Ermanno Florio, Orchestre de l’Opera national de Paris, Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris - Minkus: Don Quichotte (2008/2002)
Ermanno Florio, Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris, Aurélie Dupont, Manuel Legris - Minkus: Don Quichotte (2008/2002)
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) VBR | (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | (DTS, 6 ch) | 6.92 Gb (DVD9) | 122 min
Classical | ArtHaus Musik
NTSC 16:9 (720x480) VBR | (LinearPCM, 2 ch) | (Dolby AC3, 6 ch) | (DTS, 6 ch) | 6.92 Gb (DVD9) | 122 min
Classical | ArtHaus Musik
Ludwig (or Léon) Minkus does not rank very high on anyone’s list of distinguished composers, but his music nonetheless survives thanks to the tuneful scores he turned out for the ballet, particularly for the choreographer Marius Petipa. And it is probably Don Quichotte that is the best-known today, closely followed by La Bayadère . Until the Russian ballet companies began touring the West in the 1950s and 60s, audiences knew only the pas de deux, which was a staple of many a touring company. But once the Kirov and Bolshoi showed us that there was considerably more to the work, productions began to proliferate. Rudolf Nureyev even made a full-length film of the ballet almost 50 years ago with the Australian Ballet Company, which allows us to see the captivating Lucette Aldous. He then went on to stage the piece for many other companies, including the Paris Opera. Aside from the fact that today we don’t know how much of Don Quichotte is actually the work of Petipa, as it was revived and revised by Alexander Gorsky, among a great many others, rendering meaningless the credit “based upon Marius Petipa,” what Nureyev gives us is his version of the ballet as danced by the Kirov during his time with that company.
The Paris Opera Ballet has gone all out for this production, with colorful sets and costumes, outstanding dancers, and fidelity to Nureyev’s concept. We can appreciate the attempt to convey a vitality to the surroundings, but when the choreographer gives the performer of Basilio some extra dancing, we easily recognize the kind of posturing for which Nureyev himself was famous. Aurélie Dupont’s Kitri shows another facet of her talent after her Sleeping Beauty and Sylphide, entering wholeheartedly into the fun while demonstrating a flawless technique. Manuel Legris, now retired and director of the Ballet of the Vienna Opera, is the ideal partner, matching Dupont in the fullness of his portrayal. Jean-Guillaume Bart is a virtuoso Espada, while Marie-Agnès Gillot is not as flamboyant as usual as the Street Dancer. And what happened to the solo with the daggers planted in the stage floor? They are in the old film. Delphine Moussin’s Queen of the Dryads lacks some of the amplitude we usually associate with her solo, but Clairemarie Osta is piquant as Cupidon. It is unfortunate that Jean-Marie Didière in the title role wears a mask so that his face is totally unexpressive. Conductor Ermanno Florio leads an effective performance, but does not seem to stimulate the dancers, so many of the special moments do not have quite the effect we have seen on other occasions, for example the one-handed lifts near the end of act I or the previously mentioned solo of the Queen of the Dryads. (FANFARE)
Cast:
Kitri – Aurélie Dupont
Basile – Manuel Legris
Espada – Jean-Guillaume Bart
La danseuse de rue – Marie-Agnès Gillot
La Reine des Dryades – Delphine Moussin
Cupidon – Clairemarie Osta
Les deux amies – Mélanie Hurel, Veronique Doisneau
Don Quixote – Jean-Marie Didière
Sancho – Fabien Roques
Gamache – Lauren Queval
Lorenzo – Alexis Saramite
Le gitan – Karl Paquette
La demoiselle d’honneur – Fanny Fiat
Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris
Conductor - Ermanno Florio
Choreography and Stage Direction - Rudolf Nureyev
Ermanno Florio, Orchestre de l’Opera national de Paris, Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris - Minkus: Don Quichotte (2008/2002)
Ermanno Florio, Orchestre de l’Opera national de Paris, Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris - Minkus: Don Quichotte (2008/2002)
Ermanno Florio, Orchestre de l’Opera national de Paris, Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris - Minkus: Don Quichotte (2008/2002)
Ermanno Florio, Orchestre de l’Opera national de Paris, Aurelie Dupont, Manuel Legris - Minkus: Don Quichotte (2008/2002)
