Hello,

I was wondering if there were any ballet DVDs (with the Mariinsky or the Bolshoi) available only in Russia. I have a friend who is going to Saint-Petersburg next week, and she kindly offered to bring a DVD back to me... I think I've heard of a Giselle featuring Svetlana Lunkina and Maria Alexandrova, is there really such a DVD ? Any other advice ? Also what are the prices for a DVD compared to the "West" ? Thanks !

Azulynn.

Good news and bad, Azulynn.

Good news: They're very affordable - usually in the 250-ruble range (about $9)

Bad news: There are virtually no new, original ballet videos -- and even fewer DVDs -- in Russia. At the Mariinsky, they are selling the 'same old' DVDs filmed in the 1980s and early 90s that you & I can buy in the West. The newest Kirov tape/DVD is the 'Kirov Dances Nijinsky' Fokine quadruple bill.

re. Bolshoi - The Lunkina/Tsiskaridze 'Giselle' vid that you cite sold like hotcakes & was impossible to find after 2001 or so. Ditto the Ananishvili/Fadeyechev Don Q. I recall a recently-released video of Ludmilla Semenyaka's last 'Giselle' -- marketed as "My Giselle" -- the last time that I was in Moscow.

At the Mariinsky, the only somewhat-original videos are about three years old - a Farouk Ruzimatov mixed bill and a very nice one-hour tribute to Dudinskaya ('Dialogue on the Stage').

The only Russian ballet theater that regularly sells videos of its current productions is the Maly of St Petersburg, which has vids of many of its productions + a highlights tape of its current ballerinas. Each vid is 250 rubles. Nothing similar from the Kirov or Bolshoi. Lots of great little souvenir dolls, laquered boxes and postcards but no new videos or DVDs. Very disheartening!

By the way - It's almost impossible to find Bolshoi vids at the Kirov & vice-versa. In fact, one can no longer buy the national ballet magazine ('Balet') at the Kirov's gift shop. When I asked the shopkeeper last week, she told me - "It's published in Moscow so we don't get it here. Maybe they'll send us some issues twice a year. Try again in April or May." !!!!!

I have that Lunkina/Tsiskaridze/Alexandrova video and its no wonder it was so popular. a fantastic performance. I always used to find lots of videos on sale inside the Bolshoi Theatre almost all of which were not available outside of Russia. I'm sorry to hear that the supply is drying up.

Perhaps the Russians have a weak grasp of the art of marketing. Videos/DVD's of the current productions fly off the shelves generally in the UK and I must say I was very surprised to note that in Birmingham on the first night of the Bolshoi's provincial tour, they appeared to have brought no souvenir merchandise at all other than glossy programmes.

It seems they are missing out on a potential source of revenue here.

Thanks for your answers, Natalia and Cassandra. I'm sorry to hear Giselle is out of print... Sounds like quite a cast ! I think I might just as well wait, as they are filming quite a few productions this year. Do you think the Ruzimatov triple bill is worth it, Natalia ? What does it feature exactly ?

The Ruzimatov includes a lot of his concert solos & pdds (Poet, Adagietto, Bakhti, etc.), as well as the classical-warhorse solos, such as Ali, Basil and Solor. Even though some of the clips come from other videos, it's nice to have this compilation on one tape. Can't miss at 250 rubles!

The Dudinskaya one is an absolute masterpiece of a documentary, by the way. It includes the only known film of Vaganova's own Kitri Dream-scene variation, which Vaganova 'bequeathed' to Dudinskaya who, in turn, gave it to Margarita Kullik (who performs it in the film).