DVDs:

	Balanchine - Jewels / Aurelie Dupont, Alessio Carbone, Marie-Agnes Gillot, Agnes Letestu, Jean-Guillaume ... Mathieu Ganio Laetitia Pujol, Eleonora Abbagnato, Emmanuel Thibault Nolwenn Daniel BBC / Opus Arte, 2006 average customer review:based on 19 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

The costumes and sets, designed by Christian Lacroix, are precisely what this ballet needs, with backdrops of green for Emeralds, red, Rubies, and a cool blue crossed by a glittering cloud-like necklace for Diamonds. The video direction captures the feeling of being in the hall, with full-stage shots interspersed with views of soloists or ensemble sections that are never too close-up and respect the need for air and space around the dancers. Included is an excellent documentary film about Balanchine and Jewels, with cogent interviews and exemplary excerpts from the ballet. No lover of dance should be without this. --Dan Davis

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Well, "Jewels" certainly has received a mixed review ...

... it's almost as polarized as American bi-partisan politics.

I thought the entire presentation was excellent. Some of the reviewers who complained of blurry movement might want to consider buying a better TV set. Some of the big-screen LCD and plasma TVs do not have the on/off switching speed of CRT-based TVs, so they're going to get more "mouse pointer trails" than us low-tech guys with our antique Sony Trinitrons. Furthermore, the larger the screen, the further an image has to travel on the screen while it is switching on and off from one frame to another, so you are more likely to see some of the "gray area" between on and off. Given a certain production resolution of a DVD, all other things being equal, the larger the screen upon which viewed, the more noticeable the movement trails. In general, larger screens will not yield the same perceived resolution and seamless movement as smaller screens.

One also has to keep in mind that DVDs and CDs do not have the same quality as film-based video and vinyl audio recordings. Much is lost in the analog-digital compression and expansion. The sound quality on many DVD movies is not as good as the VHS versions ... in fact, the sound track on many DVDs is extremely muffled.

When in doubt about the quality of a recording, or the quality and resolution of your TV, just move your hand in front of your face from one side to the other as fast as you can and see if you get seamless, unblurred reception. Then, sell your TV and go see live performances ... it doesn't get any better than that.

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A gem of "Jewels"

Delicious dancing. The French have the most beautiful feet! Don't miss the documentary about Balanchine which runs at the end.


A "bijou" of a performance!!

A great production of a great ballet!! - and an infrequent opportunity to see the entire piece, as so often a company presents only the "Rubies" or "Emeralds" portion. In addition to the full ballet, an extra feature ("George Balanchine Forever") presents provocative interviews with some of the "etoiles" of the company, the directress, the designer, & others. A wonderful addenda - particularly the story of how the original concept for the piece came to Balanchine - as he was watching a display of jewels in the Fifth Avenue windows of Van Cleef & Arpels - a truly inspired moment!!!

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Yes..a Jewel!

This disc contains what is one of my favorite ballet performances. The Paris Opera Ballet is a great company which consistently presents techincally flawless performances with grace, verve, and style. Special praise must be given to the production, the sets and costumes, and even the lighting. A BBC critic recently praised their orchestra, which is very fine indeed, giving full weight to the music. The choreography is by Mr. Dance himself, George Balanchine, who made hundreds of ballets, and this is his magnum opus, a special work of abstract dance based on the music of Faure, Stravinsky, and Tchiakovsky. Each section represents a different jewel--emeralds, rubies, and diamonds--with corresponding color and music. This production contains an interesting interview with some of the principle dancers and directors, explaining how this ballet was conceived and how the Paris company approaches it. Of course, subtitles in several languages are accessable. Sound and picture are faultless, too. This is a great DVD which you could buy for yourself or give as a gift to anyone who likes style, fashion, color,or, of course, great dance. Give it to the love of your life as a special valentine they'll never forget.

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Bejewelled

The picture quality on my dvd is superb. Insousciant and energetic and terribly inventive Rubies is my personal favorite. Emeralds and Diamonds are traditionally pretty and romantic and a bit boring for me compared to the razzle dazzle of Rubies. If only we could get more Balanchine on dvd especially the Stravinsky ballets. I'd love to see John Cranko's version of Jeu de Carte again, another funny witty Stravinsky piece. Those who love traditional ballet will love Emeralds and Diamonds and hopefully get a real kick out of Rubies. Don't miss it. And how about The Golberg Variations and Dances at a Gathering? Need I mention Davidsbundlertanze?

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4

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