Stravinsky - The Firebird & Les Noces / Royal Ballet

The Firebird was enjoyable and worth the price, but Les Noces was so boring we couldn't finish it.

i had mixed feelings about this particular dvd that i am sure will "ruffle the feathers" of stravinsky and modern ballet fans. i found the first feature "the firebird" a feast for the eyes. the story here is your standard type fantasy/fairy tale. you can lump it in with say the nutcracker or maybe sleeping beauty. leann benjamin and jonathan cope turn in marvelous performances here. i found mikhail fokines choreography, while consistent to the story line, interesting enough, though maybe not quite my cup of tea. stravinskys score is familiar and likable enough but again not really my cup of tea. the second feature, "les noces" was absolutely horrid. i hated everything about this "ahem" ballet. the choreography by "the legendary nijinska", is typically (roll your eyes) modern. just endless jumping up and down, running back and forth, stiff movements, the body fighting against itself trying desperately not to exude gracefulness. banal, really. if their are any purely balletic moments they are completely overshadowed by the corps de regimen and their unison hop. the music though is what i think really killed it for me. its shrill and annoying, sounding more to me like the soundtrack to the exorcist. it pierces the silence with shrieking and yelling operatic voices over percussive crashes and symphonic chaos, indeed this is like the "death metal" of classical music. this music would be mucho more at home in say a "batman" flick. now mind you, this is supposed to be a wedding. you know, a time for joy and excitement? the musical score here is anything but. the dancers movement anything but. why these miserable faces? the blank stares? the pervasiveness of doom and gloom is way thick here. some may see expressions of joy. i sense foreboding and an underlying resentment. depressing to watch and listen to. on the technical side, the production is excellent. picture quality is crisp and clear. the color reproduction for the firebird is vibrant and pleasing to the eye. id say the same for les noces but even here the costumes and set(?) were as bland and colorless as could possibly be. both features offer excellent editing. the audio is high quality for those of you who would torture their neighbors and/or loved ones at strange hours with the music of les noces. (i know, i know, im rubbing it in.) in conclusion, i am not especially pleased with this purchase, however, i have heard it said that good art is supposed to make you feel something. and sitting thru les noces induced a repulsiveness in me that i do not normally associate with the fine art of ballet. so maybe it has achieved what the authors set out to do and i have just witnessed a masterpiece.

The five stars are for The Firebird. Excellent! I've always loved the Firebird Suite music, and finally I got to see what it's all about. Excellent dancing, staging, choreography, story, and music! The shorter Les Noces is too modern for me (even though it was choreographed a long time ago). I just don't get it (I also don't get Modern Art (unless it simply appeals to the eye by its color and shape, which this ballet does not)). I first watched the short documentary about rehearsing the first showing of it, which was presided over by the creator of the Les Noces (minus its music), Madame Nijinska, and then watched the shorter documentary of the current show's rehearsal of it, so I knew what I was getting into. But it was still just noise and syncopated movement to me. But the DVD is worth buying for The Firebird. In fact, I believe this version belongs in every balletomane's collection.

Well done production of the Firebird. Beautiful and very expensive.

Well a more modern rendition would be much better these days.

The Paris Opera Ballet laserdisc is definitive for Les Noces. The Afternoon of a Faun is also superlative at every level.This DVD is most welcome. The dancing in both Firebird and Les Noces is aboveaverage. However, particularly in Les Noces the ensemble lacks precision, verve, and the required intensity. This is a very difficult work, of great musical inventiveness and superior and hugely difficult choreography. This is a work that should judge ballet groups...and the Royal Ballet simply does not rise to this high mark.I yearn for the release of the Paris Opera Ballet laserdisc. What an accomplishment that was!

My wife and I enjoyed this video very much. The technical quality was excellent. The performance was very good, well danced and entertaining, Why only four stars? It was somewhat less exciting than the best of the live performances we have seen. But we recommend it enthusiastically.

Beautiful but I was looking for Maria Talchief's version.

I'm very familiar with the music for these two important ballets (I have the classic recording of Les Noces by Bernstein), but it's nice to get the whole package on DVD in two recreations of notable productions, each with choreography by Nijinska and costume and set designs by Gontcharova.The performances are excellent; beautifully filmed and hugely enjoyable.Extras on the disc include an historic performance of The Firebird Suite conducted by Stravinsky himself (though I note that not all releases of this DVD have it) plus a 14-minute reminiscence of Nijinska by David Drew and an 11-minute behind-the-scenes of rehearsals for both ballets.It's just a shame there are no subtitles for Les Noces – though admittedly, they could distract from the dance; there are synopses provided on screen and in the accompanying booklet.Picture quality and sound are first-rate.

A performance of great character by the ballarenia.

Two very good ballets and often overlooked. Would highly recommend.

Amazing

excellent in every respect