained in your full sentence which also states  "these products are severely challenged by trending towards online streaming".   I don't agree that to be the case at present, for the reasons I gave, and unless and until streaming covers everything one may wish to watch ballet-wise, that is otherwise on a disc, one will still "need" a Player.  

Nothing new added to the debate and I have nothing new to add.There will always be differing opinion to which all are entitled. People will make their own decisions on what suits them best. We can only hope that  debate helps in that decision making process.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Stevie
typo

[alison]

1 hour ago, Stevie said:

Just check that your TV also has HDMI connection. You will certainly need that if you want to take advantage of high definition Blu-ray /UHD.

 

1 hour ago, alison said:

Incidentally,  the new TV I bought about 3 months ago has SCART, AV, HDMI, USB and I can't remember what else connectivity. 

 

[Timmie]

Now UHD has been mentioned, has anyone (looking at you Stevie ) spotted any 4K UHD ballets yet? I see there are some operas but haven't noticed any ballets. I don't have a 4k TV (yet) but my Blu Ray player died recently so replaced with a UHD player for a bit of future proofing.

[Stevie]

18 minutes ago, Timmie said:

Now UHD has been mentioned, has anyone (looking at you Stevie ) spotted any 4K UHD ballets yet? I see there are some operas but haven't noticed any ballets. I don't have a 4k TV (yet) but my Blu Ray player died recently so replaced with a UHD player for a bit of future proofing.

I have only ever seen it in a showroom demo. It was 'Red Sparrow' they were showing, not a full ballet. I learned that it may be 10 years before 4k  would be televised, but told that an influx of 4k video was coming. I had a whispered message to hold back, because the prices would certainly come down. I trust that your UHD video can still play DVD and Blu-ray. It appears that availability will come with mass marketing and reduced purchase prices. That appears to be just around the corner. One Forum says that most TV sets in Sweden are already 4k and no more expensive. We can only watch and wait.

https://www.quora.com/How-long-do-you-think-we-have-left-until-4k-becomes-the-nor

 

 

[Colman]

Since you can get a decent DVD/Blu-ray player for £60 or so now I’d be inclined to wait for UHD players to drop in price. Certainly that’s the calculation I did replacing my disc player as part of a system upgrade. 

[Stevie]

9 minutes ago, Colman said:

Since you can get a decent DVD/Blu-ray player for £60 or so now I’d be inclined to wait for UHD players to drop in price. Certainly that’s the calculation I did replacing my disc player as part of a system upgrade. 

Mine two, its not that we cant afford them, but it is moving so fast that the prices are sure to drop and right now we could pay a fortune for something that has become obsolescent by the time the prices have fallen. Let them iron out all the  teething problems first. At the moment quite happy with performance of my Yamaha. Not a lot of features, but an excellent build. Including isolation of incoming vibrations from other electronics.

57 minutes ago, Timmie said:

Now UHD has been mentioned, has anyone (looking at you Stevie ) spotted any 4K UHD ballets yet? I see there are some operas but haven't noticed any ballets. I don't have a 4k TV (yet) but my Blu Ray player died recently so replaced with a UHD player for a bit of future proofing.

I have only ever seen it as a showroom display. They were showing 'Red Sparrow' and it was a stunning presentation. Its an example of where home entertainment is moving and 

[bridiem]

Honestly. I'm only just getting used to DVDs... 😩

[Stevie]

I think you will find them a big improvement on the old VHS. I once attended a lecture called 'The Future of Adventure', which made me think. It depended on the individual, whilst one persons adventure could be climbing Everest, another was a walk on the fells, they both gave the same satisfaction to that person. Its all about what you are happy with and enjoy, but also about having choices.

If you can buy your DVD's in PAL format, they are better resolution than NTSC, although many classical are only issued in NTSC.(American Format).

You enjoy your DVD's, I still enjoy mine as do millions of others, despite now buying blu-ray and thinking about possible future move to UHD.😄

[Angela]

With all that talking about 4K UHD and Blue Ray I feel rather outdated with my veeery old ballet recordings, made some 20, 30 years ago with the old VHS recorder or carefully dubbed from VHS to VHS and then copied to DVD - and yet I treasure them so much, because there are some performances that have never been released on DVD, that will never be broadcast again. Of course I'm happy about all those new recordings, the recorded ballet repertoire gets bigger with every DVD - but on the other hand, I watch recordings not for the quality of technology, but for the quality of the performance, and often as a benchmark for the interpretations of today. And if the picture on TV wobbles, it wobbles.

 

[Stevie]

2 hours ago, Angela said:

With all that talking about 4K UHD and Blue Ray I feel rather outdated with my veeery old ballet recordings, made some 20, 30 years ago with the old VHS recorder or carefully dubbed from VHS to VHS and then copied to DVD - and yet I treasure them so much, because there are some performances that have never been released on DVD, that will never be broadcast again. Of course I'm happy about all those new recordings, the recorded ballet repertoire gets bigger with every DVD - but on the other hand, I watch recordings not for the quality of technology, but for the quality of the performance, and often as a benchmark for the interpretations of today. And if the picture on TV wobbles, it wobbles.

 

Lets remember the big success for the 'Woolf Pack', showing how working in teams can achieve results, ending in resounding 'howls' of delight when John the 'Woolf' watcher spotted its arrival.

[Sophoife]

On 08/11/2018 at 07:14, Vanartus said:

Screams from Antwerp!!! Btw Akram’s Giselle overpoweringly wonderful here with the Ballett Vlaanderen. Act two about to start...

 

Which Giselle did you see please? 

[Stevie]

3 hours ago, Sophoife said:

 

Which Giselle did you see please? 

Akram Khans Willis, the most creepy creatures you would wish not to meet. Certainly not an encounter for a lone male on a dark night. Nothing fluffy about these ladies, they mean business.

[Jan McNulty]

1 hour ago, Stevie said:

Akram Khans Willis, the most creepy creatures you would wish not to meet. Certainly not an encounter for a lone male on a dark night. Nothing fluffy about these ladies, they mean business.

 

Gosh Vanartus you said that without hitting your keyboard!!

[Stevie]

35 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

Gosh Vanartus you said that without hitting your keyboard!!

Got to be quick, photons replicate faster than the speed of light.

[Vanartus]

Yes it’s Kill Bill on pointe!!!

[Vanartus]

Re who danced Giselle, I’m wracked with guilt and shame. I arrived just in time , was.up in the gods,  didn’t get a programme then, drink and sandwich took priority, and at the end not a programme seller or cast list in sight...I have failed miserably!

[Stevie]

47 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

Re who danced Giselle, I’m wracked with guilt and shame. I arrived just in time , was.up in the gods,  didn’t get a programme then, drink and sandwich took priority, and at the end not a programme seller or cast list in sight...I have failed miserably!

If it was 7/11, it was Aki Saito. The other dates were by Nancy Osbaldeson and Juliet Burnett.

Programme :- https://www.operaballet.be/giselle

Theres no such thing as failure if you were just delayed.

 

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by Stevie

[Vanartus]

Yes 7/11 it was, and indeed Ms Saito. She’s was wonderful. As was the whole cast.

[Stevie]

12 minutes ago, Vanartus said:

Yes 7/11 it was, and indeed Ms Saito. She’s was wonderful. As was the whole cast.

I bet the sandwich and drink was wonderful as well.😅 Bad news from ENB is they say there is no intention to release the DVD.😢

[Vanartus]

🙀😞

[Sophoife]

Thanks all, Vanartus I was hoping you might have seen Juliet, one of "my" dancers.

 

Her last role with Australian Ballet was Maina Gielgud's Giselle, and I was stuck in an airport lounge at a country airport waiting for a plane to be repaired, only finally getting to Sydney as the curtain went up on the evening performance (Stella Abrera guesting). When Juliet then resigned I was even more devastated at how I'd spent my day.

 

I've given up flying the same day as a performance. Sydney is eight hours away by train and about the same if I'm driving (I have to stop and stretch!!), so no viable alternative to a delayed plane. Twice I have had to get changed in the back of an Uber en route from the airport to the Opera House, with a plane due to leave Albury at 1pm not leaving until nearly 6pm.

Edited November 10, 2018 by Sophoife

[Don Q Fan]

The Stuttgart Ballet Onegin is now out on DVD and was in the shop at ROH yesterday in both normal and Blue Ray formats.

[Two Pigeons]

My copy of Onegin arrived on Saturday and I spent a wonderful afternoon with a bowl of fruit luxuriating in seeing a proper copy of one of my very favourite ballets.  OK, I have seen better casts over the years but Onegin himself at a distance was pretty reminiscent of Hugh Jackman which is always a plus.  As a counterbalance Lensky reminded me of Nick Clegg.

 

However, there was the unexpected bonus of seeing the greatest of all Tatianas, Marcia Haydee, appearing as her nurse.  This rather added to the sense of the ghosts I have seen in the role but, what the heck, there is no such thing as a bad Onegin on my view!

 

I do have a bootleg copy of Haydee from about 1975 which is an object lesson in how to play the role.  She wasn't Cranko's muse for no reason.  But any DVD of the ballet, even with a less than totally satisfactory cast, still offers many pleasures and it is great to have it, especially as we had all thought one would never appear.

 

[Stevie]

14 minutes ago, Two Pigeons said:

My copy of Onegin arrived on Saturday and I spent a wonderful afternoon with a bowl of fruit luxuriating in seeing a proper copy of one of my very favourite ballets.  OK, I have seen better casts over the years but Onegin himself at a distance was pretty reminiscent of Hugh Jackman which is always a plus.  As a counterbalance Lensky reminded me of Nick Clegg.

 

However, there was the unexpected bonus of seeing the greatest of all Tatianas, Marcia Haydee, appearing as her nurse.  This rather added to the sense of the ghosts I have seen in the role but, what the heck, there is no such thing as a bad Onegin on my view!

 

I do have a bootleg copy of Haydee from about 1975 which is an object lesson in how to play the role.  She wasn't Cranko's muse for no reason.  But any DVD of the ballet, even with a less than totally satisfactory cast, still offers many pleasures and it is great to have it, especially as we had all thought one would never appear.

 

I haven't seen this ballet, just the Opera, so look forward to giving it a try. I did try the ballet based on the same story, Tatiana, but it does not have the Tchaikovsky music, so I didn't rate it very highly.