Blu-ray

The Enrico Cecchetti Diploma

The Enrico Cecchetti Diploma

James Hay (); Christina Katsura (); Romany Pajdak (); Ruth Brill (); Laura Day (); Brandon Lawrence (); Lachlan Monaghan (); Diane van Schoor (); Darcey Bussell (); Kevin O'Hare (); David Bintley ();

The Frederick Ashton Collection Vol. 1 (The Royal Ballet)

The Frederick Ashton Collection Vol. 1 (The Royal Ballet)

Tamara Rojo (Marguerite and Armand); Sergei Polunin (Marguerite and Armand); Natalia Osipova (Rhapsody); Steven McRae (Rhapsody - The Dream); Marianela Nuñez (Symphonic Variations); Vadim Muntagirov (Symphonic Variations -The Two Pigeons); Lauren Cuthbertson (The Two Pigeons); Zenaida Yanowsky (Marguerite and Armand); Roberto Bolle (Marguerite and Armand);

"... a bill which revealed the variety of the Royal’s founder choreographer from the perfumed sway of La Valse, to the lyrical loveliness of the Thais pas de deux, and the audacious joy of Voices of Spring. Monotones I and II, on the other hand, show his geometric modernism and his ability to conjure a kind of mysterious beauty by the simplest of means... the performances throughout the evening made the choreography look as fresh and important as ever." (The Daily Telegraph)

The Frederick Ashton Collection Vol. 2 (The Royal Ballet)

The Frederick Ashton Collection Vol. 2 (The Royal Ballet)

Darcey Bussell (Sylvia); Roberto Bolle (Aminta); Thiago Soarez (Orion); Marianela Nuñez (Lise); Carlos Acosta (Colas); William Tuckett (Simone); Jonathan Howells (Alain); Ricardo Cervera (Mrs. Tittlemouse); Jonathan Howells (Johnny Tiggy-Winkle); Joshua Tuifua (Peter Rabbit);

"[Darcey Bussell] dances with perfect precision in the pizzicato divertissement and is ravishingly radiant in the pas de deux powerfully partnered by Roberto Bolle who also displays some soaring elevation as the shepherd Aminta… It is gorgeous - do not miss it." (The Stage - Sylvia)

The Metamorphosis (The Royal Opera)

The Metamorphosis (The Royal Opera)

Edward Watson (Gregor Samsa); Laura Day (Grete Samsa); Nina Goldman (Mrs Samsa); Neil Reynolds (Mr Samsa); Bettina Carpi (Maid/Coffee Lady); Greig Cooke (Dream Figure/Bearded Man); Amir Giles (Clerk/Dream Figure/Bearded Man/Train Conductor/Dream Figure); Arthur Pita (Choreography/Director); Frank Moon (Music); Simon Daw (Designs);

"It is the remarkable quality of Edward Watson as a dancer that he can convey, with subtlest yet most penetrating effects, the inner life of those characters whom he portrays on stage. I have been fortunate to see every great male dancer of my time: such stars of the Ballets Russes as Massine, Lifar and Dolin, and leading danseurs of the companies in St Petersburg and Moscow and of western ballet during the past half century. None, with the exception of Nicolas Le Riche, has rivalled Watson in the ability to strip character of its externals and find the real man beneath the emotional subterfuges and the caparisons of social manners." (The Financial Times)

The Royal Opera Collection

The Royal Opera Collection

Renée Fleming (Violetta Valéry (La Traviata)); Jonas Kaufmann (Don José (Carmen)); Diana Damrau (Königin der Nacht (Die Zauberflöte)); Simon Keenlyside (Papageno (Die Zauberflöte); Macbeth (Macbeth)); Anna Caterina Antonacci (Carmen (Carmen)); Joseph Calleja (Alfredo Germont (La Traviata)); Dorothea Röschmann (Pamina (Die Zauberflöte)); Mariusz Kwiecien (Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni); Król Roger (Król Roger)); Angela Denoke (Kundry (Parsifal)); René Pape (Gurnemanz (Parsifal)); Eva-Maria Westbroek (Santuzza (Cavalleria Rusticana); Giorgetta (Il tabarro)); Aleksandrs Antonenko (Turiddu/Canio (Cavalleria Rusticana; I Pagliacci); Luigi (Il tabarro));

"This production’s slow journey from darkness into the light…works well on the small screen, not least thanks to high-definition camera work and Sue Judd’s inspired direction for television. The real magic, though, is supplied by the onstage cast...In Dorothea Röschmann’s hands, Pamina emerges not so much a powerless victim of Fate but more as a passionate woman prepared to suffer in the nameof love. Her natural command of the stage is sagely employed by McVicar...Diana Damrau’s supremely sung Queen of the Night oozes class, while Simon Keenlyside’s profoundly human, touchingly sympathetic view of Papageno deserves an Olivier Award." (Die Zauberflöte - Classic FM)