Gayane Ballet
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DVD Cover Information
DVD: Region Code 0Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 81 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2007-06-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Video Artists Int'l
Movie Reviews of Gayane Ballet
Movie Review: There's More Here Than Meets The Eye!
Summary: 5 Stars
To explain the title I think it important to realize that in addition to the performance of Gayne by the Latvian Opera and Ballet Company one also has available as Bonus Selections some rather special performances by exceptional dancers and most particularly a performance from the Final Act of Gayne danced by the Bolshoi and conducted by Khachaturian himself; for me that alone was worth the price of the disc.
In 1964 a Tribute to Aram Khachaturian concert celebration took place during which Khachaturian conducted the music from the final act of Gayne which is included in the Bonus section of this DVD. Although this performance is in black and white the energy and excitement generated by Khachaturian and the Bolshoi Ballet more than compensates for any audio/video deficiencies.
It was also fascinating to me to watch the differences in choreography between the Latvian Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. The performance by the Latvian Ballet played up the character dancing aspect of the ballet with a more restrained use of classical ballet. The Bolshoi choreography on the other hand used character dancing but a great deal more classical ballet. Although the Bolshoi performance was made in 1964 as opposed to the Latvian Ballet performance which was made in 1980, the sound from the Bolshoi seems better.
It has been pointed out that the original story focused on a collective farm; having been first performed during the Second World War it is easy to understand the Soviets interest in promoting patriotism. By 1957 however, the plot had been rewritten to become a story about the full range of human emotions of the young people of Soviet Armenia.
Gayne was originally choreographed by Nina Aleksandrovna Anisimova who felt that character dancing should hold a place in ballet with classical dancing; the performance by the Latvian Ballet picks up on this extensively.
The other three bonus selections include a Gayne Adagio from 1958, an Act II Adagio from Spartacus, and a marvelous Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia performed beautifully by Natalia Bessmertnova and Yuri Vladimirov. Historically they are all significant.
The Gayne performance by the Latvian Ballet has marginal sound and video but it is the best available and I did enjoy it. The ballet was captivating to me in that I could finally see someone dancing to music I had known for years. There is a lot of character dancing and somewhat less pure ballet but the overall effect seems to fit the music.
There is some dancing that is highly emotional and very moving; in particular the duet at the end of Scene 3, Act II danced by Larisa Tuisova and Alexander Rumyantsev is particularly powerful in its portrayal of love between a man and a woman. The audience at the Bolshoi seemed to appreciate it as they honored the dancers with the rhythmic applause which one occasionally hears from Russian audiences.
As frequently experienced with ballet, different companies and choreographers take liberties with which dances to include or exclude. This particular performance is on the short side and runs only 81 minutes whereas the full ballet runs around 142 minutes which is about an hour longer.
Having said all that I'm still very glad I have the DVD; finally I can see the dancing with the music. I join with others in hoping the Bolshoi or the Kirov will produce a full length version of the ballet in high definition with surround sound. That may be dream world but it doesn't cost extra to dream does it?