| Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Maximova, Vasiliev, Bolshoi | 
 enlarge | List Price: $16.95
Buy New: $0.50
You Save: $16.45 (97%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $0.50
Avg. Customer Rating:   (based on 19 reviews)
Sales Rank: 27221
Category: Video
Actors: Yekaterina Maksimova, Vladimir Vasilyev, Nadiya Pavlova, Victor Levashov, Sergei Radchenko
Director: Yelena Macheret
Publisher: Kultur Video
Studio: Kultur Video
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
Label: Kultur Video
Format: Classical, Color, Ntsc
Language: Russian (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: VHS Tape
Running Time: 100 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 6301170113
UPC: 032031006232
EAN: 9786301170116
ASIN: 6301170113
Release Date: March 11, 1992
Theatrical Release Date: 1987
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Similar Items:
| • | The Nutcracker / Baryshnikov, Kirkland, Charmoli | | • | George Balanchine's The Nutcracker | | • | Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet | | • | Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker | | • | Great Pas De Deux - Fonteyn, Nureyev, Makarova, Dowell, Baryshnikov, Bessmertova, and more |
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Famed Bolshoi duo Yekaterina Maximova and Vladimir Vasiliev star in this production of Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet, The Nutcracker. Maximova dances the role of Maria, the young girl whose mysterious uncle Drosselmeyer (Victor Levashov) gives her a wooden nutcracker (Vasiliev) for Christmas. When he comes to life, she rescues him from marauding mice and is taken to the Kingdom of Sweets for a series of entertaining divertissements from many nationalities. This production dates from 1987 and the sets and costumes appear to have been in use since well before then. Audio and video quality are rather crude, especially compared to the stunning DVD productions by Patrice Bart and Maurice Bejart. Bart, however, takes liberties with the story line, and Bejart throws it out altogether. Sometimes, all you need is a traditional version of a family holiday favorite, and if you want traditional, it's hard to beat the Bolshoi. --David Horiuchi
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...
 biography January 7, 2009
This was a very informative biography on the life of Tchaikovsky. Well done and the music is wonderful.
 A Flawed but Elegant Nutcracker by and for Adults September 21, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This Nutcracker is by and for Adults. Other reviewers have ably noted the facts about what choices were made by the choreographer. Whether you like or dislike those choices is an individual preference. I liked the choices and enjoyed the opportunity to focus on the superb dancing without distractions. Maximova and Vasiliev dance wonderfully. Some of the other dancers are out-of-sync at times but it didn't bother me much. What I look for is an overall spontaneity which I did find in this performance.
As for the flaws, there are two areas which detract. One, the visual. Two, the aural.
As for the visual, the stage and sets look very dark. I can't help but think that in person it did not look so gloomy. I suspect that the video production was poorly chosen and executed. Wrong cameras? Wrong settings? Poor equipment? Poorly handled? Just guesses. The First Act, especially, is dreary looking visually. I actually turned the brightness up about 30 degrees on my TV to compensate. That helped and I recommend anyone buying this DVD to do the same. At least some color popped out after doing that. The Second Act was a very pleasant surprise as the curtain lifted. The set was so much more theatrical (befitting the storyline of course) and fun. Much more visually engaging than the First Act.
As for the aural, the sound quality is poor. Or maybe "distant" would be more accurate? Or over-processed? I'm guessing that the sound team wanted to make sure that there was no audience noise audible, being a "live" performance. So they applied sound processing with a heavy hand and squashed out not only any/all audience noise (like coughs) but also a lot of the top end of the threater orchestra. The result? A drab, flat, distant sound quality which was certainly not the reality of how that pit orchestra sounded that day. Even through that heavy blanket one can hear a very vibrant (some would say too vibrant) Russian orchestra of considerable quality. The conductor sets a brisk pace and does a nice job of keeping the music flowing along. The trumpets are too loud and coarse for my taste but that's the Russian way.
A last note. This DVD performance, though seriously flawed in some ways, is still a great deal. At the time of this writing they are going (in fine condition) for about $5 each here on Amazon. What a bargain! But not for kids. This is a DVD by and for adults. For ballet-loving, Tchaikovsky-loving, tradition-loving, adults.
Put the kids to bed, turn up the brightness on your tv (and by necessity the sound too), settle into a comfy chair, and enjoy this diamond in the rough.
 Sound quality is unacceptable December 3, 2007
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you don't mind listening to music on a transistor radio (circa 1960s) then you'll enjoy this DVD. The sound quality is the absolute worst I have ever heard in the past 20 or so years. I played this through a high-end home theater system and it sounded no different than listening to it through a conventional TV with all the bass and treble completely turned off. This DVD is worthless. I guess the old adage, "you get what you pay for" is true. At just under $10 bucks I should have know something wasn't right. If you buy this for the ballet, go for it. But if you buy it primarily for the music, don't.
Superb Technique December 12, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This version of the Nutcracker satisfied every bit of my need to see superb, Russian, ballet technique in all its glory! True, it may lack in color and zest (ofcourse Americans can't imagine anything unless it's dripping in blinking lights and such), but the rather drab colors may have been an attempt to demonstrate contrast between what ought to be focused on and what NOT to focus on. Remember, this is the Bolshoi, not Las Vegas....this is world class Ballet at it's finest and Maximova and Vasiliev deliver 10-fold. I prefer the renditions where Masha is both child AND adult dancing in both acts as opposed to one version of her in Act I and then another version of her in Act II. I also loved how Masha and the Nutcracker danced the Grande Pas de Deux, instead of the Sugar Plum Fairy that you might see in a Balachine Production. Overall, if you're a dancer who can appreciate technique-then you'll love this, however, if you're a mom looking for another "Barbie Nutcracker", you'll hate this.
A must for all ballet fans March 16, 2006
1 out of 11 found this review helpful
One of the greatest achievement in classical ballet, music and production design. Nureyev in one his finest performance. Great DVD transfer, superb sound.
|
|
|
