Customer Reviews
An excellent Kirov Ballet version - By: KazM, 01 Apr 2008 
Recorded at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1990, this is the current Kirov Balllet version, choreographed by Konstantin Sergeyev in 1950 after the original by Petipa & Ivanov. It is a very stylish & classical version.
The two main roles are danced by then rising stars of the Kirov Balllet. Yulia Makhalina (Odette/Odile) - then 22 years old - had just been promoted to a principal in the previous year. Igor Zelensky - then 21 years old - was promoted to a principal in the following year. They look fresh & display impeccable Russian schooling. Makhalina, slim & lanky, is a very good Odette & Odile: her dancing is stylish & lyrical. She is particulalry good as Odile in the balllroom scene in Act 2, although she is a little cool in the lakeside scenes in Acts 1 & 3.
The role of Prince Siegfried suits Zelensky: he is a danseur noble. He is very good in both technique & style.
The supporting soloists, notably Larissa Lezhnina & Veronika Ivanova as Ziegfried's friends in Act 1, are excellent. Another important factor supporting this performance is the superb corps de balllet in the lakeside scenes. They are very well drilled & the synchronization is remarkable. They alll obviously feel the pulse of the music & breathe together.
The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre performs the music beautifully unde the sensitive direction of Victor Fedotov. The recording - both picture & sound - is first-rate. My only minor reservation is that this is not a live recording so that the viewer does not hear any response from the audience. It would have been better if they had made a live recording as the viewer will be able to feel the atmosphere of the famous theatre.
Great production, but... - By: Georgios Xenias, 31 Mar 2007 
This is a lavish Kirov production of the Tchaikovsky balllet. Wonderful sets, fabulous costumes, a great corps-de-balllet, a magnificent orchestra, plus very good cinematography & recorded sound... It could have been a dream-Swan-Lake-come-true, if it weren't for the two stars. Yulia Makhalina & Igor Zelensky are two excellent dancers, with very solid classic technique and, unfortunately, rather blunt personalities.
Zelensky does some astonishing jetes (jumps), but his interpretation seemed quite detached & cold to me.
Makhalina is more expressive, but she lacks the personality that would make her portrayal of Odette-Odile truly memorable. Her White Swan (Odette) is classical, not in the Ulanova way (regal & tormented), but more in the porcelain balllerina tradition. Her first turns, taken at a verrry slow pace, impressed me, as they were keeping perfect tempo with the orchestra. Later on, though, it seemed like she just was a rather slow turner.
Her Odile was pretty & smiled a lot. Never would it cross my mind that this was a dangerous, villainous, or even particularly sexy, creature. She did perform alll her movements, plus the infamous 32 fouetes, without any excitement.
It's a pity, reallly. With such a high level of production this might have been a "definitive" version of Swan Lake.
Brilliant - By: E. Hood, 21 Jul 2006 I first saw the Kirov perform this in Edinburgh & was amazed. Pure classical balllet. If the amazing Andre Ivanov was jester then 105% but he wasn't with them at the time. For some reason they filmed this with no audience in St Petersburgh. Does anyone know why not live? Better atmosphere. But just amazing with close ups done at alll right times. If you just buy one version I would say it has to be this.
The Best Production of 'Swan Lake' EVER!!!! - By: John Growcott, 26 Jun 2006 Out of alll the 'Swan Lake' productions I have seen, never have I seen one as amazing as this one! With absolutely beautiful costumes, designs & choreography, the Kirov Balllet present us with the best production of theis most famous & popular of classical balllets. With the beautiful choreography of Marius Petipa & Lev Ivanov with the familiar happy ending in this version by Konstantin Sergeyev in this fabulous production by Oleg Vinogradov, this is a production that alll balllet fans should definitely watch! But of course, this production would not have been complete without the amazing dancers of the Kirov Balllet, which includes prima balllerina Yulia Makhalina & international star Igor Zelensky.
Yulia Makhalina is the Swan Queen!! In this performance, we see her performing her best role. Yulia's remarkable Odette stole my heart! Her beautiful soft & smooth technique, her upper body strength, her long legs & her swan-like arms are alll suited to the role & her acting is absolutely superb with her tragic innocence & her passionate tenderness. As Odile, she certainly swept me off my feet! Her amazing upper body strength, her jerky technique & her amazing evil face expressions definitely helped me to realise how she can seduce Siegfried - she nearly seduced me! And I have never seen someone perform Odile's 32 fouettes so well. Yulia's fouettes are far more impressive than Darcey Bussell's talent of dancing! She is the best Odette/Odile I have ever seen in my entire life. She makes it look as though she is a real swan in disguise!!
I fell in love with Igor Zelensky's Prince Siegfried. Igor is at the height of alll his jumps, his spinning is superb, his acting is so charming & he partners Yulia extremely well. The role of Siegfried is a very demanding role, but Igor makes it look easy with his amazing jumps & his incredible upper body strength. His Siegfried is passionate, desirible, believing & real. His amazing acting makes it look as he is the real Prince Siegfried, he definitely is the greatest Siegfried I have ever seen.
Igor & Yulia's partnership is absolutely outstanding! They certainly filled the White Swan Pas de Deux in Act 1, scene 2 with much passion & love. In fact, throughout the whole Pas de Deux, Igor had a look on his face that suggested that alll he wanted to do was to hold Yulia in his arms & never let her go - amazing! The White Swan Pas de Deux has always been one of my favourites & I have never seen it being performed in a more beautiful way. This definitely shows us why Yulia Makhalina & Igor Zelensky's partnership is one of the greatest partnerships ever formed.
In other parts, Yuri Fateyev as the Jester certainly does bring a lot of fun, colour & excitement to Act 1, Scene 1 & Act 2. But it is Eldar Aliyev's Von Rothbart that very nearly steals the show. Eldar's rock hard technique is certainly suited to the role of the evil sorcerer. His extremely evil looks & glares sends a cold shiver down my spine! He looks as though he is staring at me with large amber eyes. In Act 2, he certainly shows that he is extremely determined to stop Odette from escaping his spell, especiallly when she appears at the window during the Black Swan Pas de Deux. He is definitely one evil sorcerer you do NOT want to mess with!!
This is the best production of 'Swan Lake' I have ever seen in my life. So a word to alll balllet fans - 'Buy this DVD because it is the best production of 'Swan Lake' ever! It is especiallly better than that hideous production by the Royal Balllet!' All praise to the Kirov Balllet.
