Siddharta ballet. Book and choreography by Angelin Preljocaj. Original music by Bruno Mantovani written especially for this production. Performed (world premiere) 2010 at the Opéra National de Paris. Stars Nicolas Le Riche (Prince Siddharta), Aurélie Dupont (L'Eveil or the Awakener), Stéphane Bullion (Ananda, Siddharta's cousin and companion), Wilfried Romoli (The King and Siddharta's father), Alice Renavand (Yasodhara, Siddharta's wife), Muriel Zusperreguy (Sujata, a village girl), and the Corps de Ballet de Opéra National de Paris. Susanna Mälkki conducts the Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris; set design by Claude Lévêque; costumes by Olivier Bériot; dramaturgy by Eric Reinhardt; lighting by Domininue Bruguière; TV direction by Denis Caïozzi. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreAlonzo King LINES Ballet dance recital. Three studio recordings choreographed by Alonzo King for his LINES Ballet. Performed in 2011 in San Francisco at the Kerner Studios. Stars dancers Victor Mateos Arellano, David Harvey, Courtney Henry, Ashley Jackson, Yujin Kim, Laurel Keen, Michael Montgomery, Caroline Rocher, Zac Tang, Meredith Webster, Keelan Whitmore, Kara Wikes, and Ricardo Zayas. See keep-case booklet for identification of dancers scene-by-scene.
Works featured:
Triangle of the Squinches. Music by Mickey Hart; visual design by Christoper Haas; costumes designed by Robert Rosenwasser and constructed by Joan Raymond.
Scheherazade. Music by Zakir Hussain after Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; lighting by Axel Morgenthaler; visual design by Robert Rosenwasser; costume designs by Colleen Quen and Robert Rosenwasser; costumes constructed by Coleen Quen, Joan Raymond, and Abra Berman; production design by Robert Rosenwasser, Axel Morgenthaler, and G. Chris Griffin.
Dust and Light. Music by Arcangelo Corelli and Francis Poulenc; light design by Axel Morgenthaler; costumes designed by Robert Rosenwasser and constructed by Joan Raymond.
Also includes a documentary firm by Marita Stocker called Alonzo King--A Poet of Dance.
Other members of the artistic team receiving credits: technical direction by Tom Cloutier and G. Christopher Griffin; lighting by Meghan Beitiks, Victoria Hendrix, and Dan Kaminski; sound mixing by Claudia Wronski. Directed for TV by Andreas Morell. Released 2012, disc has 5.1 dts HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A-
Read MoreThe Nutcracker ballet. Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Libretto and choreography by Yuri Grigorovich with ideas from Marius Petipa. Filmed in 2010 at the Bolshoi Ballet. Stars Nina Kaptsova (Marie), Artem Ovcharenko (The Nutcracker Prince), Denis Savin (Drosselmeyer), Alexey Loparevich (Stahbaum), Olga Suvorova (Mrs. Stahlbaum), and Pavel Dmitrichenko (Mouse King). Pavel Klinichev conducts the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra and Children Chorus. Set and costume design by Simon Virsaladze; lighting design by Mikhail Sokolov; directed for TV by Vincent Bataillon; produced by François Duplat. Released 2011, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: F
This recording was made about the time a massive, years-long renovation of the Bolshoi Theater was winding down. During this time the Bolshoi Ballet stayed in operation, but it would appear the renovation project adversely affected current performances. In this Nutcracker, the star dancers perform well. But in every other way, this title is a dismal disappointment.
Read MoreGiselle ballet. Music by Adolphe Adam to libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges & Théophile Gautier. Choreographed by Patrice Bart and Eugène Polyakov based on Petipa tradition and performed 2006 at the Opéra National de Paris, Palais Garnier. Stars Laëtitia Pujol (Giselle), Nicolas Le Riche (Albrecht), Marie-Agnès Gillot (Myrtha), Wilfried Romoli (Hilarion), Richard Wilk (Prince of Courlande), Natacha Quernet (Princess Bathilde), Danielle Doussard (Berthe), Stéphane Elizabé (Wilfred), Myriam Ould-Braham, Emmanuel Thibault (Peasant pas de deux), as well as Emilie Cozette and Laura Hecquet (Two wilis). Paul Connelly directs the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris. Sets by Alexandre Benois realized by Silvano Mattei; costumes by Benois realized by Claudie Gastine; lighting realized by Marc Anrochte. Directed for TV by François Roussillon. Released 2009, disc has 7.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: A+
Read MoreTchaikovsky Gala. On December 31, 2007 the ballet troupe of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan threw its New Year's Eve Gala. The program consisted of excepts from Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker ballets under direction of Elisabetta Terabust. The Swan Lake stars are Polina Semionova (Odette/Odile), Roberto Bolle (Prince Siegfried), Maurizio Licitra (Jester), Gianni Ghisleni (Rothbart), and Flavia Vallone ( Queen). The Sleeping Beauty stars are Marta Romagna (Princess Aurora), Alessandro Grillo, Mick Zeni, Matteo Buongiorno, Bryan Hewison (Four Princes), Antonio Sutera (Blubird), and Daniela Cavalleri (Princess Florin). The Nutcracker stars are Nadja Saidakova (Marie) and Ronald Savkovic (Nutcracker). David Coleman conducts the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala; directed for TV by Denis Caïozzi. Released 2008, disc has 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: C+
Read MoreHandel Acis and Galatea opera to libretto by John Gay, Alexander Pope, and John Hughes. Directed 2009 by Wayne McGregor (assistant Laïla Diallo) at the Royal Opera House. The singing stars are Danielle de Niese (Galatea, a Nymph), Charles Workman (Acis, a Shepherd), Paul Agnew (Damon, a Shepherd), Matthew Rose (Polyphemus), Ji-Min Park (Coridon, a Shepherd), Juliet Schiemann (Chorus Soprano Soloist), and Phillip Bell (Chorus Tenor Soloist). The dancing stars from the Royal Ballet are Lauren Cuthbertson (Galatea), Edward Watson (Acis), Steven McRae (Damon), Melissa Hamilton (Damon), Eric Underwood (Polyphemus), and Paul Kay (Coridon). Other dancers are Olivia Cowley, Cindy Jourdain, Kristen McNally, Iohna Loots, Samantha Raine, Brian Maloney, Liam Scarlett, Johannes Stepanek, and Dawid Trzensimiech. Christopher Hogwood conducts the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (leader: Kati Debretzeni) and the The Royal Opera Extra Chorus (Chorus Master: Stephen Westrop). Continuo: harpsichord by Julian Perkins; theorbo by Jan Čižmář; cello by Andrew Skidmore. Chamber organ by Steven Moore. Designs by Hildegard Bechtler; lighting by Lucy Carter; film director was Jonathan Haswell. Released in 2010, disc has 5.0 dts-HD Master Audio sound. Grade: D+
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