Minkus - La Bayadere [1994, Ballet, DVD9]

While Minkus' La Bayadere is not one of my favourite ballets, it stills serves as a nice change from the Tchaikovsky ballets and Giselle(all of which are masterpieces don't get wrong). And if you do like La Bayadere you will love this Paris Opera Ballet production. The costumes and sets are of really sumptuous quality, and the lighting helps bring out that quality. Technically, I couldn't see any major problem either, the picture quality didn't take away from the beauty of the production values, the camera work is unobtrusive and does a commendable job complimenting the drama on stage and the sound lets you fully appreciate the music. And I certainly do appreciate the music, Minkus' style has grown on me overtime and it is a lovely score for La Bayadere, it is my personal favourite of his though Don Quixote/Quichotte was my first. The orchestra play beautifully, and the conducting accommodates the story, drama and singers rather than being at odds with them. The choreography sparkles with the stage action always involving, while the dancing from the very well-rehearsed Corps-De-Ballet to the leads is impeccable. Elisabeth Platel has some of the best musicality of any ballerina I've seen recently for any ballet production on DVD, and her refined and elegant dancing as well a warm, expressive personality also won me over. Isabelle Guerin is every bit as graceful and she is incredible with commanding the stage and holding the attention until she goes off, her Act 3 entrance is one of the most genuinely mesmerising ballet entrances I can remember from any DVD production I've seen since as much as last Christmas(though I have been a fan of ballet long before then). Laurent Hilaire is both masculine and sexy and his dancing and stage presence epitomising powerful. All in all, really exquisite. 10/10 Bethany Cox