Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake

Beautiful rendition. Exquisite performance. Costumes are lovely.

We should expect great ballet productions from the Wiener Staatsballett, being in one of Europe's great cultural centers and we get that in this Swan Lake pretty much. I found Olga Esina exceptional in all regards. Her approach to the choreography was both technically accurate and lyrical and expressed her approach to both Odette and Odile wonderfully. I also loved the dancing of the rest of the cast throughout with the exception of Vladimir Shishov. In this version he dances the famous adagio at the end of Act 1, but I have never seen this adagio danced so halfheartedly. It was the only part of this ballet that was a great disappointment. Many great ballet danseurs have danced this: Nureyev, Eric Bruhn, Manuel Legris, and Nicholas Le Riche(you can see him perform this in rehearsal in the DVD, "Etoiles--Dancers Of The Paris Opera Ballet"). All have performed this with great intensity, but Shishov comes up short. In fact, if I didn't know better I would not have taken him for a principal dancer. This is probably the most difficult solo for the Prince in Swan Lake, but that is no excuse. It is hard to explain how this could be. Does Shishov dance halfheartedly in other places in this production? I will give him the benefit of the doubt and say no. I came close to giving this four stars instead of five but decided it wasn't significant enough to warrant it. I should also mention that while he danced this important solo halfheartedly, it was technically accurate.This is the Nureyev version of Swan Lake which was first performed by this same ballet company with Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. One significant feature of this version is the Black Swan Pas De Deux. It is not the familiar Petitpa version but that of the Burmeister version of 1953. It is this version that actually reflects Tchaikovsky's intentions and music, not Petipa's. It also makes more sense since in this pas de deux, the Prince is supposed to fall in love, so we should expect romantic music and that is what Tchaikovsky wrote for it. The Nureyev version also differs in other places but the question is "differs from what?" There are many versions of Swan Lake, even those from Petipa. Since there is no standard Swan Lake, it is difficult to discuss what is different. Let it suffice to say that there is plenty of excitement and bravura dancing in this.There is a famous oboe solo in Swan Lake(in pretty much every version) that is used as a leitmotiv for Odette. With the Weiner Staatsballett, we get to hear this played on the Viennese oboe. Austria is the only European country that uses a different oboe from the rest of the world: the Viennese oboe. That is just a bit of information from me, an oboist!This is one of the best(and only!) Nureyev versions of Swan Lake and a good one to add to a ballet collection.

Beautiful version of Swan Lake. This is the first filming of the Vienna Nureyev version of the ballet since the low-def 1966 movie with Fonteyn/Nureyev. We now have a stunning high-def film with more beautiful designs and a technically -secure leading couple in current Vienna stars Esina and Shishov, both of whom are products of St. Petersburg 's Vaganova Academy. [While Nureyev was grand in '66, Fonteyn was past her prime and the full ballet couldn't be fully appreciated, as it can now, with Olga Esina as Odette/Odile.] Too, the costumes and corps de ballet are improvements on what we saw in the 1966 film. Highly recommended.

I love ballet, it was great, thank you

Good quality video and excellent performance.

I'll dive right here, for better or worse, to say that I disagree with the first two reviewers about the dancing of Olga Esina here. Hard to believe that they and I have been viewing the same dvd. Yes, Esina is visually alluring with a beautiful face, long beautiful legs and very long beautiful arms, plus her technique is spot-on. So much for the positives. Her Odette: icy and removed. If she ever attains to any love for Siegfried, it's only in her mind and not in her heart. I shall call her characterization "self-centered" in fact. Her Odile: That icy Odette shows no vestiges of herself now, and instead this Odile is all smiles and sparkle. But again, it's "self-centered", since she is, quite clearly, playing to the audience and not to Siegfried. She makes no attempt to lure/seduce/attract him. Still "removed", as before; still self-centered. I own several "Swan Lakes", and Esina's Odette/Odile cannot hold a candle to either Semionova's or Murphy's, of recent issues. (I can also recommend highly Anja Behrend in Maillot's "LAC", should you be interested in a radically different take on this ballet.)Moving on to Vladimir Shishov as Prince Siegfried: OK, there's no bravura to speak of in his bravura variations, but he does score points for sympathetic and attentive partnering and for excellent acting. Yes, this Nureyev choreography is quite Siegfried-centered, so we want someone who is, well, like Nureyev. We don't exactly get that with Shishov, but I for one will cut him some slack here.Other pluses: I generally prefer the Nureyev choreography to that of Petipa/Ivanov, especially for the corps de ballet. (!) The held-hands pas de quatre (Alati, Avraam, Ledan, Tamai) in Act II is splendidly, superbly danced--a real gem. In smaller roles, Masayu Kimoto shines as a friend of the Prince, and Richard Szabo is a smash as a soloist in the Neapolitan dance: dazzling, with great breadth of expression and a real joie de danse. I also like Flavia Soares, plucked from the corps, as one of Spanish dancers: much flare and elan. Highly laudable corps work.As to the Nureyev ending: I like it in principle very much, but I can do without all the histrionics and melodrama of the Prince being tossed about by the waves. And yet again, I saw not even a hint of Odette's forgiveness of Siegfried, only Esina's cool-or-icy demeanor.Excellent orchestral playing; well-conducted; fine sound.I am wavering between three and four stars for this--OK, I'll round up to four.

I'm just not a fan of the Nureyev style. Petipa & Ivanov's choreography is beautiful as is, and I simply don't care for the Nureyev changes, they just look odd to me. I'm not a fan of the ending either... honestly, the whole thing just didn't move me.

Excellent performance all round - have to admit I made an error of judgment by going to see ballet in Paris all the time lately and never considering Vienna. IMHO the CdB is excellent and on par with Paris at the least. First saw this on satellite and rushed to my laptop to order the BR from Amazon. The finale is the most "realistic" and effective of all the versions I have seen live so far (ROH, Paris, Zurich, Bolshoi) ..... no silly boat pulled by swans here and no Hollywood happy ending !

正月恒例のｳｨｰﾝﾌｨﾙﾆｭｰｲﾔｰｺﾝｻｰﾄ。日本でもﾃﾚﾋﾞ中継され好評ですが、ｺﾝｻｰﾄ中にﾃﾚﾋﾞ画面にはその曲に合わせ、凝った内容のﾊﾞﾚｴｼｰﾝが挿入（すべての曲にではない）され、それがまた視聴者には楽しみのひとつにもなっていますよね。さて、話は前後しますが、当ﾃﾞｨｽｸｹｰｽｼﾞｬｹｯﾄの写真とﾌﾞｯｸﾚｯﾄの表紙写真は同じものが使われています。で、ﾌﾞｯｸﾚｯﾄの１頁目を開いてみると、そこにはｵﾃﾞｯﾄとｼﾞｰｸﾌﾘｰﾄ役の二人のﾀﾞﾝｻｰのﾂｰｼｮｯﾄ写真が載っています。ｼﾞｬｹｯﾄｹｰｽ写真からｵﾃﾞｯﾄ役のｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅは丸顔に近いﾀﾞﾝｻｰなのかなと想像していたので、ﾂｰｼｮｯﾄの彼女を見て･･･「あれ、丸顔じゃないんだぁ･･･でも、彼女どこかで見たような･･･まさか!?」と思いながら、ﾃﾞｨｽｸ再生ｽﾀｰﾄ。ｵﾃﾞｯﾄの登場を待ち、じっくりとｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅを見てみると･･･「やっぱりそうだったか」と思わず口にだしてしたいました。そうなんですねぇ･･･2016年のｳｨｰﾝﾌｨﾙﾆｭｰｲﾔｰｺﾝｻｰﾄに出演していた（2012年にもでていたみたい）ﾊﾞﾚｴﾀﾞﾝｻｰの中の一人がｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅだったんですね（通の方ならもうとっくにわかっていることなんでしょうけど）。首筋右のﾎｸﾛで彼女だとわかりました。ﾚﾋﾞｭｰされたどなたかが言われるように、ｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅはかなりの美貌の持ち主ですが、2016年ﾆｭｰｲﾔｰｺﾝｻｰﾄの皇帝円舞曲での主演の際は、ｽﾃｰｼﾞ用のﾒｲｸではないｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅが見られます。ﾊﾘｳｯﾄﾞ女優も真っ青と言っていいほどの衝撃的な美しさはもう半端じゃないです。さぁ、彼女の美貌についての話しはこれくらいにしましょう。さて、何人かのﾚﾋﾞｭｱｰの方々の言われるように、この公演はやはりｼﾞｰｸﾌﾘｰﾄ役のｼｼｮﾌのﾊﾞﾚｴが･･･ちょっと。彼のﾊﾞﾚｴは全体的に生彩さに欠け重く、華麗なﾊﾞﾚｴとは言えない感じです（ｼｼｮﾌﾌｧﾝの方、ごめんなさい。ｳｴｽﾄからﾋｯﾌﾟにかけての肉付きのよさが余計そう思わせるのかもしれませんが）。それとどなたかが指摘されてるように、この日彼自身ｺﾝﾃﾞｨｼｮﾝがあまり良くなかったのかもしれませんね。一方ｵﾃﾞｯﾄ役のｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅのﾊﾞﾚｴは、美しいのは美しいのですが、緊張感からなのか、動きに柔らかさと滑らかさがやや乏しいというか、堅さのようなものが 感じられます（私だけがそう感じるのかもしれませんが･･･）。ｽﾄｰﾘｰ展開はあのﾏｰｺﾞ・ﾌｫﾝﾃｲﾝ＆ﾙﾄﾞﾙﾌ・ﾇﾚｴﾌ共演のものとほぼ同じ内容。ただここでのﾛｯﾄﾊﾞﾙﾄは存在感が薄く、特にﾗｽﾄの振り付けはどうにかならなかったんでしょうか。これではｶｰﾚｰｽの係員がﾁｪｯｶｰﾌﾗｯｸﾞを振っているようで･･･(笑)。ｽﾃｰｼﾞｾｯﾄは過不足のない範囲のもの。ｺｰﾙ・ﾄﾞは後半からは完成度を増していきます。ｵｹは厳しいことを言うようですが、ﾍﾞｽﾄな出来とまではちょっと･･･!?。ﾀﾞﾝｻｰたちの動きに、今ひとつ融合しきれてないという印象が残ります。このｵｹの実力ならもっと出来る筈。録音は中低域の厚いいい音です。映像は鮮鋭で非常に美しいです（幕間などにも凝ったｶｯﾄを入れたり、なかなかのもの。ｶﾒﾗﾜｰｸもまずまず総じて良い方）。ここで荒唐無稽な話になりますが、あの映画「ローマの休日」でのｱﾝ王女役のｵｰﾄﾞﾘｰ・ﾍﾌﾟﾊﾞｰﾝが、映画界に入らずに、あのままﾊﾞﾚｴを続けて白鳥のｵﾃﾞｯﾄをやってくれていたのなら、どんなにか良かったことでしょう。彼女のｵﾃﾞｯﾄ･･･想像しただけで、うっとりしてしまいます。尚、ﾗｽﾄｶｰﾃﾝｺｰﾙで、ｵﾙｶﾞ・ｴｼﾅが歓声に応えて、ｽﾃｰｼﾞ先端に歩み寄る際、左足を引きずるようにするところがありますが、足を痛めたのでしょうか!?私の勘違いならいいのですが･･･。とにかく、ｼｼｮﾌのﾊﾞﾚｴとﾛｯﾄﾊﾞﾙﾄの振り付けが今ひとつということ（ﾙｸﾞﾘの演出と指揮者ｲﾝｸﾞﾗﾑの音楽運びにもやや難あり）で 、１pﾏｲﾅｽにしました。

白鳥の湖を、劇場で、ＢＲで、ＤＶＤで、ＣＤで、何回も視聴させて頂いているが、このウィーン国立歌劇場の演奏はダントツ。バレエを鑑賞する際、どうしても舞台上の事ばかりに気をとられてしまうが、いかに全てが総合的に高得点でなければならないかを、思い知らされた。

衣装はステキだったと思います。が、ダンサーは、パリ・オペなどをみなれていると、ちょっと・・・の感否めず。如何にルグリが監督といえど、すぐにはカンパニーのレベルはあがらないのでしょうね…。正直これから、なのでしょう。オデット役は、まあまあ…ただ、男性のタイツ姿を見慣れていると、彼らの所謂ズボン（パンツ）姿は新鮮に映りました。でも、やはり、踊りは全体的に、イマイチ、の印象でした。

You Tubeで視聴し、エシナのオデット／オーディールに胸を締め付けられるような感覚を覚えてBRを購入した。エシナは、踊ることと役を演じることを一致させており、一つ一つの動きにも役としての意味を見出している。仮にヌレエフ版の結末を知らなくてもオデットの表情だけでその結末は予測出来る、そういう演技。おそらくそのために音楽に耳を傾け、リアルタイムで反応している。オーディールを演じる時の表情も（拍手を受ける時でさえ）なかなか邪悪で、演じ分けを楽しんでさえいるようである。いくつか観た「白鳥の湖」の映像作品の中でミハリチェンコとピエトラガラが傑出していると思っていたがエシナの舞いもまた忘れられないものとなった。星を四つに留めた理由は、他の方のレビュー通り、シショフの踊りがやや重く見えるところがあり、作品に陶酔するのが難しいことがあるため。コール・ドに関しては、ライブ収録にありがちなように第一幕こそバラバラだが第二幕以降は、シンプルな装置とあいまって美しい。

王子様がとても「もっさり」なのでがっかりしてしまいましたが...パリオペラ座のヌレーエフ版ではなく、ヌレーエフがウィーンでフォンテーンと踊ったバージョンなんですね。第一幕の王子とその友人たちとの踊りが良かったです。