La Bayadère

The title of this ballet, which premiered in St. Petersburg in 1877 with choreography by Marius Petipa and music by Ludwig Minkus, refers to Indian temple dancer Nikiya, who attracts the eye of the warrior Solor and is dispatched by Solor's jealous bride-to-be Gamzatti with poisoned flowers. After a drug-induced vision in which Solor sees the dead Nikiya, as well as the spirits of many other performers—this is the true centerpiece of the work, featuring solos by corps members and the prima ballerina—he returns to his senses in time for his wedding to Gamzatti. But the ceremony is interrupted when the gods destroy the temple, in the process killing Solor, who is then reunited with Nikiya in the realm of the dead. Based on the revision by choreographer Natalia Makarova and musical arranger John Lanchbery—which reduces the original four acts to three—La Bayadère is impressively performed by the Royal Opera House Orchestra under the baton of Valeriy Ovsyanikov in this 2009 mounting, with sparkling turns by soloists Tamara Rojo (Nikiya), Carlos Acosta (Solor), and Marianela Nuñez (Gamzatti)—as well as fine work from the entire corps—backed by sumptuous sets and costumes. Presented in DTS 5.1 and LPCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include interviews (with Rojo and two corps members), rehearsal footage, a cast gallery, and illustrated audio of Makarova discussing the ballet. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)