Le Songe

Famous choreographers have utilized Mendelssohn's incidental music inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream for ballets in the past, including George Balanchine's 1962 adaptation and Frederick Ashton's 1964 The Dream. But Jean-Christophe Maillot's version for Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo differs markedly. While the others adopted a traditional, conservative style, Maillot takes a modernist approach in décor, costuming, and dancing style. In addition, Maillot not only adds to the score other pieces by Mendelssohn (most notably the final movement of the Italian symphony), but sets some of the scenes to newly written, very contemporary-sounding music by Daniel Teruggi and Bertrand Maillot. While one might question the tastefulness of some of his choices (such as the sexually suggestive poses the rustics strike in their catastrophic play-within-a-play performance of Pyramus and Thisbe), it's impossible to deny the striking imagination displayed here, from the architecturally elegant set and eye-catching costumes to the mixture of comic slapstick, gymnastic athleticism, and classical moves Maillot has fashioned for the company. Le Songe is very much an ensemble piece in which no single soloist stands out, but in this 2008 performance the entire troupe proves up to the demands of Maillot's conception. Presented in Dolby Digital 4.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 4.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)