Rating: 
Summary: Buy this video now !
Review: A fantastic revival of a warhorse ! I loved every minute of it. Not only do you get to see the superstars (Harvey, Baryshnikov, Barbee, Bisell) you also see Susan Jaffe and Amanda McKerrow in the corps. The grand pas de deux is not to be missed.
Rating:
Summary: Great remake of a Great Classic
Review: At the peak of the "Ballet Boom" Baryshnikov adds a little fun into a usually "dark work" -as he terms it...a cheerful amusing ballet with excellent performances from Harvey, Baryshnikov, Bissell, and a young Susan Jaffe. Misha has still got it!
Rating:
Summary: Buy this video now !
Review: Baryshinikov, Cynthia, and Victor Barbee are at their finest in this ballet. This video should be in everyones library. It is great entertainment for both adults and children. Another great accomplishment by a New York ballet company. But, what else can you expect??
Rating:
Summary: This is terrific entertainment.
Review: Baryshinikov, Cynthia, and Victor Barbee are at their finest in this ballet. This video should be in everyones library. It is great entertainment for both adults and children. Another great accomplishment by a New York ballet company. But, what else can you expect??
Rating: 
Summary: A Highly Overrated Ballet
Review: If there ever was a ballet deserving of being made fun of, surely this is it. Perhaps you have seen Olympic gold medalist figure skater Scott Hamilton's ballet parody routine; it is based off of the grand pas de deux from "Don Quixote." I get a big laugh out of Hamilton's piece, because in my opinion, "Don Quixote" is most overrated. The grand pas de deux, with all of its leaping, may make for a good excerpt piece on a ballet highlights video, but the complete ballet is a disappointment.The book "Don Quixote" was completed by Spanish author Cervantes in 1615. The "World Book" provides this brief general overview of the novel: "Don Quixote is a simple-minded country gentleman who has read so many books of chivalry that he imagines himself a knight. He sets out to reform the world. He mistakes windmills for giants and flocks of sheep for armies. Sancho Panza, an ignorant country fellow, is his squire. Panza thinks only about eating and sleeping. Don Quixote thinks about ideals." Although many consider Cervantes' novel to be among the world's greatest, the characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza translate very, very poorly onto the ballet stage. They come across as a couple of buffoons that make the television character Ally McBeal look like a normally adjusted person. Cervantes novel is quite long, and the ballet is based on just one tiny part of it, called "Kitri's Wedding." Cervantes' novel also inspired a popular musical called "Man From La Mancha." Perhaps you have heard of the famous song "The Impossible Dream." The ballet gets some extra name recognition by riding along on the coattails of the famous book and musical, but don't be fooled--this is an overrated ballet. World-renowned dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev had this to say about Don Quixote's character: "At first, I hated him quite a lot. I didn't understand for a long time. I was on the side of the people. To me he was just a clown. And then I read the book! There is so much there, but in a ballet you can only skim the surface....It really is largely a lot of dances and great zest and comic spirit...and yet, everybody seems to think of this ballet as kind of foolish."(1) The great Ballet Master George Balanchine had this to say about "Don Quixote" (with its original choreography by Maurius Petipa): "The Petipa ballet, with music by Minkus, was in the repertory of the Maryinsky when I was a boy (I danced in this production in 1916, when I was twelve), but it was not a serious work and not one of my favorites."(2) Some people might interpret the word "serious" as indicative of a comedy, but the meaning depends on which definition of "serious" you use. So, you need to understand the context of the quote. After making the statement, Balanchine then proceeds to tell about his production of "Don Quixote" for the New York City Ballet, where he threw out the music by Minkus, had a new score written by Nicolas Nabokov, rewrote the libretto (story). and then worked up his own new choreography. Therefore, here is what I believe that Balanchine meant by "not a serious work": namely, a work not appealing to the connoisseur. This particular video is of some historical importance because it is a Mikhail Baryshnikov production. Basically, that means the choreography was reworked to showcase his talents, using the original music and libretto. Many of the lessor known dances have been edited out, and there are thirty minutes of cuts compared to the Kirov version. Out of the four versions of "Don Quixote" available on Amazon.com, the most popular (as of the date of this review) is the Kirov version. It also happens to be the best value. I personally rate the Kirov version one star higher because the Kirov is an overall superior ballet company compared to American Ballet Theatre, even with Baryshnikov dancing the part of Basilio. There is no doubt that Baryshnikov is a great dancer, but even he can't save this ballet--it is highly overrated! Instead, you may wish to consider the Kirov version, or find a ballet highlights film containing only the grand pas de deux. Notes: (1) Laura Bell, "Show" (1971), quoted in George Balanchine and Francis Mason, "101 Stories of the Great Ballets" (1975; reprint, New York: Doubleday, an Anchor Book Edition, 1989), pp. 118-119. (2) Balanchine and Mason, p. 120.
Rating:
Summary: A Highly Overrated Ballet
Review: If there ever was a ballet deserving of being made fun of, surely this is it. Perhaps you have seen Olympic gold medalist figure skater Scott Hamilton's ballet parody routine; it is based off of the grand pas de deux from "Don Quixote." I get a big laugh out of Hamilton's piece, because in my opinion, "Don Quixote" is most overrated. The grand pas de deux, with all of its leaping, may make for a good excerpt piece on a ballet highlights video, but the complete ballet is a disappointment. The book "Don Quixote" was completed by Spanish author Cervantes in 1615. The "World Book" provides this brief general overview of the novel: "Don Quixote is a simple-minded country gentleman who has read so many books of chivalry that he imagines himself a knight. He sets out to reform the world. He mistakes windmills for giants and flocks of sheep for armies. Sancho Panza, an ignorant country fellow, is his squire. Panza thinks only about eating and sleeping. Don Quixote thinks about ideals." Although many consider Cervantes' novel to be among the world's greatest, the characters of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza translate very, very poorly onto the ballet stage. They come across as a couple of buffoons that make the television character Ally McBeal look like a normally adjusted person. Cervantes novel is quite long, and the ballet is based on just one tiny part of it, called "Kitri's Wedding." Cervantes' novel also inspired a popular musical called "Man From La Mancha." Perhaps you have heard of the famous song "The Impossible Dream." The ballet gets some extra name recognition by riding along on the coattails of the famous book and musical, but don't be fooled--this is an overrated ballet. World-renowned dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev had this to say about Don Quixote's character: "At first, I hated him quite a lot. I didn't understand for a long time. I was on the side of the people. To me he was just a clown. And then I read the book! There is so much there, but in a ballet you can only skim the surface....It really is largely a lot of dances and great zest and comic spirit...and yet, everybody seems to think of this ballet as kind of foolish."(1) The great Ballet Master George Balanchine had this to say about "Don Quixote" (with its original choreography by Maurius Petipa): "The Petipa ballet, with music by Minkus, was in the repertory of the Maryinsky when I was a boy (I danced in this production in 1916, when I was twelve), but it was not a serious work and not one of my favorites."(2) Some people might interpret the word "serious" as indicative of a comedy, but the meaning depends on which definition of "serious" you use. So, you need to understand the context of the quote. After making the statement, Balanchine then proceeds to tell about his production of "Don Quixote" for the New York City Ballet, where he threw out the music by Minkus, had a new score written by Nicolas Nabokov, rewrote the libretto (story). and then worked up his own new choreography. Therefore, here is what I believe that Balanchine meant by "not a serious work": namely, a work not appealing to the connoisseur. This particular video is of some historical importance because it is a Mikhail Baryshnikov production. Basically, that means the choreography was reworked to showcase his talents, using the original music and libretto. Many of the lessor known dances have been edited out, and there are thirty minutes of cuts compared to the Kirov version. Out of the four versions of "Don Quixote" available on Amazon.com, the most popular (as of the date of this review) is the Kirov version. It also happens to be the best value. I personally rate the Kirov version one star higher because the Kirov is an overall superior ballet company compared to American Ballet Theatre, even with Baryshnikov dancing the part of Basilio. There is no doubt that Baryshnikov is a great dancer, but even he can't save this ballet--it is highly overrated! Instead, you may wish to consider the Kirov version, or find a ballet highlights film containing only the grand pas de deux. Notes: (1) Laura Bell, "Show" (1971), quoted in George Balanchine and Francis Mason, "101 Stories of the Great Ballets" (1975; reprint, New York: Doubleday, an Anchor Book Edition, 1989), pp. 118-119. (2) Balanchine and Mason, p. 120.
Rating: 
Summary: Not very stylishly danced
Review: Okay, you have Baryshnikov tossing off incredible solos, that's always worth it. But sometimes he seems a bit cutsey,hammy and glib onstage. Cynthia Harvey, a good but not great dancer, is okay in the "white" classical act, but just doesn't cut in the first act or the pas de deux. She has no attack, flair or character to her dancing, and it falls flat. Look at a dancer like Maya Plisetskaya perform the same material, and this looks like an amateur production. I do give cudos to Chery Yeager's Amour, which she dances with a great deal of charm. Santo Loquasto's sets and costumes lack the earthiness and moodiness that the ballet needs. As a result, his color ballet makes it look like a bon bon. Harvey's costumes make her get lost in the crowds. Furthermore, the orchestrations in this version sometimes sound like John Phillip Souza and give the production a cheezy sound. This production isn't bad, it just doesn't understand the core of Petipa and Gorsky's choreography. I totally disagree that Don Quixote is second rate ballet... the choreography is superb, but it has to be done with flair and flawlessly.
Rating:
Summary: Don Quixote - sheer technical excitement
Review: The DVD version of Baryshnikov's 'Don Quixote' is a must-have for balletomanes, and even new ballet audiences. Not only does it involve the wonderful lyric side of the ballet, it also has sheer flair and virtuosity displayed in Baryshnikov & Harvey's dancing. Cynthia Harvey is a wonderful Kitri, with her childish playfulness and flair for turns. Her characterisation is perfect and the execution of the choreography is mostly accurate. Important solos to note are: her entrance, her variation in Act One, and then her Dryad variation in Act Two. Her variation in the Grand Pas (Act Three) is a little bit tired and not always timed accurately. To a certain extent, it's the choreography to blame. The Ballerina benchmark of 32 fouettes is pulled off accurately in the finale (with Harvey rarely moving off the same point), however, Harvey does not gain much momentum and almost appears that she is dragging. Baryshnikov, as always, is wonderful. He is a charismatic Basil, portrayed beautifully with his lyricism and virtuosity. His pirouettes and tour en'lairs are amazing, and he has added extra moves that are quasi-contemporary (which is good to see). His variations are always a delight to watch (particularly Act 3 Grand Pas). Baryshnikov set a benchmark for male dancers of his time, and although most male dancers can now pull off what he was able to do, it is all attributed back to him. The choreography of the production is reasonably good, however, it is sometimes hyperactive and difficult to watch. The Corps are sometimes distracting with their facial expressions and constant talking. Baryshnikov's own virtuosity set the tempo for his choreography, and thus, some dancers might not have pulled it off as he had at first imagined. One disappointment was the Grand Pas de deux in Act Three. It was seldom stylish for the traditionalist, however, was still satisfying to watch. Overall, it is a very nice ballet to have in the collection when all you want to watch is the athleticism of dancers. The choreography is good, the dancing is wonderful and the costumes/scenery is great! Buy it now!
Rating:
Summary: Athletic Ballet
Review: This is athletic ballet at it's best! Baryshnikov is a bit beyond his prime, but still incredible! Patrick Bissell is not yet dead, and exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: ABT-Golden Years
Review: This is my absolute favorite version of this ballet. It is delightfully funny, beautifully costumed, and well cheorgraphed. Baryshnikov, Cynthia Harvey, Patrick Bissell, who could ask for anything more. I am completely sucked in by the beauty of such talented dancers.
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