Swan Lake

Adding to the numerous variations of the standard Petipa/Ivanov/Drigo production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake that was first mounted in 1895—two years after the composer's death—choreographer Heinz Spoerli's 2009 staging by the Zurich Ballet at the Zurich Opera House features a minimal set, muted costumes, and effective lighting, while eliminating excessive pageantry, thereby allowing the viewer to concentrate on the dancing. Swan Lake tells the familiar story of Odette, the beautiful princess transformed into a swan by the evil Rothbart and loved by Prince Siegfried. Although presented here as a vehicle for lead Polina Semionova, the emphasis is actually on the men, who shine, with Stanislav Jermakov a strong and confident Siegfried, and Arsen Mehrabyan a thoroughly (but subtly) menacing Rothbart. The camerawork is also splendid, with overhead shots nicely revealing the patterns of the corps. Following recent trends, Ivanov's Neapolitan and Hungarian dances and Petipa's Spanish dance and mazurka have been eliminated, while the Russian dance is revived. Although the corps is sometimes uneven here, most particularly during slow tempos from conductor Vladimir Fedoseyev and the Zurich Opera Orchestra, this is a performance that serious dance collections will want to include (and for those who already have a traditional version, this would still be a welcome complement). Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo, DVD extras include a 20-page booklet. Recommended. (J. Reed)