Search - Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake on DVD

Anemic and indulgent

L. ADAMIAN | NYC | 02/25/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Ivy Lin's review is thorough and detailed and since I agree with most of it, I'll just add a few more caveats: 1. Since this was not a live (i.e. stage) performance, I suspect Nureyev's make-up is supposed to give us a message other than the usual stage make-up. What is he telling us about Siegfried? 2. Fonteyn is super-careful throughout. One feels she is just barely making it through. I did see them live many times at the old Met in NYC and she had more abandon then. This must have been taped just before her retirment. 3. Nureyev is technically okay but cold and detached. None of the warmth and ardor of their partnership is apparent here. Nureyev has eliminated all other men (Benno, tutor, companions, divertissement solos, etc.) and has added solos for himself. The self-indulgence hits its zenith at Siegfried's drowning scene - the length of which rivals Mel Gibson's torture scenes. And lo and behold Odette goes off by herself to her eternal rest while Siegfried...? I too prefer the "unhappy" ending, but this ending seems unnecessarily pessimistic. In other productions, our seeing them united in the afterworld heightens the romance of the ballet and triumph of true love. Buy this DVD only if you are a die-hard Nureyev fan and can't get enough of him or if you have not seen any other instances of their partnership."