Coppélia is a classical ballet in the true sense, and with its touch of East European folklore, continues to enjoy worldwide popularity. It combines the romance between Swanilda and Franz with the story of the doll-maker Coppelius, whose greatest desire is to create a doll with a soul. Franz immediately falls in love with Coppélia, who he thinks is real, but eventually recognises is just a doll. He returns to Swanilda, after which the final grand divertissement sees everyone reconciled.
Coppélia
Marin’s reworking of this much-loved classic is a hugely entertaining and constantly surprising piece of dance theatre. The modern idiom of her imaginative choreography teams perfectly with the infectious melodies of Leo Delibes’ lively score, played by the Lyon National Opera Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano. Marin’s Coppelia has lost none of the charm of the original, but has taken on a wry humour, which adds to ist appeal for today’s audiences. This programme was recorded with the Lyon National Opera Ballet on location in the suburbs of Lyon and in studio. An introduction by the choreographer is available.
COPPEL-I.A.
While love is breaking into the lives of two young people, an artificial being will challenge what they believed they knew about it… Revisiting this classic of the Romantic repertoire, Jean-Christophe Maillot gives us, with an original musical score, a reflection on the search for the ideal partner in a technologically advanced society. Is it still the flesh and blood being with which we are familiar or a different being, making us question our allegiance to the human race? “The Dance is beautiful: Maillot knows exactly which movements enhance his dancers. Indeed, he as terrific soloists: Lou Beyne, whose gesture is as splendid as her morphology, Matej Urban as a moving Coppélius.” (Le Figaro) “The result is as coherent as radically chic.” (Die Welt about the choreography of Jean-Christophe Maillot) “Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo magnificent as always.” (La Stampa)
Le Corsaire
With fairytale-like staging and a “Pas de deux” that made Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn a legend and always awaited in the ballet galas, Le Corsaire is considered a choreographic milestone in the history of ballet. Le Corsaire debuted with enormous success at La Scala to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the legendary choreographer Marius
Petipa. The choreographic version by Anna-Marie Holmes after Marius Petipa and Konstantin Sergeyev made it „great fun! Spinatelli has given the dancers ravishing costumes and the orchestra plays some of ballet’s biggest hits. La Scala’s ballet company in top form.” (Gramilano) “A majestic staging and an excellent Dance Corps.” (L´ape Musicale) “Impeccable” (Informadanza)
Patrick Dupond
This portrait documents a star’s effort to be, and to stay, the best. The cameras follow Patrick Dupond to Tokyo, Paris and Milan and show him training, rehearsing, performing and talking about his career. He is seen dancing Coppelia with the National Ballet of Marseille, working on Daniel Ezralow’s Soon and Alwin Nikolais’s Arc en ciel, performing in the Salome choreographed for him by Maurice Béjart, and rehearsing Giselle with Carta Fracci.
New Year’s Eve Concert 1979
Gaiety and temperament are the keynotes of this New Year’s Eve program with the London Philharmonic Orchestra recorded live in Munich’s Herkulessaal on New Year’s Eve 1979. It begins with “Gaieté Parisienne,” an arrangement of Jacques Offenbach’s most popular operetta melodies. This is followed by a generous helping of central European esprit in the Slavonically inspired dances of Léo Delibes’ “Coppélia” ballet, and in the Viennese lightness of Franz von Suppé’s “Pique Dame” Overture, a delicious little work by the founding father of the Viennese operetta. Amilcare Ponchielli’s “Dance of the Hours” has delighted “promenade” concertgoers for years now – perhaps because it reminds us of his two great pupils Puccini and Mascagni? The luscious lyricism of the waltzes from Richard Strauss’s “Rosenkavalier” is dispelled by the solemn majesty of Sir Edward Elgar’s “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4.” From Victorian England we travel to Czarist St. Petersburg, to the magical world of Peter I. Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite.” And since all good things must come to an end, the Land of Sweets disappears under a vigorous sprinkling of fiery paprika in Johannes Brahms’s “Hungarian Dance No. 5,” which closes the program on a spicy note.
Opera Gala Baden-Baden
Four of the greatest singers of our time combine their talents and their artistry in an evening of beloved operatic numbers – rarely has a concert deserved the title ‘Opera Summit’ as much as this one, recorded live at the Festspielhaus in Baden-Baden on 3 August 2007. Heading the quartet is soprano Anna Netrebko with her inimitable blend of glamour and simplicity, her enticing appearance and seductive singing, a musical powerhouse who tops the pop charts and sells out operas houses within hours. Hardly less dazzling than her Russian colleague is Latvian mezzo Elina Garanc?a, whose crystal-clear voice and charismatic stage presence never fail to enthrall her audiences. Replacing the indisposed Rolando Villazón is his fellow Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas, who began his career in Europe after winning the first prize in the Enrico Caruso Competition in Milan. French baritone Ludovic Tézier is a frequent guest at La Scala, the Opéra Bastille and the Met.
Delibes, Excerpts from “Coppélia”
Coppélia
“Coppélia” was premiered with great success at the Théâtre Impérial de l’Opéra de Paris on 25 May 1870. Since then, the ballet has lost none of its freshness and popularity. The librettist of “Coppélia”, Charles Nuitter, found the subject of his work in a tale by E.T.A. Hoffmann, “The Sandman”. “Coppélia” is the first of many ballets which take as their theme the humanization of mechanical objects.
Coppel-i.a.
While love is breaking into the lives of two young people, an artificial being will challenge what they believed they knew about it… Revisiting this classic of the Romantic repertoire, Jean-Christophe Maillot gives us, with an original musical score, a reflection on the search for the ideal partner in a technologically advanced society. Is it still the flesh and blood being with which we are familiar or a different being, making us question our allegiance to the human race? “Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo magnificent as always” (La Stampa)