SPECIAL SWAN LAKE

I bought this DVD a few days ago because I had never seen Maya Plisetskaya dance and I'd read so much about her I just had to see what she was all about. I'm glad to say she is fantastic. I have a lot of Swan Lake DVD's and Maya's Odette/Odile is one that stands out. She really creates characters like I've never seen before. Beautiful dancing and drama. On the down side, the lighting of the stage was not very good. Much of the background was in darkness and only the person(s) dancing had light on them. I like to see everything on the stage so I was disappointed with the lighting. I'm still glad I have this recording of Maya Plisetskaya. Now I'll be looking for more of her on DVD. --Titus orange. Buy here.

TCHAIKOVSKY: SWAN LAKE (BLU-RAY)

'Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake' has a richly textured transfer that will please fans. Colors are vivid, black levels are inky, and detail is quite breathtaking. Just look at the costumes and cloaks worn by the various dancers - I could see individual stitching and accents on every inch of the costumes. Hair and sweat were particularly well defined and long shots of grouped dancers were sharp. A top notch audio track keeps Tchaikovsky's compositions vibrant and kinetic. The surround mix, on the other hand, showcases robust dynamics and a stable soundfield that really sells the realism of the musical performance. The clarity of the strings had me initially fooled into assuming this was a lossless track and the bass lines have a strong presence despite the absence of an LFE channel (a low frequency effects channel -- noted by the ".1" designation in a typical "5.1" surround mix). Channel pans are particularly nice as violins and cellos swell across the soundscape. Lighter instruments like clarinets, oboes, and flutes are also well prioritized in the mix and never feel lost in the chaos of the horns. Fans of classical music performances will find a lot to love here. --Paul Dickinson Buy it now.

OUTSTANDING SWAN LAKE! AND A SAD SWAN SONG

This is a wonderful, classical version of Swan Lake. It has all the elements and parts I want to see in this ballet: most of the dance segments and artistic excellence and balance. Right from the beginning we can tell this is going to be a great, energetic ballet as Prince Siegfried comes onto the stage in the very beginning and joins his tutor and jester in a lively pas de trois. it is choreographed by Yuri Grigorovich, Natalia Bessmetnova's husband and the director of the Bolshoi Ballet at that time. He was a great choreographer and was especially gifted at staging the classics so that they fit the standards and requirements of today. The role of Odette and Odile is danced by Natalia Bessmertnova magnificently. She always danced with a combination of technical excellence and dignity. Another remarkable aspect of this performance is the uniform excellence of the dancing. Nowhere is there the slightest imperfection! Additionally, I was very impressed with the combination of youthful vigor and mature stature of all the dancing. All of the ethnic dances are included, and the Black Swan pas de deux follows the Petipa version. Rothbart is also given some great choreography here, something that is often neglected in other stagings. The sets and costumes are also at the highest standard--absolutely gorgeous. The image and sound are very good, as well, but keep in mind that this is a ballet movie on color film, so it has that special quality that film imparts. If you don't mind a Swan Lake on film, this is a fine Swan Lake to have in any collection. Sadly, on February 19, 2008 Natalia Bessmertnova died of a grave, protracted illness, just a few weeks after the release of this DVD. After her retirement from the stage, she had been teaching until her illness.--J.M. Wilinsky Read more.

SWAN LAKE: A REMASTERED BALLET MASTERPIECE

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake remains a ballet favorite and a powerful star vehicle for the prima ballerina who must dance the roles of two characters- the "white swan" Odette and the black swan Odile, good and evil. Swan Lake has been recorded many times by celebrated conductors and their orchestras - Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra (here it's Wolfgang Sawallisch and the same orchestra from an earlier period) Canadian Charles Dutroit and the Montreal forces, Seiji Ozawa, Andre Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra, Richard Bonynge better known for his operatic vehicles with his wife Joan Sutherland, Antal Dorati and his orchestra, and even Herbert Von Karajan joined the band wagon of conducting great ballets- he conducted the complete Giselle and a concert suite of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Nutcracker. Wolfgang Sawallisch was a brilliant conductor, and unfortunately like so many conductors in Karajan's time, he was underappreciated. This Swan Lake is beautifully restored and sounds fresh, powerful and lyrical. The music for Swan Lake has symphonic qualities, with a contrast of serene and jovial dances and melancholy and even fatalistic themes. The Dance of the Little Swans is bouncy and cheery, the violin solos for Odette's solo dances are almost mournful (she's mourning her swan condition/curse) and the Swan Theme is powerful and stormy, borrowed from the last notes to a Wagner's Lohengrin prelude. For these reasons critics did not initially warm up to the "heavy" music of Swan Lake. But eventually it became the most beautiful of the "ballet-blancs" ever made. Other "white tutu" ballets include Giselle (Act 2 the Willis) and La Bayadere (Act 2 The Land of Shades). The music is to die for in this recording and I highly recommend it. --Rudy Avila "Saint Seiya" Read more.

RUSSIAN DANCE FROM SWAN LAKE - TCHAIKOVSKY

"Swan Lake" is probably the most popular work by Tchaikovsky, because it contains all the elements that can capture the hearts of the audience; beautiful melodies, melancholy lyricism that tenderly moves the heart, sweet and sentimental feelings, sympathetic character, and a fantasic story presented in a poetic and dramatic manner.

Tchaikovsky had studied many romantic legends and fairy tales before writing this ballet piece, and so laid the foundation of a total art in which ballet and music are integrated to create a fantasic world of dreams.

"Russian Dance" is believed to be originally written as a solo dance for the main character Odile.

THE ADAGIO BOX (BOX SET)

This extraordinary example of performance by Herbert von Karajan and Berlin Philarmonic gives to us the wonder of music from many composers. The harmony of each CD is simply admirable, from joy to romance, from nostalgy to relaxation. Buy here.

SAXSOPHONE VOCALISE

This is a wonderful and eclectic album for any music fan, not just saxophone players. Some of the stand-out tracks on this recording include Rousseau's Porgy and Bess Suite, his version of Bruch's Kol Nidre and his performance of Bernard Heiden' Diversion for Saxophone and Band (one of the few pieces that is in its original form). His playing is always musical and he does wonderful things with all the pieces on the album, especially the ones mentioned above. The Heiden Diversion is a particular favourite of mine, it not only has its virtuosic sections, but has a lovely, haunting middle section where the saxophone just soars above the band's accompaniment. This recording definitely belongs in any serious music lover's collection. Buy here