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George Balanchine and the Paris Opéra always enjoyed a special relationship, after Jacques Rouché, the then administrator, offered the young choreographer the post of ballet master in 1929. Balanchine declined the job, but he created several ballets for the company and came to the Palais Garnier regularly to oversee his works. In 2000, seventeen years after his death, a rare and precious ballet arrived at the Opéra national de Paris: Jewels, a work first performed by the New York City Ballet in 1967. This alluring, abstract ballet, a triptych in which each piece sparkles with the brilliance of a precious stone, is a lyric tribute to women and to the capital cities of the great dance schools. Couturier, painter and craftsman Christian Lacroix created the glorious costumes and sets which, together with the outstanding performances of the dancers and the sensitive musical direction of Paul Connelly, results in a celebration of sumptuous splendour.
Aurélie Dupont
Marie-Agnès Gillot
Agnès Letestu
Clairmarie Osta
Laëtitia Pujol
Jean-Guillaume Bart
Kader Belarbi
Mathieu Ganio
Gabriel Fauré from Pelléas et Mélisande and Shylock
Igor Stravinsky Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky from Symphony No. 3 in D Major
Ballet of the Opéra national de Paris
CHOREOGRAPHER George Balanchine
SET/COSTUME DESIGNER Christian Lacroix
LIGHTING DESIGNER Jennifer Tipton
Orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris
MUSICAL DIRECTOR Paul Connelly
152 minutes
All Regions
EXTRA FEATURES
George Balanchine Forever
A film by Reiner E. Mortiz, including interviews with Barbara Horgan, chairman of the Balanchine Foundation, Brigitte Lefèvre, director of dance at the Opéra, designer Christian Lacroix and star dancers Laëtitia Pujol, Clairmarie Osta, Aurélie Dupont, Agnès Letestu and Marie-Agnès Gillot.
(Includes subititles in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian)
Opéra national de Paris: Director Gerard Mortier, Director of Dance Brigitte Lefèvre
TV Director Pierre Cavassilas, TV Sound Engineer Jean Chatauret
TV Producer Josette Affergan, TV Executive producers Denis Morlière & Antoine Perset
TV recording © Opéra national de Paris – Telmondis – Educational Broadcasting Corporation – 2006 France
A co-production of Opéra national de Paris and Telmondis in association with France 2, Theirteen/WNET New York and Opus Arte distributed worldwide by Poorhouse International.
Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
DVD Producer Ferenc van Damme
DVD Executive Producer Hans Petri
DVD © Opus Arte 2006 |
