Valery Gergiev conducts the Mariinsky Orchestra and Ballet in these Ballets Russes production of these Stravinsky ballets. Ekaterina Kondaurova, Ilya Kuznelsov, Marianna Pavlova, and Vladimir Ponomarev are featured in The Firebird. Alexandra Isofidi, Elena Bazhenova, and Vladimir Ponomarev are featured in The Rite of Spring.
Stravinsky and the Ballets Russes: The Firebird and The Rite of Spring Blu-ray Review
The original productions of Stravinsky's most famous ballets are reconstructed and reproduced in this stunning new Blu-ray.
Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman, October 27, 2009
In the staid and stolid world of classical music (not to mention its sometimes even more reserved sibling, ballet), it may be hard to imagine the chaos surrounding the Paris premiere of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) in 1913. The audience was split between very vocal detractors and an equal number of modernist adherents, and the cacophony of their shouts was drowning out even Stravinsky's gargantuan orchestra, leading famed Ballets Russes star Nijinsky to clamber backstage where he attempted to scream out the count (a perhaps impossible task, given Stravinsky's use of polyrhythms) to the hapless dancers. Of course, the mere mention of the name Stravinsky should indicate in and of itself that this premiere was not your typical staid and stolid classical affair. Stravinsky had been tweaking the collective noses of the musical establishment for at least a few years, going back to his somewhat less revolutionary, but still quite forward leaning, L'Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird), also originally staged by the Ballets Russes under the leadership of their visionary impresario, Serge Diaghelev. This famous (some would argue infamous) one-two punch of modern ballet repertoire survived the ravages of time, musically at least, becoming some of the most beloved work of 20th century composition. Unfortunately the original productions, if not the choreography (which was notated, if rather primitively), soon faded from memory and it wasn't until relatively recently that restorations were attempted. This stunning new Blu-ray attempts to recreate those original performances, and if the result is perhaps understandably less revolutionary than it was circa 1910-13, it is not less revelatory. Indeed, it may be more so, given the intervening years.
Release Year: 2009
Region: All Regions
Aspect: 1.85:1
Format: Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, Subtitled, Widescreen
Actors: Stravinsky, Mariinsky Ballet, Gergiev, Losifidi
Language: French, English
Subtitle: English, French
Studio: Bel Air Classiques
Run Time: 85 minutes
Beloved beauty - Marianna Pavlova
Ivan Tsarevich - Ilya Kuznetsov
Kashchei - Vladimir Ponomarev
"Rite of Spring"
scenes from pagan Russia in 2 parts
Music by Igor Stravinsky (1913)
Choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky (1913)
Script by Igor Stravinsky and Nicholas Roerich
Chosen- Alexander Iosifidi
The oldest-Wise - Vladimir Ponomarev
Conductor - Valery Gergiev
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