The Bolshoi At The Ballet: The Nutcracker; The Bolshoi At The Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty

Filmed using state-of-the-art digital stereo sound and D2 video, these two live productions by Russia's Bolshoi Ballet virtually explode across the video monitor and out of the speakers in brilliant pristine color and thunderous rich audio. Beautiful set decorations enhance the naturally timeless allure of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, which features virtuosos Natalya Arkhipova as Clare and Irek Mukhamedov as the Prince. Hoffman's classic Christmas charmer tells the story of a young girl's dream about a toy nutcracker sprung to life. The Christmas Eve family celebration, as well as the later classic battle with the Mouse King, and exotically costumed dancing dolls, are all handsomely mounted, and exquisitely choreographed. Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty,, based on Perrault's classic fairy tale, is equally impressive, with Nina Semizorova as the Princess Aurora and Aleksei Fadeyechev as Prince Desire. The story of a princess who, because of an evil curse, falls into a deep sleep when she pricks her finger on a spinning wheel, is here enhanced by the comically sinister performance of Yuri Vetrov as Carabosse, the evil witch. Both of these productions are shining examples of the best that video has to offer, and they are both highly recommended. (Available from most distributors.)