Swan Lake

A magnificent production despite my one caveat; namely, the irritating narrative that precedes each act. Most ballet lovers, I suspect, know the plot. I find this narrative obvious and intrusive, serving only as an interference, and distraction to what is the stunning confluence of music and choreography, not to mention the flawless execution and emotional depth of the soloists and corps.

I have watched many live and video performances of this ballet and this is the one version I find myself returning to time and time again. There is something so dramatically compelling about the way Makarova and Dowell interpret their roles that my attention is held in a way that perhaps more technically proficient renderings of the roles could not. Makarova and Dowell in the leads are ultimately the most satisfying interpretations I have yet witnessed. Makarova's dancing is a wonder to behold; her magisterial, liquid adagio dancing in the Act II grand pas deux was of course, a given. Makarova's dancing was possessed of a unique physicality, a way of moving that made it seem as though her arms and legs were radiating a plush and limitless stretch. One could almost see an energy field originating from the centre of her body and pulsing out through her arms and legs and emanating far beyond her head, hands and feet. There seemed to be a mysterious and boundless stretch to Makarova. Baryshnikov too, had this "mysterious stretch" in his dancing. And Makarova's hands, what magical and bewitching worlds can be conjured from a pair expressive arms and hands! Watch, at the coda of Act II when Makarova's Odette runs towards Dowell's Siegfried, and is caught in his arms and lifted high above his head. With a ripple of her arms, the well-timed arch of her back, neck and head, one could almost believe Odette would take flight right then. The moment is breathtaking and for that moment, time might as well have stopped. What has continued to surprise me is Makarova's Odile. In this act Makarova, physically, becomes a whole other creature. The same lambent grace is still there, the same palpable and mysterious stretch, but now her edges have sharpened and her dancing has taken on a hard, cold, obdurate quality. I will never forget her baleful expression when she first turns towards Prince Siegfried to present her hand for the very first time. This moment marks the beginning of the Act III "Black Swan" grand pas de deux, and what a spellbinding moment it is. The whole ballroom now shines with a hectic glitter and now begins the ultimate dance of deception. Unshakable bravura was never a hallmark of Makarova's dancing and I could quibble about her indifferent fouettes. I prefer instead to revel in the splendour of her dramatic interpretation. From start to finish, Makarova's Odile is a textbook example of how to enchant a Prince and an audience into believing completely, an evil magician's deception. Even as Makarova negotiates Odile's treacherous choreography, her conviction and her hold on her dramatic portrayal is so unwavering that by the end, the Prince is utterly destroyed. Makarova's Odile is so convincing that at the end of the pas de deux, the audience finds itself on its feet applauding not a ballerina, but for the total triumph of von Rothbart's diabolical creation. As an aside, Makarova's pique/chaine turns at the end of her solo are so fleet and so delicious that I never again want to see another dancer stumping her way through this same variation. I make special mention of Sir Fredrick Ashton's choreography in Act IV. There's a particularly lovely and effective sequence where in small groups, Odette ushers away her swan sisters and returns to a kneeling Siegfried, bends down slowly and deeply into an arabesque penche and bestows her forgiveness for Siegfried's unwitting betrayal. Almost no one does this "forgiveness and reconciliation" scene anymore. The overall production values of the Royal Ballet's "Swan Lake" are somewhat inconsistent, the stage sets and costumes look like they were taken out of cold storage and the dancing of the corps de ballet could benefit from a more pliant use of the back and arms. Natalia Makarova and Anthony Dowell's dancing are of a kind that informs an age. I search in vain for a young Makarova or a young Baryshnikov that would bring the same magic and transcendent artistry from which their legends were made.

I'm not an expert but was a ballerina as a little girl and graduated into toe shoes in my early teens, so I know how difficult it is to dance ballet. Makarova is simply enchanting as Odette the Swan Princess. She was in her early 40's when this was filmed in the 80's. Her classical training in the Russian ballet program is very evident here. She's not perfect, but comes pretty close. This is a very demanding role for any ballerina especially one nearing the end of a fabulous career. Her legendary reputation is certainly solidified by this magnificent performance. Her beautiful, fluid arm movements are absolutely mesmerizing. Her facial and physical expressions add to a beautiful, dramatic interpretation. I have yet to see another ballerina emote and bring forth such dramatic intensity as Odette. Dowell is a very talented dancer and quite handsome too. I enjoyed his pirouettes and he has amazing balance. I thought he was quite sensitive as Prince Siegfried. They seemed to have very good chemistry. The Swan maidens were wonderful, but lacking the exact precision of the Paris Ballet or Kirov corps. Film was beautifully shot and has held up well considering the age of the original master tape. Overall, this is still my favorite Swan Lake performance on dvd simply for Makarova & Dowell's performances. At the curtain call, it was charming to see Makarova kiss a single red rose from her bouquet and present it to Dowell for a job well done.

I purchased this DVD and that featuring Maya Pleitskaya to compare and contrast and boy, I sure got my money's worth and then some with those! This version of Swan Lake has absolutely beautiful staging and production values, wonderful photography, lighting and sound, beautiful costumes and fine choreography. It has some narration in it for those not familiar with the story, which was very nice. The only thing I wished it had was an audience. The recording seems like a recording of a dress rehearsal, not a performance, and it's amazing how much one misses that. It has a dead quality. I don't mean to say that the dancers and everyone else didn't appear to be giving their all, because I believe they did, but one did miss an audience to energize their performance. Yulia Makhalina is a very beautiful woman and a wonderful dancer, no question about it, and makes a very pleasing Odette/Odille. Igor Zelensky dances wonderfully and I appreciated his strength and fluidity but definitely no chemistry between he and Yulia. That killed it a little bit but still, it's a very fine performance. I would especially recommend this for a neophyte to the ballet.

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I may not be an expert on Ballet, but I have quite a large collection of DVD's curtesy of Amazon, This Ballet is enchanting, The dancing is very well done and the stars make you feel their sincerety,All the swans gave good performances. The whole cast contributed to a well turned out show.You don't always want a technically danced perfect demonstration. Look at the faces of the dancers, I felt it was a good interpretation of a wonderful story.

E' la migliore edizione,di quante ne ho viste,del lago dei cigni. I ballerini sono magnifici attori,specialmente la HART.La struttura cromatica é caratterizzata da una splendida dominante celeste che rende lo spettacolo avvincente,da sogno. Consiglio questa edizione a tutti coloro che riescono ad astrarsi dalla realtà fino a sognare ad occhi aperti.

This performance shows the highest standard of Principal Dancers, Character Artists and Corps de Ballet. The sets and filming were so perfect for this way of viewing, both for full stage and close-up scenes. I particularly loved how the dance, lighting and facial expressions were so befitting the scenes, be it swans who remain serene but for the wicked smiling one summoned by the magician or dancers at Royal events in the castle ballroom scenes. All round superb version that will please all, be they dancers themselves or those who simply love ballet at its finest !

Precisamente este producto lo poseo en grabación en formato BETA de una emisión de TVE de 1984, y al hallar el DVD he mejorado mi videoteca. Muchas gracias