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CoppeliaRating:
Release Date: 20 November, 2001 Retail Price: $29.99 OUR Price: $26.99 You SAVE: $3.00! Cast: |
Coppelia Reviews
A Sparkling Performance Full of Humor
Before I begin I should in all fairness say that I am not a ballet expert. I purchased this DVD after getting to know some of D�libes’ music on the Naxos CDs “Best of French Ballet” and “Invitation to the Dance”. I enjoyed the music so much that I wanted to see the stage production as a whole. And that is what I got: This original BBC broadcast version of Copp�lia contains all three acts and is performed in historic costume and with the original designs by Sir Osbert Lancaster at the Royal Opera House. Apart from the actual performance there are three “extras”: the introduction to the original television broadcast by Deborah Bull; a ten-minute feature on the removal of the Royal Ballet to Covent Garden; and an illustrated biography of Sir Osbert Lancaster.
Personally, I found the performance mesmerising, enjoyable in every aspect. Leanne Benjamin gives an amazing performance considering that she had to stand in for the injured leading ballerina at very short notice. I found her gestures easy to follow (after listening to Deborah Bull’s explanation), and her facial expression always delightful with just the right mixture of humour and mock gravity. The scene in Act 2 where she fools Dr. Coppelius into believing that Copp�lia has come alive is absolutely hilarious. Her dancing is beautiful, too, and if there are one or two slight faults or hesitations, these can be forgiven her because of the circumstances.
Carlos Acosta is an equally fine “Franz”, his good looks, his youth and fresh vitality combine with an unusual degree of charm and humour to make this a performance to remember. And surely, Luke Heydon’s performance of Dr. Coppelius should not be overlooked: I don’t know how often he is knocked over, carried around etc., but he manages to make it all look like child’s play. He is certainly no ogre, rather a funny old man with his own sense of humour.
The rest of the team made a grand impression on me, not least the orchestra. The sound from a video DVD is usually inferior to what you would hear from a CD (probably a result of using a multi-format player), but I found the digital signal here (fed to an external D/A converter) to be quite satisfying. On Amazon’s German-language website, one reviewer philosophizes about D�libes’ music and the piece’s commenting on the industrial revolution and man’s relationship to the mechanical world. I think that is probably reading too much into a score that is just sheer good fun all the way through – a piece that will make you feel good about life!
All in all, this was a first-rate cultural experience not to be missed.
Is that called Ballet
Sorry,I am not a big ballet fan. But for this, I did not feel like I was watching ballet. Disappoint!
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