STRAVINSKY AND THE BALLETS RUSSES

 

The Firebird & The Rite of Spring

 

The Firebird:

Ekaterina Kondaurova (Firebird)

Ilya Kuznetsov (Ivan Tsarevich)

Marianna Pavlova (The Princess)

Vladimir Ponomarev (Kachtcheï the Immortal)

Choreography & libretto: Michel Fokine (1910)

Reconstruction Isabelle Fokine, Andris Liepa;

Set & costume design: Anna & Anatoly Nezhny after original sketches

by Alexander Golovin, Léon Bakst & Michel Fokine

 

The Rite of Spring:

Alexandra Iosifidi (The Chosen One)

Elena Bazhenova (300-Year-Old Woman)

Vladimir Ponomarev (Shaman)

Choreography after Vaslav Nijinsky (1913)

Scene plan: Igor Stravinsky & Nicholas Roerich, reconstructed and staged by Millicent Hodson

Set and costume design: Nicholas Roerich, reconstructed and supervised by Kenneth Archer

Lighting: Vladimir Lukin

 

Mariinsky Orchestra & Ballet / Valery Gergiev

 

Today it is difficult to imagine the impact on audiences at the beginning of the 20th century of Serge Diaghilev (1872-1929) and his Ballets Russes. In celebration of the debut of the Ballets Russes in Paris in 1909, this wonderful Stravinsky evening at the Mariinsky Theatre showcases the original Nijinsky version of The Rite of Spring for the first time on DVD along with The Firebird, both conducted by Valery  Gergiev. Thanks to the relentless work of Millicent Hodson, Nijinsky's original choreography has now been recreated, performed by the lead dancers and Ballet Company of the Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre conducted by Valery Geriev, known the world over for his interpretation of Stravinsky's works.

 

Zones: All zones

Format: 16/9 NTSC, PCM stereo / Dolby digital 5.1

 

Bel Air Classiques DVD BAC041