Upcoming DVD/Blu-ray Releases

[RuthE]

8 minutes ago, Beryl H said:

I have the Ashton Blu-Ray and think it is a particularly good recording,  Symphonic Variations was very brightly lit anyway, but the other two ballets look exceptionally clear too, I can also hear the girls' pointe shoes in The Dream too which is unusual these days, and is like actually being at the ballet.

 

Now you mention it, I do recall that Dream revival, which I saw 2 or 3 times live with different casts, as being really noteworthy for the volume of shoe noise.

[Stevie]

17 hours ago, Sharon said:

Stevie - AKA Sharon - beat me to it 😉

You need to quick on the draw in this Forum. Photons replicate faster than the speed of light. 

[Richard LH]

On 17/08/2018 at 13:45, Two Pigeons said:

I have to agree too.  I have only had Blu-Ray for all the new ballet issues of the past couple of years.  If it is a historic performance DVD is as good as it gets which is probably why so few are issued in both formats.

 

I am also regretful to have to admit the Blu-Ray does make a difference for modern recordings.

Encouraged by the advice here, and by the belated realisation that Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, I have just bought one. I haven't actually got a Blu-Ray disc to try out on it yet, but in the meantime it's pleasing to see that the new player somewhat improves the playback quality of the DVDs. 

[Stevie]

1 hour ago, Richard LH said:

Encouraged by the advice here, and by the belated realisation that Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, I have just bought one. I haven't actually got a Blu-Ray disc to try out on it yet, but in the meantime it's pleasing to see that the new player somewhat improves the playback quality of the DVDs. 

Pleased you have seized the opportunity and yes, blu-ray players will enhance the play back of your old DVD's. It will also give you greater marketing opportunities, because sometimes, you can find the blu-ray discs at lower price than a DVD equivalent. Try the Nutcracket : Weiner Staatsballet, currently for £3.63, on ebay - rarewaves-united , free p&p,to demonstrate the full quality of blu-ray play back and without breaking the bank.

 

Nutcracker: Wiener Staatsballett e 

[Richard LH]

I have found an  interesting US site   https://www.hdvdarts.com/       https://www.hdvdarts.com/best-ballet-dance-blu-rays   that reviews  what is available for home viewing (also opera) and gives quite detailed technical  critiques of the  recordings and their visual quality, camera angles and sound (and includes many screen shots), as well as the author's views on the actual productions (dancing, sets, costumes, music etc). The latter aspects are of course a matter of taste and opinion but the technical  comments   in particular  look pretty useful in helping buying decisions. With 123 ballet recordings listed I could spend quite a lot of time on this site!

[Rob S]

2 hours ago, Richard LH said:

I have found an  interesting US site   https://www.hdvdarts.com/       https://www.hdvdarts.com/best-ballet-dance-blu-rays   that reviews  what is available for home viewing (also opera) and gives quite detailed technical  critiques of the  recordings and their visual quality, camera angles and sound (and includes many screen shots), as well as the author's views on the actual productions (dancing, sets, costumes, music etc). The latter aspects are of course a matter of taste and opinion but the technical  comments   in particular  look pretty useful in helping buying decisions. With 123 ballet recordings listed I could spend quite a lot of time on this site!

 

If you can get the pages to load it appears to be very useful re the ballet reviews

[alison]

It does, although at a quick glance I would say I diverge from them in several major respects  

[FLOSS]

The main weakness of the site is that the assessments are more concerned with how good the recordings are as recordings than anything else. For the main part the assessments are based on sound quality; lighting levels; the proportion of close-up shots to full body shots; and the duration of shots. Few views are expressed about  the quality of performances and I  detect a preference among those reviewing the recordings for new choreography rather than traditional versions Now I happen to think that lighting levels matter and that the short duration shots and general fidgety editing which Ross MacGibbon indulges in have made far too  many of the RB's recordings difficult to watch but there are occasions on which the sheer artistry of the performers saves the day and being able to see 50% of a dancer's performance is preferable to not being able to see anything of it. I tend to agree with the  assessment of the cameraman who films the Bolshoi live streams as the best cameraman around as he records what the average dance-goer wants to see rather than indulging in the irritatingly fussy close-up shots found in far too many of the RB live streams. The assessments occasionally refer to the unsuitability of a dancer for a role but this seems to be based on age rather than other more pressing issues such as ability to dance in the appropriate style but then the site contains a statement admitting that those writing the reviews know nothing about ballet.. Nunez fans will be delighted to know that in a review of the recent Giselle recording she is deemed too close to retirement age to be a satisfactory Giselle. If you want to know whether a recording is technically acceptable this is the site for you if you want to know if a recording is worth buying because of the quality of the performance you really need to look elsewhere. 

[Rob S]

The website eventually worked....slowly getting through the reviews but a line in the assessment of the latest Nutcracker rather jarred.... 'In 2006 the Arabian girl was too fat (Laura McCullock); in 2016, she's too lean (Itziar Mendizabal): '

[alison]

12 hours ago, FLOSS said:

I tend to agree with the  assessment of the cameraman who films the Bolshoi live streams as the best cameraman around as he records what the average dance-goer wants to see rather than indulging in the irritatingly fussy close-up shots found in far too many of the RB live streams.

 

Vincent Bataillon, usually.

[Richard LH]

10 hours ago, FLOSS said:

The main weakness of the site is that the assessments are more concerned with how good the recordings are as recordings than anything else.

 

Alternatively you could regard the technical aspect of the assessments  as the site's main strength. But the reviews do also  contain plenty of comments about  the quality of productions themselves, albeit from the subjective viewpoint of the  amateur viewer/customer rather than that of a ballet dancer, teacher, or other professional. Of course we can agree or disagree with the reviews as we see fit (indeed they invite us to do so). I certainly disagree about several performance comments  I have  seen so far.  

 

9 hours ago, FLOSS said:

the site contains a statement admitting that those writing the reviews know nothing about ballet.

 

I couldn't find that statement Floss.

They do say "Judging the quality of dance performances is highly subjective especially for amateurs like us with no dance backgound" but that would be true for many of us expressing opinions on this forum. Whilst I doubt that they profess any deep knowledge as to all the nuances of technique,  from the amount of background information that the site provides (in addition to the purely technical stuff)  I would say they have amassed a pretty extensive general knowledge of ballet, at least in its recorded form. 

They also go to great lengths (unlike most review sources) to try and explain how they grade the recordings - as in  the following statement, which seems to me a pretty fair approach: "There are many factors that go into a grade, and most of them are highly subjective. We try to come down with a decision that will help you. We see much good stuff and a surprising lot of bad stuff. When it's bad, we give a bad grade. But we also recognize that we could be wrong and other people will like things that we don't. So we try to give our reasons for a grade, which in turn should help you interpret the the grade for your purposes. If you think our grade is wrong or needs more interpretation, please let us know". 

[Richard LH]

2 hours ago, Rob S said:

The website eventually worked....slowly getting through the reviews but a line in the assessment of the latest Nutcracker rather jarred.... 'In 2006 the Arabian girl was too fat (Laura McCullock); in 2016, she's too lean (Itziar Mendizabal): '

That jarred with me as well - perhaps this is the reviewer trying to be witty, or an example of  Americans "shooting from the hip". 

Also  "Clara is danced by the warmly brunette Francesca Hayward" is a poor reflection of the wonderful spirit and grace that Hayward brings to this role.

I think  other comments they make about some of the dances and the sets are nonsense.  

Finally for the reviewers to rate the rather dire San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker an A+,  and  this latest RB version only a B,  is frankly pretty insulting  IMO! 

Edited August 22, 2018 by Richard LH

[Colman]

I took it as an amateur doing bad reviews. But the technical assessment is useful, because the hyperactive cutting drives me nuts.

[Colman]

The shots are surely the video director's fault, rather than the poor camera operator, who isn't going to have much influence. 

[Douglas Allen]

Thanks Richard LH for bringing this site to people's attention. I had never heard of it before.

 

I think I'm with Floss on this. The site seems very useful, but with limits. The info about the technical quality both sound and vision seems really helpful and could be a factor in purchasing blu-rays, but the qualitative assessments of the choreography and the dancing seem at times quite wilful and eccentric ("one of the great ballet superstars - Matthew Golding".......hmm) and small things kept getting in the way - for instance consistently getting Lise's name wrong throughout a review of Fille as well as capriciously deciding to rename one of the sisters  in Bintley's Cinderella "Dumpling" rather than "Dumpy".

 

Some of the reviews are good, thorough and underpinned, it appears, by significant knowledge of performances; other, though, just seem odd and so I don't find the site, as a whole, at all reliable for qualitative performance assessment because of this inconsistency. I did find it very useful for the info and assessment of the recording quality and directorial approach. I was delighted to find a few sideswipes at Thomas Grimm who was responsible for several odd recordings of (especially) Balanchine works. His contribution to ballet iconography should not be forgotten.

[Stevie]

Reviews can often tell you more about the reviewer than they do about the product, so always consider them with caution. That is why it is bast to get a range of reviews for a good balance. Amazon reviews contain many different reviews, with different points to make. Even then, you need to make a judgment because they usually  attract ratings of between 1 and 5 , for the same product. As a result, there is probably no absolute review process.

[jm365]

Most recordings of theatrical ballet performances will have up to six cameras in position.  The cameramen have to take the shots the director asks for - so the Bolshoi performances owe everything to the director, not to the cameramen.

[alison]

6 hours ago, alison said:

 

Vincent Bataillon, usually.

 

Sorry, I interpreted FLOSS' "cameramen" as "director", hence my comment.

[Stevie]

Mathew Bourne's Cinderella released on DVD and Blu-Ray on 15th Oct 2018. I saw it on UK tour and in Cinemas. It has a WW2 blitz setting, which appears to work fine. 

[joe blitz]

thought of some ballets more dated than Merry Widow:   Spectre of the Rose, Afternoon of a Faun. even Graduation Ball. And, one that I like, Kermesse in Bruge. Now that's what I'd call dated.  and what about Fountains of  Bakhchisara? 

What do you think?

 

[Two Pigeons]

I am always staggered that Petrouchka is still allowed to be performed.  I realise that given the fact that it is a combination of choreography, music and history which makes a complete work of art but there are elements in it which are likely to cause offence to somebody.

 

Having said that I really do hope it continues to appear.  I really love it when the snow comes down and I did see David Bintley give great performances in the title role.  He moved me ( as he did as Alain in Fille) and I would not have missed those great memories.

[Richard LH]

On 20/08/2018 at 19:26, Richard LH said:

Encouraged by the advice here, and by the belated realisation that Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible with DVDs, I have just bought one. I haven't actually got a Blu-Ray disc to try out on it yet, but in the meantime it's pleasing to see that the new player somewhat improves the playback quality of the DVDs. 

 

Having now bought a few Blu Ray  discs I can confirm that the quality is far superior to DVDs. I should  have upgraded before, as soon as  we got our HD TV.  

[Stevie]

19 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

 

Having now bought a few Blu Ray  discs I can confirm that the quality is far superior to DVDs. I should  have upgraded before, as soon as  we got our HD TV.  

Richard, you may now have the same task that I had, where applicable, trading in all my old DVD's for Blu-Rays. Note that there is less advantage in upgrading from PAL to Blu-ray and a large advantage in upgrading from NTSC.

[Richard LH]

As I have posted under "The 'New' ROH" thread, the new ROH website has just  messed up the online shop. For DVDs or Blu-ray you have to scroll through  about 34 pages, listed  under "Recordings and Books" unless you put in a specific "Search" for what you already think  you might want. They have removed the useful way of refining your browsing  by selection from a list showing what is available e.g. under  title,  artist, or choreographer.

The Search facility itself also seems dicey - there is supposed to be a red bar at the bottom of the first few results from a search, linking to "view all results", but on my PC (Windows 10) this bar  comes and goes, randomly flashing, so you cannot always link to the full results. This seems not to be the case on my Android tablet, although of course there is the same issue as to the poorer overall search functionality. (The format of the new website pages  seems to be geared for tablet use, and not optimised for use on a PC).

This will be encouraging use of other suppliers rather than the online ROH shop for purchases.  

Have a look....if you agree this is a retrograde move, let's contact them to  complain....

Edited September 20, 2018 by Richard LH

[Beryl H]

At last, the Stuttgart Ballet's Onegin will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray from 9th November, according to Amazon

[Stevie]

CMajor say, casting :-

'With his full-length ballet Onegin, John Cranko secured his place in the pantheon of great 20th century choreographers. Based on Alexander Pushkin’s dramatic verse novel „Eugen Onegin“, he tells the story of the arrogant and world weary aristocrat Onegin who rejects the love of the naïve country girl Tatiana only to realize – upon meeting her again years later – that in her he threw away the only woman who ever truly loved him. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary the Stuttgarter Ballett has come up with a special cast featuring Alicia Amatriain as Tatjana, Friedemann Vogel as Onegin, Elisa Badenes as Olga, David Moore as Lenski, Jason Reilly as Prince Gremin, Melinda Witham as Madame Larina and no other than the wonderful Marcia Haydée as nurse.'

[Beryl H]

Just been checking and there's another one due out on 2nd November, the Bernstein Celebration, probably on account of the music, I'd buy it to see Tierney Heap in Corybantic Games.

[Angela]

2 hours ago, Beryl H said:

At last, the Stuttgart Ballet's Onegin will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray from 9th November, according to Amazon

 

What?! Not in Germany. We had a cinema screening of it last Sunday and it will be on arte TV on Dec. 16, but there's yet no DVD announced on amazon.de. You can see the cover and a trailer (scroll down) here:  http://www.ballett-im-kino.de/

[Alice Shortcake]

More info here:

https://www.cmajor-entertainment.com/movie/john-crankos-onegin-a05050527/

[Alice Shortcake]

Also forthcoming from C Major, Christian Spuck's reworking of 'The Nutcracker' for Zurich Ballet: 

https://www.cmajor-entertainment.com/movie/the-nutcracker-9533/

Edited September 26, 2018 by Alice Shortcake

[jmhopton]

What is the best way of searching for ballet on Amazon these days? You used to be able to search under 'genre' and find ballet as a genre then you could narrow it down to 'most recent,' 'forthcoming' etc and it was great but as they seem to have done away with ballet as a genre I rather struggle to find new items these days. if you just put ballet in as a search it often doesn't bring new items up. (It didn't bring Onegin up. I had to search for it by title but if you don't know it's there to search for you're not going to find it.)

[Mimi]

I've found that searching by either ballet company or DVD production company will bring up good results, although it's much more of a chore.  

[jmhopton]

But if you don't know what's new Mimi it's difficult and very time consuming to search by ballet or production Company as there are many permutations of both. it was so easy to search under ballet as a genre as all you then had to do was search by release date to get the most up to date information. I just don't know how you do this now. It's as if per usual ballet has been regulated to the 'no one wants to know about that' slot on the website.