Customer Reviews

Minkus: Paquita

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Extremely enjoyable,Martinez and Letestu seem to enjoy every step of this beautifully rechoreographed ballet,following the "esprit de l'époque",by Pierre Lacotte who pays a tribute to Petipa whose original choreography had survived only in the "grand pas ". The music score is as light as a bird singing,so being a powerful anti-depressive musical medicine!Thanks to the devotion of this unique choreographer who revives and gives back to the stages forgotten ballets,we have for instance Coppelia,La Fille du Pharaon(a jewel!) La Sylphide( music by Schneitzhoeffer and inspired by the one Filippo Taglioni created for his daughter Maria Taglioni,four years before Bournonville would choreograph a second La Sylphide,this time on Lovenskiold's music),Ondine(yet to be released by the Kirov,God knows when)and several others he did for various Opera Houses and are not on DVD.
In order to compare Lacotte's Grand Pas with the original (Petipa) buy the Kirov Classics and watch last item - Paquita's Grand Pas,danced by Igor Zelensky,Yulia Makhalina and Larissa Lezhnina - absolutely outstanding.

After years of only the grand pdd it was a great surprise to see the whole ballet.The french opera ballet made it a delight. I liked the second act best, the corps de ballet was great. Hope to get more of these surprises

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.

The other reviewers have dealt primarily with the history of this most delightful of ballets. Je suis aussi (I'm showing off) a ballet history buff. I bought this DVD because I am a fan of the Paris Opera Ballet, and of its intelligent management - but primarily because I LOVE Agnes Letestu! She is indeed an Etoille, and for good reason: She is intelligent, understands the nature of the role she is performing, dances beautifully' great to look at, and, best of all, she can act! Her miming is exquisite! It does not merely tell the story: it propels it! Little touches, such as where, early on in the ballet Lucien d'Hervilly (danced and acted beautifully by Jose Martinez), a Royal personage, places his hand upon Paquita's shoulder, she, a Gypsy girl, Letestu's role. She is not Lucien's equal socially. Paquita glances down at Lucien's hand. Her expression is one of surprise and pleasure. Little touches like that abound. Should you buy this ballet you will certainly enjoy the scenes in the chief Gypsy's home where Paquita strives to get Lucien to understand that the Gypsy chief intends to drug and then kill him. And then there's Agnes Letestu the dancer. Wow! Petipa did a wonderful thing for ballet lovers by creating his Grand Pas: 26 minutes of glorious no-stop ballet dancing of the highest order! If Agnes Letestu and Jose Martinez had not captured your fancy in the previous Two Acts (with Two Scenes), then be prepared to be blown away with their performances in the the Grand Pas! Wunderbar! (I'm showing off, again). The Bonus material should not be overlooked. There are interviews with Letestu and Martinez and with Brigitte Lefevre, the Paris Opera Ballet's Director of Dance. Todo es muy interesante. (Show off!) Buy this ballet. It has a happy ending and, for what it is worth to you, it's my favorite ballet. King Arthur, Arthur Stanley Katz, May 11, 2011

This is a wondeful and very French styled staging of this fun pastiche of a ballet Paquita. The principals are a delight, Letestu and Martinez are in fine form. The rather mindless music of Minkus should be overlooked as he really was able to write perfect music for ballets such as this. The entire production has the unmistakable touch of Pierre Lacotte who has a real flair for this type of dance presentation. Its great fun, the shocking pink bull fighter capes and tights are so amusingly Parisienne and add great panache to the enire production which is very tastefully staged again in the very French manner it is intended to be in. It is filmed at the beautiful Palais Garnier Paris and which suits it well, the TV work and direction are clear and clean and so is the music.This is a charming and probably the only full lenhth version of the ballet available except for the brilliant excerpts of The Kirov in Kirov Classics. However I thnk this captures the spirit of the entire presentation very well. I rate it highly for a fun romp and fine ballet dancing in the French style which it is intended to be.

Paquita, originally staged in Paris by Joseph Mazilier, was redone (only the second act) by Marius Petipa. Since then, Mazilier's first act has been long lost, and Petipa's grand pas (from the second act) has been more and more intwined with bravura tricks. As time went on, Petipa's grand pas contained more and more variations and technical tricks, gaining a very classical style and being looked as a test of the technique of a company. If one would like to see this work of technique at it's best, I would recommend the Mariinsky's version (with Makhalina and Zelensky).

Pierre Lacotte has done what was previously though impossible - he's found Mazilier's first act, and Petipa's original second act. With this, he's made a stunning, classical, romantic ballet. It's still a test of technique, but now, it has heart and contains a real story (with plenty of mime), unlike all other versions found today. Of course, it's near impossible to find EVERY second of this old choreography, so he's filled in the gaps with choreography á la Petipa. This doesn't have the same effect as the original choreography, and it's evident in some weak spots of the ballet. However, the ballet is so perfectly performed that it's easy to overlook, what with the technical grandeur of the Paris Opera Ballet. José Martinez and Agnès Letestu are absolutely stunning, with perfect lines and excellent acting. Though he isn't mentioned in the program, another amazing dancer with a fantastic jump is the man in the pas de trois, which is unforgettable. This version of the children's mazurka is adorable, though for fans of this, I'd recommend the Russian version; it's done with more technical proficiency, and on a much grander scale.

Luisa Spinatelli was very successful in the new costumes and sets of this classic ballet, adding even more to the ballet's beauty. The music (a combination of Delvedez and Minkus) is played beautifully, as well. The ballet is also filmed wonderfully, (unlike most ballet films) the director didn't hate ballet, and new precisely what he was doing. Also included in the DVD are a series of short interviews, which I recommend seeing; they're very informative. In short, I'd recommend this ballet to anyone who'd want to see the Paquita as it used to be seen, over 150 years ago. It's entertaining as a ballet, and as a very important historical timepiece, one of the most renowned romantic ballets of the past.

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.

The DVD was excellent to see and a collection issue for Clasical Ballet lovers. I enjoyed every moment of the film.

It's a difficult review to write. On the positive note, dancers are technically superb. On the negative, music is the worst future. Minkus was hired as a stuff composer of Mariinsky ballet specifically for his ability to write ballet music by the yard and it was before reputable composers considered writing music for a ballet a worthy endeavor. So the music is circus'y , you just expect horses starting galloping around and doing tricks. Choreography, with rare exception, is a collection of banal and interchangeable bravura steps which don't allow development of much individuality. Sometimes dancers of Paris Opera Ballet perform like technically perfect clones, sucking all life and emotions out of choreography. This is one of these performances. Libretto is absurd too.
The whole impression is of a museum piece valuable for historians and conoiseures: it gives a perfect example of how "routine" Russian imperial court ballet entertainment must look like.