Upcoming DVD/Blu-ray Releases

[MAB]

It was a terrible idea to revive it, and I believe against Ashton's wishes.

[Quintus]

I have a DVD of Sylvie in Marguerite & Armand with Le Riche & Dowell. It was recorded in Japan in 2003 so probably not available now. You are welcome to borrow it, Quintus.

Susan

 

Susan, that's very kind of you, thanks for the offer.  I hadn't spotted it on Amazon, so seeing David's comment above i have actually just ordered a secondhand copy from there!

[Quintus]

... and on impulse a used bluray of Ondine for 7.99; not sure that will be my cup of tea but seemed worth a punt!

[barton22]

I see that a DVD and Blu-Ray of Alvin Ailey dancing a programme including Chroma was recently released and is available on Amazon (although "fully" priced, and I don't think the C Major Entertainment discs tend to get discounted in the way Opus Arte ones do from time to time):

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01K2UF7SW/ref=od_aui_detailpages01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[billboyd]

Just picked up Rhapsody/2 Pigeons from ROH shop!

[David]

I  can't believe the ROH is the best option for The Two Pigeons, does anyone know if Friends get 10% off everything in the shop now?

Does anyone know the answer to Beryl H's question please? There doesn't seem to be an option if one books on line but I wonder if a discount is offered to friends who buy direct at the shop?

Edited September 17, 2016 by David

[billboyd]

I think the Friends discount is for a couple of Saturdays before Christmas.

 

I just paid £29.99 for my blu ray disc.

[David]

I think the Friends discount is for a couple of Saturdays before Christmas.

 

I just paid £29.99 for my blu ray disc.

Thank you billboyd. Certainly can't wait till Xmas so will order from the shop. Better them than Amazon!

 

PS. This is completely outside the remit of the forum but I am so excited to see that this historic BBC recording of another famous earlier Dream, so long only available in smudgy copies, has been restored by the brilliant ICA company, that have given us so many of the early BBC Margaret Dale ballet recordings, that I can't resist sharing it:

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01LB80UCW/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

Edited September 17, 2016 by David

[Johnpw]

I think the Friends discount is for a couple of Saturdays before Christmas.

 

 

 

At present the Friends discount (10%) operates all year round. I used it myself last week in the shop.

[billboyd]

Thanks, Johnpw. I'll pop in on Monday....  

[alison]

PS. This is completely outside the remit of the forum but I am so excited to see that this historic BBC recording of another famous earlier Dream, so long only available in smudgy copies, has been restored by the brilliant ICA company, that have given us so many of the early BBC Margaret Dale ballet recordings, that I can't resist sharing it:

 

Drat, when you made a reference to smudgy copies, my mind instantly flashed back to the black+white Sibley/Dowell Dream which I presume was a Margaret Dale production

[David]

.....  the black+white Sibley/Dowell Dream which I presume was a Margaret Dale production

 

Of Mgt Dale’s nine (?) original cast film adaptions for the BBC, not only Ashton’s Dream but also his Les Rendezvous and Monotones remain to be restored and released. I don't have a complete list but I think Petrouchka (with Nerina) and Ninette de Valois' Checkmate and Rake's Progress also? Hopefully  ICA have at least some in their sights.

[FLOSS]

We can live in hope of seeing quite a few more recordings apart from Les Rendezvous.I have seen the 1960's recording with Shaw and Wells in the lead it looks very different from any version I have seen of it because It is so speedy and light that it looks more like Bournonville than Ashton. There is also the SWRB recording of the ballet with Tait and Ashmole from the late 1970's or early 1980's. 

 

A recording was made of the original cast of Enigma Variations it would be great to see that just as it would be wonderful to see Nijinska's Les Noces danced by the RB's original cast who were hand picked by the choreographer herself.

 

There is a recording of the Sibley, Dowell Cinderella with Parkinson as Fairy Godmother which was briefly available in this country but is now only sold on region 1 DVDs. There is a later recording of the ballet made by the BBC of Collier and Dowell with Mason as the Fairy Godmother Then there was a Symphonic Variations recorded, I think, by Southern Televison with an almost perfect cast which included Sibley, Dowell and Jenner.Somewhere there is a recording of Facade with Coleman and Beagley in the Popular Song and Park and Dowell in the Tango. Looking at the Radio Times in archive on line will give you a good idea of what we might look forward to seeing if anyone at the BBC thought the effort was worthwhile. But as ballet is an elite art form there is little hope, I fear, that much more to be unearthed.

 

Even if the BBC wiped some, or all of it, while preserving every transmission of the Old Grey Whistle Test, I can't help feeling that somewhere someone has the complete Sibley and Dowell Sleeping Beauty. Perhaps the company should consider issuing RB historic performances and begin by making an appeal to members of the public to fill in the gaps by making a tape of that production available for restoration. just as the BBC did for missing episodes of Dr Who.There is the 1978 Park, Wall, Beauty which represents de Valois final thoughts on the ballet. Then there are all those documentaries which contain priceless material and one off celebratory performances such as the Queen Mother's eightieth birthday celebration at the ROH.

 

Finally there are more recent recordings which have not been made available to the general public such as the 2004 Daphnis and Chloe or the Bussell farewell performance which included a pretty good Symphonic Variations and Song of the Earth.How did the company manage to miss a trick there is beyond me.

Edited September 19, 2016 by FLOSS

[capybara]

 

Perhaps the company should consider issuing RB historic performances and begin by making an appeal to members of the public to fill in the gaps by making a tape of that production available for restoration. just as the BBC did for missing episodes of Dr Who.There is the 1978 Park, Wall, Beauty which represents de Valois final thoughts on the ballet. Then there are all those documentaries which contain priceless material and one off celebratory performances such as the Queen Mother's eightieth birthday celebration at the ROH.

 

 

Hear hear   I have a video of the QM's 80th Birthday performance (recorded while I was out on a 3 hour tape) which cut off half way through Mamzelle Angot because the BBC inserted the 10 o'clock news. I have been waiting to see the end of that ballet ever since.

[David]

Finally there are more recent recordings which have not been made available to the general public such as .... the Bussell farewell performance which included a pretty good Symphonic Variations and Song of the Earth.How did the company manage to miss a trick there is beyond me.

 

And Hear Hear to this as well. My recorder failed during the BBC relay of Mr Bussell's farewell performance and all my pleas to Opus Arte fell on deaf ears!  

Edited September 19, 2016 by David

[Beryl H]

That 2004 Daphnis and Chloe is the one that annoys me the most, one of my favourite ballets, I'm sure it was recorded as the rest of the triple bill is available on DVD, but Les Patineurs replaces D and C, the running time of DVD's is long enough to have included them all. It had Alina Cojocaru and Federico Bonelli in the leads too!  I have the Sibley/Dowell/Parkinson Cinderella on a region 2 DVD, probably purchased from Amazon.

[David]

We can live in hope of seeing quite a few more recordings apart from Les Rendezvous.

 

Oh Floss - "The hearing of this is enough to ravish one's heart; but are these things to be enjoyed? How shall we get to be sharers thereof?"

Edited September 19, 2016 by David

[barton22]

I see these are listed on the Presto Classical site in both DVD and blu-ray formats as forthcoming over the next few weeks. I don’t know many of them but mostly they seem to be re-issues so I guess they will be familiar to most. Hopefully the blu-rays at least will be an improvement on earlier releases. The last three have already been mentioned on this thread as available from Amazon:

 

The Art of Patrice Bart - La Petite Danseuse de Degas

The Art of John Neumeier - Death in Venice

The Art of Patrice Bart - The Nutcracker

The Art of Mats Ek – Giselle

The Art of Hans van Manen - Six Ballets

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring & The Firebird

The Art of Jiri Kilian - Three Ballets

The Art of Jiri Kilian - Car Men

The Art of Angelin Preljocaj – Siddharta

The Art of Petipa & Gorsky - Don Quichot

The Art of Marius Petipa – Raymonda

O'Regan: MataHari

That Hans van Manen disc is good (I have it on the previously issued DVD) and includes Solo, which many loved when NDT 2 performed it at Sadler's Wells earlier this year.  Deja Vu and Two Pieces for Het are very good as well.

[alison]

And Hear Hear to this as well. My recorder failed during the BBC relay of Mr Bussell's farewell performance and all my pleas to Opus Arte fell on deaf ears!  

 

Missed a big trick there, I thought at the time.  I mean, if they can release Acosta's farewell Carmen they could certainly have released Darcey's farewell Song (together with Belinda Hatley's farewell Symphonic Variations :innocent: )

 

And there must surely be ample recordings for another Ashton DVD by now, perhaps including Daphnis

[David]

"And there must surely be ample recordings for another Ashton DVD by now, perhaps including Daphnis?"

 

Don't you think the next Ashton release will be The Dream/Symphonic Variations/Marguerite and Armand following the live cinema relay on the 7th June next year?

[barton22]

"And there must surely be ample recordings for another Ashton DVD by now, perhaps including Daphnis?"

 

Don't you think the next Ashton release will be The Dream/Symphonic Variations/Marguerite and Armand following the live cinema relay on the 7th June next year?

Hopefully wrt The Dream and Symphonic Variations.  I can't see them issuing another recording of M&A now when they issued one only three years ago.

[alison]

I hope so - assuming they can get a good enough cast, of course.

[stucha]

Be warned.  Avoid the Patrice Bart Nutcracker at any price.

[Naomi M]

There are different opinions regarding choreography and I like the Patrice Bart Nutcracker DVD (Saidakova, Malakhov, Staatsballett Berlin) 

[Angela]

It's not THAT terrible, the Berlin Nutcracker by Bart! Beautiful dancing by Malakhov, Saidakova and Oliver Matz. 

[Beryl H]

The ROH shop has the Linbury Elizabeth DVD for release on 28th October at £24.99, a lot to look forward to, as Amazon are so expensive now it will be cheaper for me to buy things at the ROH with no postage and the Friends 10%.

[David]

The ROH shop has the Linbury Elizabeth DVD for release on 28th October at £24.99, a lot to look forward to, as Amazon are so expensive now it will be cheaper for me to buy things at the ROH with no postage and the Friends 10%.

 

Me too - I'm saving up for a big splurge on my next trip down - and have now added the Elizabeth DVD to the list so thanks for that.

[CHazell2]

I can't help feeling that somewhere someone has the complete Sibley and Dowell Sleeping Beauty. Perhaps the company should consider issuing RB historic performances and begin by making an appeal to members of the public to fill in the gaps by making a tape of that production available for restoration. just as the BBC did for missing episodes of Dr Who.There is the 1978 Park, Wall, Beauty which represents de Valois final thoughts on the ballet. Then there are all those documentaries which contain priceless material and one off celebratory performances such as the Queen Mother's eightieth birthday celebration at the ROH.

 

 

I would give a lot to see the Sibley/Dowell Sleeping Beauty as it is a production that has stuck in my mind as being the most magical - going upon what I have read about it. I know that it wasn't very popular, due to I think, it following close on the heels on the Messel Sleeping Beauty which people regard as being the definitive Sleeping Beauty.

 

I think that there is room for different takes on Sleeping Beauty - surely it doesn't have to take place in the 17th to 18th Centuries. Actually if you move the period futher back in time, there you could very well believe that fairies exist in that universe.

 

Be interested to know people's thoughts on this?

Edited September 27, 2016 by CHazell2

[MAB]

The Wright/Ashton version surpassed all others in my view, too many productions are now simply a sterile exercise of classical steps strung together.  I'll admit I was a bit shocked when posters here named it as their least favourite ballet, but I think I can understand why.  No one is telling a story any more, magic used to be a feature of the ballet but these days it's evaporated.

[assoluta]

I think that there is room for different takes on Sleeping Beauty - surely it doesn't have to take place in the 17th to 18th Centuries. Actually if you move the period futher back in time, there you could very well believe that fairies exist in that universe.

 

Be interested to know people's thoughts on this?

 

Placing Sleeping Beauty in the idealized world of Louis XIV is an essential part of its charm. This is the reason why the proper costumes and the decorations are so important. There is a room for different takes, especially in terms of arrangement of the choreographic text, as Konstantin Sergeev's version for example demonstrates, but not by "modernizing" the content.

[now voyager]

The Wright/Ashton version surpassed all others in my view, too many productions are now simply a sterile exercise of classical steps strung together. I'll admit I was a bit shocked when posters here named it as their least favourite ballet, but I think I can understand why. No one is telling a story any more, magic used to be a feature of the ballet but these days it's evaporated.

I, too, loved that version, which also gave us Ashton's exquisite awakening pas.

And I would give up a limb to see that Sibley-Dowell performance in its entirety.

[MAB]

I, too, loved that version, which also gave us Ashton's exquisite awakening pas.

And I would give up a limb to see that Sibley-Dowell performance in its entirety.

 

It was broadcast by the BBC in its entirety, I remember going over to my brothers to watch it because he had a new-fangled colour telly.  I'll never forget the fairies entrance when they appeared to run down a moonbeam, nothing has ever touched that production.

[CHazell2]

Sounds wonderful MAB, what else can you remember?