Search - Prokofiev: Lieutenant Kij; Stravinsky: Le Baiser de la Fe [DVD Video] on DVD

It's Prokofiev...enough said!

Ballet Jent | 11/03/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Prokofiev's Lt.Kije contains excellent music and a humorous story line to go with talented dancing. However,you must read the synopsis before you begin to fully understand what's going on..and why.Struchkova is a good ballerina, but would have extra appeal if she could portray more youthful femininity. Vasiliev is his usual best. Popko does admirably.
Stavinsky's Le Baiser de la Fee follows a classical story line, with a parting salute to Tchaikovsky's music...off-hand, Romeo and Juliet. Malakhov is excellent.Yatsenko handles the Ice Maiden role, albeit it does not appear to be overly demanding. Vasilieva does well.
Overall, I prefer Lt. Kije. I wish they would bring more of these forgotten ballets to DVD's, not the usual dozens of Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Giselle, et al."

I get to see the music

Ernest L. Sparks | Portland, OR USA | 03/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this DVD expressly for seeing Le Baiser de la Fée. That piece has a particular significance to me. I first listened to the full music on an LP back around 1960, when I was trying to hear as much Stravinsky music as I could find on record. But I only listened to it once. I favored more through-composed Stravinsky music like the Octuor and Concerto for Piano and Winds, rather than highly derived music like Baiser and Pulcinella. Definitely forgot, my next experience with that music was in 1966. I was enrolled in a summer institute at USC (nothing to do with arts). It was sunday afternoon and I came down to my dormitory lobby with a book. A radio was playing. It sounded like some Tschaikowsky. After a few minutes I began to notice that more than Tschaikowsky was going on. By the time my attention became fully arrested, I began to recognize the Stravinsky in it.
"I think that is Baiser de la Fée (the climax of the scene on the mountain)!", so I told myself. I was correct. In fact, it was a live performance broadcast from the Hollywood Bowl, with I.S. conducting.

I am acquiring as much Stravinsky danse on DVD as I can get. I am very happy with this one. Ivan Malakhov as Rudy is beautiful and Tatiana Yatsenko as the Ice Fairy is stunning (but the film overdoes the closeup work). I can't blame the film-makers too much. When Stravinsky worked from established music sources like this, he ran long, rather than short and precise (as he did with his own tighter inventions). So I am having to view the movie in chapters to appreciate better some of the later music. I am immediately sold on the mountain scene and the village dancing. I have yet to stop wearying of the dream scene and the gypsy scene.

Meanwhile, thanks for this DVD.


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