Minkus - Paquita / Letestu, Martinez, Paquette, Wilk, Coleman, Paris Opera

Rating:
Summary: Paris Opera Ballet
Review: I bought this DVD just because it was performed by Paris Opera Ballet, but I was pleasantly surprised and I felt like having received an unexpected nice present. It was especially nice to see the other dancers (Letestu and Martinez) where it seems like most of their performance is dominated by DuPont and Legris (They are wonderful too). I read some ballet professional critic was writing against Paquette (not for this one but for other ballet), but I thought he expressed his role very well and his dance was dynamic and suitable. Letestu was beautiful and elegant and Martinez was the typical fairly tale prince. I really enjoyed it. I hope to see this partner in other performance too.

Rating:
Summary: Another Winner From Paris
Review: Over the past few years the National Opera de Paris has produced some stunning DVDs of ballets. This latest is a reconstruction by Pierre Lacotte of a ballet that has not been seen in its entirety for many years. Of particular interest is the extensive use of mime in the second act to carry the story along. An interview with the dancers reveals how difficult they found the adoption of silent film techniques.

However, it is the dancing which makes or mars a production and this ballet has some excellent examples of Parisian technique at its finest. Both Jose Martinez and Agnes Letestu, the principals, turn in fine performances, as does Karl Paquette as one of the villains. The children of the ballet school perform admirably too, but it is the corps who are the stars of this show. They, with the surprisingly familiar music of the three composers involved, make this a DVD worth having. If one were to buy no DVDs of ballet except those of Paris one would still have a superb collection.