Le Corsaire

Adolphe Adam's 1856 Paris ballet—loosely inspired by Lord Byron's 1814 verse narrative (also adapted for the operatic stage by Verdi)—has attracted increased attention from major companies despite its silly plot, which revolves around a pirate who is determined to steal a beautiful harem girl from a pasha, despite the latter's guards and the machinations of a disloyal member of his own crew. Staged by Anna-Marie Holmes at the English National Ballet, this 2014 production is less radically altered than the 2013 mounting by the Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse (VL-3/14). Still, it is basically a streamlined version of the 1974 Petipa-Sergeyev rendition from the Kirov Ballet, which replaced a substantial amount of Adam's score with pieces by other composers. Overall, the music is genial—zestfully played by the company orchestra under Gavin Sutherland—while the dancing is superb, especially by Alina Cojocaru as the slave girl Medora, and Junor Souza as the servant Ali. Vadim Muntagirov is slightly less impressive in the title role, but still very good, as is the corps. This production also boasts sumptuous sets and costumes designed by Bob Ringwood, whose career in film garnered two Oscar nominations for costume design. A highly enjoyable performance of a tuneful 19th-century ballet that epitomizes the era's romantic style, Le Corsaire is presented in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray edition) and LPCM stereo, with extras including a cast gallery. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)