Coppélia

Contemporary choreographers seem reluctant to stage Léo Delibes's frothy 1870 ballet—the story of a man who falls in love with a female automaton—in its original form. In his last work as ballet master of the Paris Opera, Patrice Bart here offers another radical rethinking, jettisoning much of the original music and replacing it with selections from other compositions by Delibes (including Lakmé), resulting in a darker score, better suited to the revised narrative Bart has spun in the spirit of E.T.A. Hoffmann's original tale. In this 2011 mounting, robotic dolls take a back seat to a romantic triangle involving Swanilda (Dorothée Gilbert), Frantz (Mathias Heymann), and a new suitor named Coppélius (José Martinez). While other traditional versions of the ballet are available (VL Online-9/03), this re-imagining shines, boasting spectacular choreography, gorgeous sets and costumes by Ezio Toffolutti, and superb dancing by all, including Fabrice Bourgeois (the fourth principal), and the Corps de Ballet. And on the musical side, the reworked score is beautifully played by the Orchestra Colonne under Koen Kessels. Presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on Blu-ray) and LPCM stereo, extras include a “making-of” featurette and a cast gallery. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)