Customer Reviews

The Nutcracker/ Cojocaru, Dowell, Royal Ballet

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with some of the assessments made by reviewer Ivy Lin, above, however, I disagree with others. This production of the beloved Christmas classic by the Royal Ballet does indeed incline more to the older Russian than the later Balanchine interpretation, which is more familiar to American audiences. I happen to prefer the former. I also agree with Ms. Lin that the dancing of Alina Cojocaru is one of the chief pleasures of this very traditional and pleasing production, which is everything a Nutcracker ought to be, including the obligatory boring turns by parental figures in Victorian clothes and tiresome little boys. Cojocaru is particularly gorgeous to watch once she takes off the little-girl dress and earmuff hair-do at the end of the first act, and gets to really, REALLY dance. Cojocaru's technique IS beautiful. Yes, she is all long ethereal limbs, big jumps, arched back, beautiful feet, and expressive hands. Curiously, and here is where I disagree with Ms. Lin, Cojocaru shares another trademark that sometimes accompanies all those wonderful characteristics of Russian-school training (Cojocaru is Romanian): a bit too much awareness of just how appealing those extravagant extensions, that back-arching, and those gamboling, coltish limbs are. In fact, all that coltish, ethereal, arched-back, long-limbed gamboling got to be a bit tiresome for me at some point, especially as Anthony Dowell, attuned no doubt to the wishes of his audience vis-a-vis his new star, allowed Peter Wright, the choerographer, to insert Cojocaru into every single place in the choreography that he possibly could, including places where Clara traditionally doesn't dance: the dance of the Snowflakes, the Chinese Dance, the Russian Dance, the Waltz of the Flowers, etc. I'm sure the soloists in those pieces were just THRILLED to find their brief moments in the spotlight dimmed by the omnipresence of Cojocaru, whether she belonged there or not. I found myself muttering, "Enough already!" There WERE other dancers worth watching on stage, notably the chief Rose Fairy, Zenaida Yanofsky, in Wright's verision of the Waltz of the Flowers. A tall, elegant dancer with beautiful legs, a huge jump, and outstanding technique, Yanofsky was a great pleasure to watch - I would have preferred to watch her go on dancing rather than to see her coyly bringing Cojocaru back to center stage. By the end of the Waltz of the Flowers, it was, in my opinion, rather a pleasure to turn from the adorable, ethereal,coltish, gamboling Cojocaru to the more regal dancing of Miyako Yoshida, the Sugar Plum Fairy. In response to Ms. Lin's criticisms, it certainly wasn't Ms. Yoshida's fault that the tall Darcey Bussell pulled out and the short Ms. Yoshida was called upon to substitute for her, and dance with the very tall Jonathan Cope. Both are compleat professionals: they did their jobs and did them well. Yoshida IS a bit too short for truly great line, but she nevertheless turned in a lovely performance, with beautiful phrasing, delicate, perfect footwork, and great security; her solo in the big pas de deux was faultless. For me, far from being a painful contrast to Cojocaru, Yoshida's more womanly presence was just as pleasurable to watch; there is room in the world for accomplished dancers who are not ethereal, long-limbed, back-arching, gamboling, coltish wonders (whose style would have been inappropriate as Sugar Plum Fairy, anyway). Ivan Putrov, the Nutcracker and Clara's dream prince, is worth st least as much attention as Cojocaru. He was wonderful: his technique blended power and elegance, with high jumps, crisp turns, and gorgeous legs. He was a sympathetic dramatic presence and a fine partner. As one expects from the Royal, all the set pieces were well-danced and expertly mimed. As for Anthony Dowell's cape-waving as Herr Drosselmeyer, really, it's "Nutcracker" and Drosselmeyer - what do you really expect in the way of character development?! The sets are beautiful, as are the costumes, the Christmas angels, the special effects, and all the soloists. This is just what a Nutcracker should be. I enjoyed it immensely and rewatch it at least twice each Christmas season.

This Royal Ballet production of "The Nutcracker" (staged by Peter Wright) is a mix of the "Balanchine" and "Vainonen" schools of the Nutcracker. The Balanchine version of the Nutcracker emphasizes the child's fantasy -- a land of sweets, with comic relief. The Vainonen Nutcracker emphasizes the romantic dreams of an adolescent. The Russian-influenced Nutcrackers veer towards the Vainonen school, while in the U.S. Balanchine-based Nutcrackers are the norm.
The Royal Ballet attempts to have it both ways. Clara in this case is an adolescent girl, played by an adult ballerina. The storyline is that Herr Drosselmeyer once had a nephew, Hans-Peter, who was transformed into a Nutcracker. It is this Nutcracker who is transformed into Clara's Prince, and the Prince and Clara go off to the Kingdom of the Sweets, where the Sugar Plum Fairy reigns supreme. At the end of the ballet, Drosselmeyer's nephew is transformed back into a boy, and all ends happily.
There is one chief reason to get this ballet: the remarkable Alina Cojocaru. She's now the Royal Ballet's prima ballerina. See her here, and you'll see why her career has been raves and more raves. For such a tiny, girlish-looking ballerina, Cojocaru has a huge stage presence. She seems to float through the air as if pushed by a cloud. She was trained in Kiev and has the Russian imprints: huge, beautiful grand jetes, beautiful arms, highly arched back. Ivan Putrov is her Prince, and he also is excellent. In the second act, Clara (Cojocaru) gets to dance in some of the divertissements, and I was overjoyed, if only to see Cojocaru dance.
Unfortunately, the rest of the cast is not as strong. Miyako Yoshida, the Sugar Plum Fairy, was a sub for Darcey Bussell, and she's not at all well-paired with the very tall Jonathan Cope. Yoshida is the opposite of Cojocaru -- a very earthbound dancer. She's solid, but unremarkable. Her rather square frame is a painful contrast to the ethereal, long-limbed Cojocaru. Anthony Dowell is Herr Drosselmeyer, and he's way too fond of waving his cape around. He seems to think this is character development. It's not.
The production overall is very handsome, although the wigs that the corps have to wear are as usual unattractive. (Are there ever attractive wigs in ballet?) The dvd comes with a bonus of a backstage look at the growing Christmas tree.

This is a wonderful classical version of The Nutcracker, with fabulous sets, costumes, color, and lighting. It is a Sir Peter Wright production, so it is authentic throughout, with the exception that there is no Mother Gigogne and her little clowns.

This is a good example of classical ballet as the originators saw it. Peter Wright usually sticks to tradition in his productions, and you won't see "gimmicks" used that distract from it's originality. It is a live stage production from the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden, with an audience, but it is not a "noisy" stage, that is, you will hear the point shoes but they are not distracting. The British audiences are very restrained in their enthusiasm and do not interrupt the dances with applause.

Clara is danced by Alina Cojocaru, a perpetually young ballerina who is able to dance in the final act with her Nutcracker Prince, Ivan Petrov, and not just a spectator "guest" in the magic Kingdom of Sweets. The toymaker Drosselmeyer, is played by Anthony Dowell. The Sugar Plum Fairy is danced Meyako Yoshida, who is absolutely beautiful in her role. Her partner is Jonathan Cope, who partnered with Leanne Benjamin in the Royal Ballet production of The Firebird (another must have DVD)......Stravinsky - The Firebird & Les Noces / Royal Ballet.....Cope is very tall, and Yoshida is quite short, so, she is a diminutive little doll next to him. I cannot begin to tell you how much I loved her as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

As I said, the sets and costumes in this ballet are spectacular, the lighting perfect and the music magnificent. Need any more superlatives? The running time is 107 minutes, which is about right for a complete Nutcracker. There are about 25 minutes of bonus material, which is very informative, telling how they made the Christmas tree "grow", among other things happening "backstage". I believe you will enjoy this "classical" version of "The Nutcracker".........Richard.

I love this DVD! I have loved The Nutcracker story since I was a kid, and was pleased with how this story unfolded. Despite other reviews, I did not find that Drosselmeyer waved his cape around too much, I thought that it fit his role, and without it he would have been lacking something. I also thought that the Sugar Plum Fairy and her prince went together well, and showed a lot of chemistry. I thought that they each fit their roles wonderfully! I have already watched this ballet several times, and my two daughters (ages 5&2) have even sat and watched a good portion of it with me. I am very pleased with my purchase.

This is one of my favorite versions of the Nutcracker. Unlike the opinion of the previous reviewer, I was totally enchanted with Miyako Yoshida as the Sugar Plum Fairy. She is my favorite in this role and is simply breathtaking. She gives this role more grace and life than many who have danced this role. The set and costumes are lovely and, in the usual style of the Royal Ballet, the overall performance is superb!

I originally viewed this version on TV and had to order it immediately. That was 4 years ago, and since then I have given it as gifts. For the last 3 years, I have taken my two, still young, grandsons (now 10 and 8) to see the Nutcracker during holiday time - not a children's version. They love it and love my DVD. I tried showing them a version that should appeal to children, but they were disappointed with the missing parts, and it not following the original exactly. Now, I am ordering another copy for them to see when not visiting me. I personally love the gorgeous costumes, consider the dancing outstanding, and the music a delight. Maybe if I were a ballet expert, I could find something to be picky about, but for the vast majority of us who enjoy the Nutcracker, it is more than perfect. I find myself smiling, sometimes applauding, and often sighing in delight, as I am viewing it. Could it be any better?

I have shown this 2000 Royal Ballet Version to my elementary students. Normally it is hard for students to sit still for more than a few minutes during the holiday season, but they were totally enchanted with the costumes, the story, and the dancing. In fact, even though some of my students have been in local productions of the Nutcracker, they say this film is one of the best productions they have ever seen. I have seen other Royal Ballet versions, and the Baryshnikov version--this one has more passion and more style. In fact, only a few of my students knew about the Mama Gigione version they had seen in local ballet productions. I highly recommend this to all serious Nutcracker aficionados.

I fear that the Nutcracker may be referred to as "pop" ballet and to a certain respect that may be true; but, oh, that music of Tchaikovsky...spellbinding to say the least. The Royal Ballet does itself proud with its classic interpretation and exquisite dancing. If you wish to make your Christmas warm and enchanting gather your family around the TV and experience the Royal Ballet's Nutcracker.

The world's most famous (some might, rightfully, say overdone) Christmas ballet receives an opulent, excellent treatment from the Royal Ballet at London's Covent Garden; designed by Julia Trevelyan Oman and choreographed by Peter Wright.
Even if you have seen "The Nutcracker" for what seems like a millon Christmas Seasons in a row, there is no denying the powerful, endearing spell of Tchaivosky's immortal ballet score.
The plot is as familar as "The Wizard Of Oz." Hans-Peter has been transformed into a Nutcracker. His mysterious and magical Uncle Drosslmeyer (Sir Anthony Dowell) hopes that his god-daughter Clara can break the curse. During a midnight Christmas Eve Battle, Clara saves the Nutcracker from the Mouse King. Transformed into a human male once again, Hans-Peter transports Clara to the Kingdom OF Sweets; where they perform a series of celebratory dances with the Sugar-Plum Fairy, her Prince, and several other fantasy characters.
Several productions have emphasized a dark and disturbing "connection/relationship" between Clara and Drosslmeyer. In this production, there is (thankfully) an emphasis on fantasy and magic. Alina Cojocaru is perfectly cast as a beguiled and beguiling Clara. Ivan Putrov is a strikingly handsome Hans-Peter/Nutcracker Prince. This is a definitive production that belongs in every Christmas DVD library.

My 1-year old daughter was so entranced by the magic of this version of the Nutcracker during Comcast's seasonal battle of various nutcrackers. It is a traditional version -- almost Dickens'ey type of production. Magical and oh, so sweet. She can sit for hours and watch it over & over. And she even dances to it as the little children participate in many of the opening scenes. Just charming.