Gala Tribute to Tchaikovsky / Kiri Te Kanawa, Placido Domingo, Irek Mukhamedov, Darcey Bussell, Royal Opera House
by Brian Large
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Darcey Bussell, Irek Mukhamedov, Placido Domingo, Vivianna DuranteDirector: Brian Large
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 137 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-06-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: KULTUR VIDEO
Movie Reviews of Gala Tribute to Tchaikovsky / Kiri Te Kanawa, Placido Domingo, Irek Mukhamedov, Darcey Bussell, Royal Opera House
Movie Review: Entertaining concert with some odd program choices-
Summary: 4 Stars
Since this 1993 concert recording is only now being released in the US & Canada, there must have been copyright/contract problems for one or more of the artists involved. To mark the disparity in length of career, singers Te Kanawa, Domingo, Hvorostovsky & others are still performing (infrequently for the semi-retired Te Kanawa), while the Royal Ballet dancers featured have either retired and/or gone on to teaching (except for Leanne Benjamin, still a principal with the company). Darcey Bussell, Lesley Collier & Viviana Durante, the prima ballerinas when this was recorded, have been replaced by Alina Cojocaru, Marianela Nunez, Tamara Rojo and Miyako Yoshida.
This gala tribute was for the centenary of Tchaikovsky's death in 1893. It includes some of his most popular pieces, both arias from the operas and dance excerpts from the ballets. But for some reason they also included music by other composers, and its hard to fathom why these were considered better choices than Tchaikovsky's own music. Its not as if they didn't have enough music by Tchaikovsky to choose from. Instead of arias from Rachmaninoff's ALEKO and Rimsky's SADKO they could have selected bits from Tchaikovsky's MAID OF ORLEANS, MAZEPPA or THE LITTLE RED SLIPPERS. It also would have been worth considering choral selections, like his rousing MOSCOW cantata or his haunting ST.JOHN LITURGY.
For the dancing, to have Bussell, Collier, Benjamin & Durante together in one evening is worth any price of admission. But the inclusion of part of Kenneth MacMillan's ANASTASIA, set to the same 3rd symphony that Balanchine used for the finale of JEWELS, was also an odd programming choice, in my opinion. I think most ballet fans would have preferred the gorgeous THEME & VARIATIONS of Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's 3rd Suite finale, much more in the celebratory nature of a tribute concert I would think. But others may enjoy the novelty of the little known MacMillan piece. The dancing in it is certainly beautiful, with Viviana Durante in a sweet pas de deux.
My disappointment in some of the selections will hopefully not be shared by others, which is all to the good since this is a couple of hours of beautiful music and incredible dancing that's an easy recommendation to classical music fans, and a must-have for ballet fans, even if they already have these former Royal Ballet dancers in videos/DVDs of Tchaikovsky's ballets. And it was a real treat to see that a selection of the neglected opera IOLANTA was included, sung wonderfully by Paata Burchuladze. But I can't help but feel that this DVD could have been even better if it went all-Tchaikovsky, all the time...(You'll notice track listings are given in the product information. This is very helpful, wish it was done in every case for miscellaneous, varied concerts like this).
Summary of Gala Tribute to Tchaikovsky / Kiri Te Kanawa, Placido Domingo, Irek Mukhamedov, Darcey Bussell, Royal Opera House
Covent Garden PioneerGala Tribute to Tchaikovsky
Gala Performance to honor Tchaikovsky on the centenary of his death.
Kiri Te Kanawa, Anna Tomowa-Sintow, Paata Burchuladze, Placido Domingo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Darcey Bussell, Lesley Collier, Viviana Durante, Tetsuya Kumakawa, Irek Mukhamedov, Bruce Sansom, Zoltan Solymosi, Leanne Benjamin
Conductors:Stephen Barlow, Edward Downes, Placido Domingo, Barry Wordsworth
Artists of The Royal Ballet
The Royal Opera Chorus
Chorus Director: Terry Edwards
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Leader: Bradley Creswick
Solo Cellist: Christopher Vanderspar
1. Opening
2. The Snow Maiden - Dance of the Clowns
Orchestra of The Royal Opera House
3. The Nutcracker Snowflakes
Artists of The Royal Ballet
4. Six Romances - None but the lonely heart
Placido Domingo / Christopher Vanderspar (cello)
5. Vocalise
Kiri Te Kanawa
6. Queen of Spades Yeletsky
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
7. Pas de deux
Darcey Bussell and Zoltan Solymosi
8. Iolanta Ren?
Paata Burchuladze
9. The Queen of Spades Lisa
Anna Tomowa-Sintow
10. The Nutcracker - Grand pas de deux
Leanne Benjamin and Tetsuya Kumakawa
11. 1812 Overture
Placido Domingo (conductor)
Elizabeth McGorian, Adam Cooper, Iohna Loots
12. Sadko - Two Songs
Paata Burchuladze, Dmitri Hvorostovsky
13. Anastasia - Pas de deux
Viviana Durante and Bruce Sansom
14. Aleko Aleko
Sergei Leiferkus
15. Eugene Onegin Lensky
Placido Domingo
16. The Sleeping Beauty - Pas de deux
Lesley Collier & Irek Mukhamedov
17. La Boheme Musetta
Kiri Te Kanawa
18. Eugene Onegin - Larina Ball
Royal Opera Chorus & Featured Dancers
19. Curtain Calls and Credits
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