I'm inclined to believe Nureyev's items brought higher prices because he was a pop icon. I don't know how much his appearances on film increased his fame among non-dancers, but in Baryshnikov's case, it certainly helped. The name Baryshnikov is probably much better known among non-dancers than the name Makarova.

<B>Rare Nureyev archives made public</B><BR>from the BBC website<P><BR>Hours of rare classical music recordings and video footage of Russian artists, such as ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev, are being released after gathering dust for more than seven decades. <BR>The recordings of more than 400,000 performances, recorded by the Soviet Ministry of Radio and Television, are being made available on albums by the US firm Pipeline Music. <P>The Los Angeles based company has bought the worldwide distribution rights to the recordings after a long process of negotiation.<P>Pipeline plans to release 20 albums in the US by 2003. Some have already gone on sale in South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong. <P><A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/arts/newsid_2044000/2044732.stm" TARGET=_blank><B>click for more</B></A>

I found it hard to work out from that article if TV tapes and audio tapes are being produced and where? But in any event this is extremely exciting news.

This is very interesting, because I remember that a cache of similar recordings was discovered in Russia a few years ago. This was mainly music and was eventually issued under "Russian Revelation". I have a few of these CD's and although the recordings are marvellous, some are totally ruined by background noise.<P>Ironic that the BBC should enthuse so much about this discovery though. Wouldn't it be nice if the Beeb put some of THEIR ballet archive out on tape. They are sitting on balletic gold dust, not just Fonteyn and Nureyev, but a whole host of eminent dancers going back to the '30's. It would go some way to make amends for their current lack of interest in any form of dance if they could make some of these recordings available.

I agree, Cassandra. I would also love to be able to buy tapes of many performance of American companies that I remember seeing on TV back in the '60s and '70s, as well.<p>[This message has been edited by djb (edited June 17, 2002).]

Sadly Cassandra, it is very unlikely that the BBC wil be able to release that vintage footage. Pre-1980 (or so) no one took much notice of the rights issues. So in order to make available priceless material such as the Omnibus programme where MaMillan created two short pieces for TV on Birgit Keil and her partner from Stuttgart Ballet, everyone involved in the making of the film would have to give their approval. An authority told me that it might be 5 years work to track down all those involved. <P>The only place that these films can be shown is the National Film Theatre under the auspices of the BFI and the Film Archive which is exempt from the rights issues. Watch out for the annual dance film programme. Last year was Rambert, this year is MacMillan I believe.

Thanks Stuart, that explains a lot. That is a depressing situation; I suppose we will have to wait until all those involved in the most historic recordings are presumed dead!<P>I went to see some NFT ballet presentations a couple of years ago. It was wonderful stuff. Including a 1950's TV film of Nutcracker with Fonteyn and Somes. The Festival Ballet evening was wonderful too, including an astonishingly good danced version of Peer Gynt with John Gilpin in the title role. Sadly no one ever seems to remember Gilpin these days but the film I saw confirmed my memory of his being probably the finest dancer-actor of them all.<P>I look forward to the Macmillan evening. I hope they will include a made for TV ballet from the mid '60's with Seymour and Desmond Doyle. Annoyingly I can't remember the title, but the story line was about an army officer (Doyle) billeted on a bourgeois family and being seduced by the precocious daughter of the house (Seymour). After a night of passion, she suddenly dies leaving her lover to explain what had happened. Does any one else out there remember this one? <BR>

I know this is not in the same category as what you are discussing about the BBC trove of Fonteyn/Nureyev dance material. But, there are available a number of tapes of Fonteyn and Nureyev, both together and apart, from quite early on. <P>Jillana was kind enough to give me a gift of a Bell Telephone Hour tape with Maria Tallchief and Rudolph Nureyev - it was his first performance in the USA in 1962. He was at the height of his physical resources. <P>I have since looked at Amazon.com and Kultur and have found a number of additional tapes available from the 1960's and early 1970's. My husband just ordered one of Royal Ballet with Nureyev from 1968. <P>I have two tapes with Fonteyn and Somes from 1959.

Cassandra, I never saw the made-for-TV ballet you described (I assume it was for TV in the UK), but I wish I had. I think Lynn Seymour was one of the great dance-actresses.

And Desmond Doyle was also wonderful. I enjoyed him very much as Tybalt, as the husband in <I>The Invitation</I> and in <I>Enigma Variations</I>.

DVD of Nureyev and Fonteyn dancing Swan Lake with the Vienna Ballet in the late sixties is rather special too!

Yes, you are right, Emma - I have that on tape. While in certain parts, such as the corps de ballet, I think Nureyev's choreography is overdone, rather muddled, the dancing for Siegfried and the Swan are simply breathtaking.<P>The last act really gets to me. I don't think I have ever watched the last act in that particular version of Swan Lake without tears. The two of them, Fonteyn and Nureyev, reached a poignancy in that act that went beyond even their usual wonderful chemistry.<P>Somehow, all the great technical advances, the multiple high speed turns we are seeing today - the high legs, the spectacular jumps - the 'fireworks,' make us gasp in awe, but then melt away. They don't touch the heart. Don't quite imprint on the mind and leave an indelible image, as this great partnership did. <P>There are dancers today who make us cry - I saw one in a recent Alvin Ailey performance, but it wasn't any obvious technical bravura that did it.

What a lovely idea!

Yes, isn't it just. It reminds me of seeing a screening of Cocteau's "La Belle et la Bete" (the touched-up version of the 1946 film) at The Barbican with Philip Glass playing a specially composed score with singers acting the parts. The interaction with screen was superb - celluloid brought to life.