Swan Lake (Vienna State Opera Ballet)

Rating:
Summary: Nureyev's Swan Lake A Quantum Jete
Review: This version of Swan Lake, staged by Nureyev for the Vienna State Opera Ballet in 1964, was an historic and artistic blockbuster. In contrast to Balanchine's view that "ballet is woman" Nureyev focused on the male dancer's role and in showcasing his own talents arrived at a breakthrough in emphasis on the male dancer in ballet.

Makarova's 1988 version derived from Petipa and Ashton, and mounted for the London Festival Ballet, offers the standard Prince who poses, prances, and rarely dances, and is such a pathetic fellow that one cannot imagine dying for him. Nureyev complained, "The Prince sits on his ass for thirty-five minutes and then has to walk," (instead of dance). Discerning a deeply sinister mood in Tchaikovsky's music Nureyev added psychological depth to Swan Lake by introducing an unhappy ending in which Seigfried drowns in his struggle to be reunited with Odette. The Prince's obsession with the Queen Of Swans, the ideal woman, destroys him. Thus the emphasis of the drama is on Seigfried rather than Odette, and for him to be seen as a tragic figure rather than a mere pawn demanded the first rate character portrayal that Nureyev brought to his dancing.

Totally recasting the brooding passive Seigfried into an active character Nureyev introduced the Prince into the first act birthday entertainment normally danced by two girls and a boy. Nureyev recast this for two girls, two boys, and himself, dancing with them separately, together, and with energetic outgoing solos for himself. Having described the Prince as "an unusual man ready for unusual things to happen to him" he inserted the Danse Du Prince before the Coda, an unheard of solo for himself conveying Seigfried's sense of romantic anticipation and pursuit of the ideal.

In the second act lakeside scene with the swans Odette's charms are usually displayed for Seigfried by his hunting companion, Bonno. Nureyev dispensed with Bonno entirely and took all the steps for himself. The result is a perfect bonding between the Prince and Odette. His coupling with Fonteyn was sublime, and in a ballet traditionally reserved for the display of the ballerina's technique the inspiration that he brought to his role created a synergism of ever more dramatic expression between them.

Nureyev left act three essentially unchanged since the danser's role is so prominent although he added steps as bravura as Odile's including a series of whipping turns to match her famous 32 fouettes. Fonteyn's Odile was more sweetly flirtatious than coldly dazzling and cunning. In Makarova's version Evelynn Hart very effectively projected the pride, arrogancce, and disdain underneath Odile's seductiveness.

For act four Nureyev created an elegiac pas de deux following his frantic discovery of Odette. It is one of the most beautiful dances of the ballet, perfectly conveying the poignancy of the coming separation. The conventional happy ending with Prince Seigfried and Odette reunited in death is incomprehensible at the end of the ballet unless one has read the narrative. Nureyev's unhappy ending seems more in keeping with the action and Tchaikovsky's musical mood of storm swept tragedy, abandoned romanticism, and brooding melancholy.

At first Fonteyn was so upset with Nureyev's changes that he ended up kicking her out of a rehearsal, but they soon reconciled and went on as if nothing had happened. Over the orchestra's strong objections Nureyev insisted that the tempi be slowed so he could bring out the nuances of emotion he was seeking. His version of Swan Lake was a smashing success with the public. At the last performance of the premier in Vienna he and Fonteyn received 89 curtain calls, the most ever taken.

In this film of the ballet restrained camerawork and intelligent editing have defined the essential choreography and dramatic effects. The camera angles and close-ups capture rather than destroy the patterns and enchainments as is so often the case when "creative film-making" makes a hash of the choreography. As other reviewers have noted this DVD may not be entirely up the technically achievable standard but it is so far superior to anything available on VHS, and brings such clarity and presence to the performance, that its few flaws can be forgiven. Nureyev's Swan Lake belongs in every ballet lover's collection, and it is fervently to be hoped that this DVD is but the first in an avalanche of these great ballets on perfect DVD's.

Rating:
Summary: Nureyev's Swan Lake A Quantum Jete
Review: This version of Swan Lake, staged by Nureyev for the Vienna State Opera Ballet in 1964, was an historic and artistic blockbuster. In contrast to Balanchine's view that "ballet is woman" Nureyev focused on the male dancer's role and in showcasing his own talents arrived at a breakthrough in emphasis on the male dancer in ballet.

Makarova's 1988 version derived from Petipa and Ashton, and mounted for the London Festival Ballet, offers the standard Prince who poses, prances, and rarely dances, and is such a pathetic fellow that one cannot imagine dying for him. Nureyev complained, "The Prince sits on his ass for thirty-five minutes and then has to walk," (instead of dance). Discerning a deeply sinister mood in Tchaikovsky's music Nureyev added psychological depth to Swan Lake by introducing an unhappy ending in which Seigfried drowns in his struggle to be reunited with Odette. The Prince's obsession with the Queen Of Swans, the ideal woman, destroys him. Thus the emphasis of the drama is on Seigfried rather than Odette, and for him to be seen as a tragic figure rather than a mere pawn demanded the first rate character portrayal that Nureyev brought to his dancing.

Totally recasting the brooding passive Seigfried into an active character Nureyev introduced the Prince into the first act birthday entertainment normally danced by two girls and a boy. Nureyev recast this for two girls, two boys, and himself, dancing with them separately, together, and with energetic outgoing solos for himself. Having described the Prince as "an unusual man ready for unusual things to happen to him" he inserted the Danse Du Prince before the Coda, an unheard of solo for himself conveying Seigfried's sense of romantic anticipation and pursuit of the ideal.

In the second act lakeside scene with the swans Odette's charms are usually displayed for Seigfried by his hunting companion, Bonno. Nureyev dispensed with Bonno entirely and took all the steps for himself. The result is a perfect bonding between the Prince and Odette. His coupling with Fonteyn was sublime, and in a ballet traditionally reserved for the display of the ballerina's technique the inspiration that he brought to his role created a synergism of ever more dramatic expression between them.

Nureyev left act three essentially unchanged since the danser's role is so prominent although he added steps as bravura as Odile's including a series of whipping turns to match her famous 32 fouettes. Fonteyn's Odile was more sweetly flirtatious than coldly dazzling and cunning. In Makarova's version Evelynn Hart very effectively projected the pride, arrogancce, and disdain underneath Odile's seductiveness.

For act four Nureyev created an elegiac pas de deux following his frantic discovery of Odette. It is one of the most beautiful dances of the ballet, perfectly conveying the poignancy of the coming separation. The conventional happy ending with Prince Seigfried and Odette reunited in death is incomprehensible at the end of the ballet unless one has read the narrative. Nureyev's unhappy ending seems more in keeping with the action and Tchaikovsky's musical mood of storm swept tragedy, abandoned romanticism, and brooding melancholy.

At first Fonteyn was so upset with Nureyev's changes that he ended up kicking her out of a rehearsal, but they soon reconciled and went on as if nothing had happened. Over the orchestra's strong objections Nureyev insisted that the tempi be slowed so he could bring out the nuances of emotion he was seeking. His version of Swan Lake was a smashing success with the public. At the last performance of the premier in Vienna he and Fonteyn received 89 curtain calls, the most ever taken.

In this film of the ballet restrained camerawork and intelligent editing have defined the essential choreography and dramatic effects. The camera angles and close-ups capture rather than destroy the patterns and enchainments as is so often the case when "creative film-making" makes a hash of the choreography. As other reviewers have noted this DVD may not be entirely up the technically achievable standard but it is so far superior to anything available on VHS, and brings such clarity and presence to the performance, that its few flaws can be forgiven. Nureyev's Swan Lake belongs in every ballet lover's collection, and it is fervently to be hoped that this DVD is but the first in an avalanche of these great ballets on perfect DVD's.

Rating:
Summary: Nureyev's Own Staging of "Swan Lake"
Review: Throughout his incredible career, Rudolf Nureyev staged the entire classical repretoire throughout the world. In his native Russia, the ballets of the old world Imperial Ballet (his parent company: The Kirov) were performed in the old traditions, among these being the ballerina being placed as the focal point of an entire ballet. Nureyev felt that the male should be just as equally prominent as the ballerina. He made sure that when he staged his versions of the great classical repretoire, he did them his way, with the male alongside the ballerina. At times, he would loose the ballerina and end up dominating the entire performance (not with Margot Fonteyn of course).

But no matter, his "Swan Lake" for the Vienna State Opera Ballet is quite well done. Most people in their reviews scream about it because it is so different from the traditional version (see the Kirov version for an example). I myself am not a fan of people tinkering with "Swan Lake", but Nureyev's version is great dispite its differences. His performance is excellent, though he cannot surpass his longtime partner, the late great Dame Margot Fonteyn. Her performance is as divine as she herself was.

Nureyev does a good job salvaging the music not usually used in traditional performance in his re-organizing of Tchaikovsky's score. I will not spoil the details of the changes but they are quite good, if at times a little over the top. But c'mon its Nureyev! Get this video!