Ballet Performances Videos & DVDs 9

Napoli - Danish Royal Ballet Video (D4083)

Starring: Arne Villumsen and Mona Jessen. Conductor: Peter Ernst Lassen. Choreographer and Composer: August Bournonville.

The dramatic tradition of the remarkable dancer and choreographer, August Bournonville, is the keystone of the continuing excellence of the Royal Danish Ballet, and Napoli is his happiest masterpiece. Persuaded by his friend Hans Christian Andersen to travel to Italy, Bournonville was inspired by his stay in Naples to create this romantic ballet, which tells the story of the young fisherman Gennaro and his beloved Teresina.

97 mins. (2006)
DVD - Region 1

Natasha: Nataila Makarova Video

Natalia Makarova is universally acknowledged as one of the greatest ballerinas of our age.

The content of this television spectacular was chosen to show off the astonishing range and artistry of this uniquely gifted dancer. Some of Makarova's most acclaimed interpretations, including Natalya Petrovna in Ashton's A Month in the Country and Juliet in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet, are featured in this recording alongside dances created especially for her.

65 mins. (2007)
DVD - Region 1 (US, Canada)

Nureyev - Dancing Through Darkness Video

DVD Only (D2027) - $19.99
Through the testimony of those closest to Nureyev, this program tells the compelling and hitherto untold story of his last years. It is a documentary about one man's creative vision, a genius trapped in a dying body. Above all, it shows one man's desperate struggle to transcend the confines of mortality, doing what he loved most – dancing.

60 mins. (1999)
DVD - Region 1

The Nutcracker - Tchaikovsky Video

 Nutcracker

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Choreography: Peter Wright, Lev Ivanov, Vincent Redmon. Conductor: Barry Wordsworth. The Royal Ballet Sinfonia: The Orchestra of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Leader: Yuri Torchinsky. Cast: The Sugar Plum Fairy- Miyako Yoshida; The Prince- Irek Mukhamedov; Clara - Sandra Madgwick; and Drosselmeyer - Joseph Cipolla.

97 mins. (2008)
DVD - Region 1 (Canada, United States; U.S. territories; more)

The Nutcracker - The Story of Clara Video

 Story of Clara

The ballet is the story of Clara, once a famous Russian ballerina, who first came to Australia in the 1940s. It chronicles her turbulent, nomadic life; and is a moving tribute to all of the dedicated artists who forged the ballet tradition Australia.

112 mins. (2008)
DVD - Region 1 (Canada, United States; U.S. territories; more)

Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker Video (D2263)

Tchaikovsky's much-loved score and Olivier award winning designer Anthony Ward's stunning sets and costumes with sizzling choreography. Promising a fresh serving of the traditional Christmas fare, Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker! is a delightful feast for all of the family.

88 mins.  (2005)
DVD - Region 1 (Canada, United States; U.S. territories; more)

The Nutcracker Video

DVD (D0092) - $29.99
Starring: Rudolf Nureyev, Merle Park, Royal Opera House. This historic 1968 Covent Garden production of Tchaikovsky's ballet masterpiece captures Rudolf Nureyev at the peak of his career. Nureyev's legendary performance makes this the definitive Nutcracker on DVD. Also features Merle Park as Clara with Artists of the Royal Ballet, London. Now digitally re-mastered for DVD.

100 mins.
DVD - Region 1 (Canada, United States; U.S. territories; Bermuda)

The Nutcracker Video

DVD (D1429) - $29.99
Fantasy and magic are the essential ingredients of The Nutcracker, and Tchaikovsky's imaginative score helps bring to life the fantasy world of E.T.A. Hoffmann's enchanting story of The Nutcracker and The Mouse King. Gennady Rozhdestvensky is the guest conductor who …”drew ravishing playing from this most ravishing of Tchaikovsky's ballet scores.” (Guardian)

Though the original scenario for The Nutcracker was considered to be fatally flawed, this magical work has survived to become one of the firmest favorites in the ballet repertory. This new production by Artistic Director of Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, Peter Wright, with the help of Tchaikovsky ballet expert, Roland John Wiley, attempts to rescue from far-flung archives surviving evidence of the original Ivanov/Sergueyev staging, combined with some captivating modern stage effects.

192 mins. (2003)
DVD - Region 1