Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake / Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, John Lanchbery

Starring:Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, Vienna State Opera Ballet
Director: John Lanchbery
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

5 stars : margot/rudolf 's swan lake !!!!
One of the Best Nureyev DVDs
A Lass Unparalleled!
One Of My Very Favorite Swan Lakes.
A mixed review

Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake / Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, John Lanchbery
Starring: Margot Fonteyn , Rudolf Nureyev , and Vienna State Opera Ballet
Director: John Lanchbery
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007P0LPC
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Customer Reviews:

5 stars : margot/rudolf 's swan lake !!!!.......2007-07-04

i hv own this swan lake dvd for three yrs, but never thought about writing a review until now, why?
after i bought the dvd ( margot/rudof ), and watching it almost a dozen times either by myself or introduce it to a female friend, it ALWAYS made me cry at the end of act IV, never fail.
so,last week, i spent 40,000 of my precious united award miles, flew almost 12 hrs ( two stops, delayed 2 and 3 hrs here and there,etc)from california to new york to see ABT's ( american ballet theatre ) swan lake procuction at lincoln center.
boy, I WAS SO DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!!!
why? as usual:
act I's folk dance, i can tolerate it like everyone else,
act II ,III i wasn't very happy with it already,but, i still have hope for the final act,but then when it comes to
act IV, the production has cut it almost into half !
what a shame.
hence, i recommand margot/rudof 's "swan lake" to anyone who is interested in purchasing a good dvd,never an " ABT " swan lake :)

One of the Best Nureyev DVDs.......2007-06-01

This Swan Lake is one of the best I have ever seen. Though the Nureyev staging is very different from the "typical" staging, his performance is unrivaled. He carries the Pas de Cinq in Act I and does an amazing job in the Black Swan Pas de Deux of Act III. Fonteyn is also very good, though she is admittedly past the peak of her career. For all Nureyev fans, this is his best commercially available performance.

A Lass Unparalleled!.......2007-01-21

I first saw Fonteyn in a live performance in 1968. Of course I had seen her on television but was not prepared for the impact of a theatre experience.I was stunned. She was dancing in Giselle with Nureyev. Their performance was sublime.

Nureyev had transformed the role of the male dancer, but it was Fonteyn in my opinion who held the essence of ballet. So of course I bought this video as a record of her art.

At first viewing I found the close up Nureyev a little narcisstic but this did not detract from the quality of the first act.

I was overwhelemed with the dancing in act two and the rapport between Odette and Siegfried has never been matched. Fonteyn's dancing is simple, precise, and without affectation. There is no over extension which one sees today and which I find rather more suitable to the gymnasium then the stage. Her placement is extraordinary, the poise of her head and lovely port de bras that has even tho this day no equal. As an example see her in Les Sylphides in the Prelude solo (An Evening with the Royal Ballet) when just running her arms move as though there are no bones!

Her first entrance captures the whole essence of the ballet. A swan queen who has been tranformed into a graceful young maiden. One is not aware of technique so wll absorbed is it into the whole performance; wonderful arabesques and balances culminating in the great pas de deux which should be mandatory viewing for any aspiring Odette. Not to be copied but as an inspiration for elegiac dancing.

In the third act Fonteyn subtley portrays the role of Odile-with flashing eyes and and a different poise of her head. After all Siegfried has to be able to recognise that this must be Odette, the woman to whom he has sworn undying love in act two. So Odile cannot be the complete opposite in character. This Fontyen shows as no other. Her solo dancing has just the right amount of speed and attack coupled with wonderful turns and balances.

In the final act we see the renunion of Odette and Siegfried and the glorious dancing and emotion builds to the tragic ending of Siegfired drowning in the lake and the hopelessness of Odette as she realises that all is lost.

This version of the ballet is a complete blending of dance and dramatic interpretation of a timeless story and not to be missed by anyone who loves the magic of dance.

Francis J. Farrar

One Of My Very Favorite Swan Lakes........2006-06-15

Nureyev had a wonderfully keen practical and artistic sense of how to produce the classical ballets. Among other things, he realized the merits of enlarging the role of the male dancer, as did Balanchine, his quote to the contrary notwithstanding!(Male dancers who danced for him that I have trained with, tell me that when he said ballet is all about women, he was mostly referring to the concept of partnering, where the woman is prominently displayed; he enjoyed working with male dancers very much, as we can see in his choreography.) In this version, both principal dancers are given a great deal of choreography and, as one would expect from one of the world's most famous ballet duos, they dance magnificently! Margot Fonteyn was always the quintessential ballerina, both on stage and off. She was also a great balletic actress and did not like to be disturbed backstage during a ballet because she would stay in character. She always peformed at her best, right up to the end of her very long career.
Some people have been surprised at the closeup of Nureyev in this at the begining of the first act; it shows the starkness of his makeup. Actually, this type of makeup is often used for this role, but we usually don't see it in closeup! It looks good at a distance. It is all part of the fantasy aspect of Swan Lake.
Especially noteworthy is the adagio Nureyev dances at the end of act one. Many dancers have bought this version just to see and study this! It is one of the greatest moments in classical ballet!
Nureyev's handling of the corps de ballet is also fantastic. I loved the geometric patterns he sets for them. The corps also dances with great precision and passion.
The only subdued aspect of this version is that of the Rothbart character. He is reduced to just a character role here. Nureyev liked to have important character, non-dancing , roles in his ballets for balance, no doubt.
This recent transfer by DG is marvelous, both visually and acoustically. I highly recommend this classic performance as a traditional Swan Lake.

A mixed review.......2005-12-29

Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. No other ballet partnership is as legendary -- the fiery Russian defector and the graceful, aging English ballerina formed a bond on and off the stage that for several years practically defined romantic ballet. Thus, for this very reason, hardcore balletomanes should get this dvd. Many of us (including me) were too young to have seen Nureyev and Fonteyn live, so these videos are the only example to dissect the legendary partnership. However, caveat emptor: this is NOT a "typical" Swan Lake by any means. You can argue that there is no "typical" Swan Lake -- the original production in 1877 was a failure. Some of the music went missing. After Tchaikovksy's death, the choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov restaged Swan Lake, and that version more or less is the Swan Lake audiences know today. There's lots of music, so most versions of Swan Lake
use the "traditional" pieces.

Nevertheless, there are some different traditions of Swan Lake. In the Russian productions, the outcome is usually "happy" -- Rothbart is killed, and Siegfried and Odette are alive. In the productions used "everywhere else," Odette and Siegfried leap into the lake, and are reunited in the otherworld. I prefer the second ending personally, because I think it better matches both the story (the happy ending was enforced by the Tsar, and seems tacked on), and the music as well.

Rudolf Nureyev's 1966 film, however, is unlike any other Swan Lake I've ever seen. First of all, from the opening closeup (of Siegfried in blue eyeshadow and red lipstick) you realize this film is not going to follow Balanchine (and classical ballet's) creed of "ballet is woman." The first act is redesigned to incorporate a lot of solos and dance opportunities for Siegfried (Nureyev). The first act usually ends with Siegfried picking up his bow and arrow and going hunting with Benno. In this film, there is a long elegiac solo for Siegfried (using music that's usually used in act 2). Since this solo has since become rather common in Swan Lake productions, it doesn't bother me that much. Actually, in this version of Swan Lake, there is no Benno, so one of the things missing from this Swan Lake is the first act Pas de Trois.

More bothersome is Act 2. Nureyev dares to tinker with the famous Act II choreography by Lev Ivanov. In the famous Odette/Siegfried Adagio, the melody is repeated with the cello, but this repeat is rather abruptly interrupted by a solo for Siegfried. Most of the famous "Love Duet" is there but I don't like the sudden switch to a solo for Siegfried. I prefer the "traditional" ending to the pas de deux.

And one also notices that Fonteyn, as graceful and lovely as she is, is at times unable to cope with the famously demanding Odette/Odile role. For instance, Odette's solo in Act II usually ends with a series of turns and then Odette stands on pointe and holds a balance before going into the wings. Fonteyn doesn't attempt the feat, but ends the series of turns in first position -- flat on her feet. Another example is Odette's entrance -- it usually is accompanied by a large grande jete. Fonteyn's jump is much smaller. Her balances are somewhat shaky. She is in general somewhat careful and slow throughout the ballet. Fonteyn also refused to have any closeups, a choice which might have hidden her wrinkles but has a distancing effect on the viewer. Fonteyn's Odette/Odile was legendary, but I don't think this video caught Fonteyn in her finest hour.

Act III's music choreography is pretty standard, but the musical arrangements (and choreography) for the Black Swan Pas de deux are different. Nureyev uses music that Tchaikovsky later composed for the Black Swan pdd, and ballet lovers will recognize it immediately as the music to Balanchine's crowdpleasing "Tchaikovsky pas de deux." Bourmeister's version of Swan Lake also uses this music. Fonteyn actually churns out the fouettes very well, confirming something I've long suspected: that everyone looks at the fouettes, but Odette/Odile's real challenges are the balances, footwork, and leaps, and this is where you can see Fonteyn suffer.

Strangely, Act IV (the act that is usually cut to shreds) is the most intact. And it's the best-danced act: it;s the reconciliation scene between Odette and Siegfried that one can catch glimmers of the genuine bond that existed between these dancers. Elsewhere, the technical limitations of Fonteyn by this time and Nureyev's reworking of Swan Lake as a solo showpiece for Siegfried distracted me from simply enjoying their partnership. I particularly loved when Siegfried runs all over the stage, turning up the head of each swan, to find his Odette, and when he finally finds Margot's head, it's a truly beautiful moment. The ending of Nureyev's version is also unorthodox, and not the "usual" endings of the Swan Boat to heaven. It is, however, in many ways very similar to the Bourmeister ending. One wonders if Nureyev got the inspiration for his ending from the Bourmeister version (which can be seen in a new video with Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle).

On a technical level, there are problems. The ballet was filmed on a soundstage, and seems way too small to fit a whole cpmpany corps. As a result, the dancers often look haplessly cramped and as if they'll bump into each other. The close bunching also detracted from the natural geometric shapes that are so much a
part of classical ballet. The Vienna State Ballet also looks woefully underreheased. Either that or they're just bad. Their legs are terribly uneven in arabesques, their arms are a mess, and they simply look like a corps that hasnt danced Swan Lake enough. The sets are also deliberately artificial and the costuming, espeically for Nureyev and in the "color" acts, is garish. The lighting is inadequate, especially in the "White Swan" acts. Rothbart (Redbeard here) is a non-dancing role, unlike in most productions when he's a smooth pimp-type in Act III.

For a traditional Swan Lake with a more modern Odette/Odile, I'd suggest the Makarova/Dowell dvd with the Royal Ballet. Makarova was 41 at the time of filming, but her long extensions, boneless arms, exquisite balances, and still impressive technique make her Odette/Odile treasurable. This Swan Lake is of great historical value, and Fonteyn is undeniably lovely, but overall I admit I wanted a more traditional Swan Lake, and I certainly wouldnt recommend this dvd as anyone's first Swan Lake. Its just too unorthodox.

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