DVD 11322 MARCO SPADA (Auber)

what the fuss is about David Hallberg ("first American" (ABT) principle at Bolshoi, this ballet showcased him well, as ridiculous as the storyline; this is, HOWEVER, a very good opportunity to see other wonderful Bolshoi dancers, esp. the lovely Evgenia Obraztsova, who did not just dance supremely, but probably single handedly (or footedly) gave credibility to the storyline. Olga Smirnova is in this production too. It'd be a fun performance to watch.

the bolshoi mounts a new production of a rare ballet-spectacular scenery. sumptuous costumes, the usual high standard of dancing-though i had reservations re their import- ,but the audience ,though always polite- seemed less than enraptured. the fault has to lie with auber. drigo,pugni etc may not be tchaikovsky but they carry the dancing along. this i am afraid auber fails to do ,especially as there are so many dance routines. but see it ,there is still much to enjoy

This is taken from a live HD theater presentation, so it begins with lots of milling about on stage and in the lobby. The picture froze or the sound dropped out about every minute on my Samsung DVD player, but plays fine on my Sony Blu-ray player. (This has happened on other discs from this source.) The picture is especially clear, bright and sharp, and the sound is good on my Blu-ray player. The music and story are not very inspired, but the Bolshoi production is first class. The picture and sound are the best I have experienced from Premiere Opera. Unlike many opera and ballet performances nowadays, the Bolshoi stage is well lit so you can actually see the dancers throughout the performance.