Customer Reviews

Deldevez - Minkus: Paquita, Opera National De Paris

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Since I am such a common man, I can be forgiven, I think, for giving this performance a five star rating, while the experts give it quite poor ratings. Maybe it is good to be common (same as average) because I can get a lot of enjoyment from performances which "others" think are less than perfect. This is my favorite ballet danced by Letestu. Better than the POB version of Swan Lake, for instance, which was marred by poor camera "work", as well as a bad libretto. True, Letestu may not have as good stage presence as some ballerinas, I think she is a good ballerina and her characterization as an Etoile certainly does not rankle me as it does others. If I had any complaint on Letestu it might be her air of smugness which to me seems to say, "Oh, I am so good." (PS.....I have to retract that statement, because "La Dame aux Camelias" is now my favorite ballet starring Letestu, and she does not exhibit that air of smugness, I refered to before.)

So what, if this version of Paquita is slightly different from what Petipa staged in eighteen hundred and who knows when? There should be a little variation in style, since dance itself has changed in the past hundred and fifty years. No one seems to complain when Nureyev makes changes in choreography and libretto (Swan Lake and La Baradere for instance). The changes he made in the National Ballet of Canada version of Sleeping Beauty w/himself and Veronica Tennant, for instance, were atrocious.

This ballet is presented in the 16-9 video format, has several good sound formats, and has beautiful sets, lighting, and colorful costuming. It is 109 minutes in duration with 12 minutes bonus material. Letestu even makes one costume change on set. Well done, but don't get excited, you won't see any of her "bod".

I liked this ballet, and if you're common like me you probably will too.....Richard.

I enjoyed this performance. I can understand why some people found it bland. Blame that on Pierre Lacotte. People must understand that this is a reconstruction of a ballet that has been largely lost. The only really authentic Petipa choreography that still exists is the Grand Pas that can be seen in various incarnations on DVD but who knows how true any of these are to the original choreography?

getting back to this performance, the reconstruction is by Pierre Lacotte who may be a fine ballet historian but who is an uninspired choreographer. One thing I must say about the dancing. It was an absolute delight to watch the ballerina's supported turns in the Grand Pas de Deux. They were perfectly gauged - as much to do with Martinez's superb partnering as with Letestu's turns - and the finishes were gorgeous, opening out like a flower. These were turns as true dance statements and not the usual race to get in as many turns as humanly possible in the time available.

Paquita é mais um balé que se perdeu no tempo. Sua estréia em 1846, com coreografia original de Joseph Mazelier, foi feita para mostrar as habilidades da grande bailarina, Carlota Grisi. Dizem que ela dançou Giselle como ninguém, mas essa eu nunca vi ao vivo .Os franceses (sempre eles), com o passar dos anos, o esqueceram e os russos o encenaram, no decorrer do século XIX, com alterações sugeridas por Marius Petipa.

Em 2001, Pierre Lacote ressucita o balé para a Opera National de Paris (sempre ele, já tirou do esquecimento A Filha do Faraó) , refazendo a coreografia em sua pantomima original. Busca o estilo dos balés românticos, com sua dança característica e figurinos de época. Abusa do virtuosismo, mantém as valsas, mazurcas e principalmente o Gran Pas (passagem mais conhecida do balé).

O romantismo tinha uma queda pelo exótico, lugares longínquos e culturas distantes. A escolha é a ensolarada Espanha no tempo das invasões napoleônicas. Desfilam ciganos , generais e pessoas comuns. O libreto é simples, Paquita é raptada quando criança por ciganos, seus pais são assassinados. Na juventude, apaixona-se por Lucien ,filho de um general. Sua condição social, no entanto, não permite que ela se case com ele. Inigo é o chefe da ciganaiada e quer Paquita pra si, para tanto une-se com Mendoza para matar Lucien. Paquita descobre a trama e salva o amado. Uma foto de seu pai , que ela guarda desde a infância, prova que Paquita é de origem nobre, na verdade prima de Lucien. Enredo de novela das seis, todos acabam felizes, termina a história e as danças se acumulam por exatos e eternos 40 minutos. Número atrás do outro, oportunidade para todo o corpo de balé se exibir.

A música original de Edouard Deldevez e Ludwig Minkusv foi revisada e completada pelo maestro David Colleman. Segue o estilo açucarado dos balés românticos, mantém-se fiel a proposta de transportar a ação para a Espanha do século XIX, conseguindo seu intento. Os figurinos impecáveis e os cenários limpos fazem a história fluir, enquanto que as câmeras captam a ação com tomadas e ângulos interessantes.

Agnès Letestu me deixou confuso nessa apresentação, sua técnica é primorosa, seu virtuosismo acentuado, uma bailarina que parece flutuar, mas falta algo. Sua Paquita carece de emoção, de expressão. Sua face, geralmente rígida , prejudica a transmissão de emoções e sentimentos. Quem está no treatro provavelmente não perceba esse detalhe, mas o vídeo entrega. José Martinez cumpre com a missão de fazer um Lucien "mauricinho", bonitão e conquistador. Seus saltos estonteantes levam ao delírio a platéia. Karl Paquette faz um Inigo assustador, consegue transmitir a alma do personagem, não mede esforços para ter Paquita em seus braços. Assustador pela movimentação corporal, pelo jeito de caminhar e pelas expressões demoníacas.

Paquita consegue, com essa recriação, nos transportar a uma época romântica, onde o gosto pelo exótico era moda. Balé do século XXI com cara e jeito do século XIX.

A must-see ballet for the dancer (Martinez is splendid, as always). For aspiring ballerinas: watch for what NOT to do!
This video was an educational and unforgettable experience for me--it shocked me into attention how important the arms and upper body are. In order to look good on stage, I now understand that I must do exactly the opposite of Letestu. And as it was obviously black/white, Letestu was completely devoid of feelings/emotion/personality. So the lesson here is to dance FOR THE AUDIENCE, giving your all. Besides dancing, one must know how to walk onto stage or run to another spot like a ballerina: no shuffling! The good thing I will take away from Letestu's performance is the acting; I will try to use some of her pantomiming skills.

This DVD came sealed and in excellent condition. Thank you for providing such a great service!

Is a good video, very dificult to get on m country. Was a gift to my sister and she feld so happy wen she see this dvd.

This is a must ballet collection to have. The Ballet Opera captivated the essence of romantic Spain via this ballet suite. It's just a delight and wonderful to watch, specially on big LCD screen.

I thought this performance was bad. The dancers were not so good, and kind of boring. The exception is that it is the only full length Paquita around. However, most companies do Paquita as something quite different than this one, such as in the movie Kirov Classics.

A copy you must have! Spectacular performance Bravo!