Search - Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (1968) on DVD

A Kirov Classic Performance!

J. M WILINSKY | teaneck, NJ United States | 02/06/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Every now and then Amazon.com presents us with a mystery like this one(as of this writing). I love mysteries, so I bought it and I was very pleased to see that it is actually one of my favorite Swan Lakes. I was looking to purchase this version on dvd but I was unable to find it--until now. This is the classic Kirov performance featuring Yelena Yevteyeva as Odette/Odile and John Markovsky as Prince Siegfried. These principals give first rate performances in very distinctive styles. Yevteyeva Is very precise and expressive and her Odile is one of my favorites. Markovsky is extremely smooth in his style with great execution: impressive pirouettes and elevation and unmatched partnering technique. The role of Rothbart is portrayed by Makhmud Esambayev and ranks as one of the finest Rothbarts I have seen. The quality of the picture and sound is very good; this is a movie version, so it is at the standard of the time(1968). The color quality is not bad either. Even though I rate this as a classic, since it is bright and colorful, it should be fine for all audiences."

Many positives, but some negatives as well.

French Critic | France | 06/19/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Buyer beware: movie-making is not (and was not, at the time of filming) a Russian strength. Image quality is mediocre, and the "special effects" (of which there are fortunately few) gave me a headache. On occasion, a dancer would be out of focus. On the other hand, the technical level of the dancing was very good, which made the DVD a worthwhile purchase, after all. I enjoyed the performance of the Prince, found Rothbart's idiosyncratic arm motions a bit annoying (although was amused by his sly interaction with the Prince's mother), and overall found the corps to be very disciplined."