Filmed with videotape at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington (Kennedy is seen in a brief excerpt before the work opens stressing the importance of "the ahts"), for the Public Broadcasting System series: DANCE IN America, before a live audience, this American Ballet Theatre version of SWAN LAKE utilises some new music, and fresh choreography created by veteran dancer Kevin McKenzie. The piece suffers substantially during its crucial fourth act that, despite top-flight use of colour, lighting and sets, is contracted to a mere ten minutes. This is clearly the most serious weakness of a rendition that, turning the coin, incorporates effective employment of mime, notably enacted by Georgina Parkinson (Queen Mother) and Angel Corella (Prince Siegfried). A controversial addition to the standard Ivanov/Petipa choreographic pages is application of dance during the ballet's prologue. As counterbalance to some barely tolerable alterations are the deftly proficient performance of Corella, the vast technical skill of Gillian Murphy (Odette/Odile), and Herman Cornejo's splendid dancing as Benno, each of whom impresses with well-executed lifts, jumps, complete extensions and balance, as well as total control of line and spine much above the accepted standard. Patently a vehicle for the brilliant Murphy, the film is encumbered by an unfortunate continuity breakup midway, comprised of some redundant plot explication given by Kennedy's daughter Caroline, in addition to brief interviews with McKenzie, Murphy, and Corella. A visual delight, the ballet is filmed in 1:16 widescreen ratio, accompanied by excellent audio quality. McKenzie is well-known for his fondness of cutting dance classics, most notably here, as mentioned, during Act III's final episode at the lake, unfortunate in the event as ballet mistress Parkinson was trusting upon her drilling of the corps. Murphy is granted the right to perform the emblematic 32 fouettés as Odile and does so with ease, adding some multiples among them. Seldom have these been completed in so expert a fashion! A nonsensical production decision to incorporate mid-work cast interviews is matched by the interpolation of Rothbard (Marcello Gomes) into Act III, along with a disarranged sequence during the same Act wherein national dances precede the Dance of the Princesses. Classical Imperial stylistics seem to go begging throughout, manifestly not a part of McKenzie's plan for SWAN LAKE. Nonetheless, Murphy and Corella display virtually perfect phrasing for the scoring of Tchaikowsky, with Corella's lifts of Odile perfectly completed. He also dances Nureyev's Act I insertion with a good deal of feeling, depicting Siegfried's desire to find a suitable mate. However, cuts for Act IV from his search for Odile amid the Swan Maidens, and the popular Dance of the Swans are especially damaging to the ballet, bringing about an artistic crisis in a version that must be classed as a beginning level interpretation, one that is cobbled together with some satisfying balletic action.
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When I sit down to see any production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, I do expect good things seeing as Swan Lake was the first ballet I ever saw(at 6 years old 15 years ago) and one of the greats in the genre. I did find myself enjoying this production- my favourite performance of Swan Lake on DVD to date is the Dowell/Makarova one- a good deal though it did had room for improvement. The lighting did seem too bright in places, I would have preferred a darker, more mysterious approach and the lakeside scenes perhaps more luminous. The cuts in Act 4 made Act 4 seem very rushed so we don't see Odette developed as much as in other productions I've seen, this was particularly true in the climax where the scene did seem too short and didn't give us much time to breathe. Also, when we are introduced to Odile it did read too much of love at first sight, I always saw Siegfried's love for Odette/Odile as more gradual. Faults aside, the costumes and sets are beautiful to look with the only exception being Rothbart's swamp-demon-like costume in his non-human guise which did seem overdone and even a little silly too to me. The camera work and sound didn't come too much of a hindrance either.
The orchestral playing shows good style and a lot of tonal beauty, there have been more powerful readings elsewhere which would have given the climax a little more tension but really it wasn't bad at all. The conducting does have a good feel for drama, is accommodating to the choreography and doesn't allow anything to dull. The choreography is impeccable and looks so graceful, especially with the Corps-De-Ballet and the leads. Murphy and Corella even do lifts that actually make you go how do they do that?, they were that daring and jaw-doppingly mesmerising to watch. There are a couple of moments that are interpolated in but they added to the story in alternative to detracting. The prologue is beautifully danced and adds a lot to the story, showing how Odette came to be the way she was. Rothbart's Act 3 dance with the princesses was really great to watch and made him as a human more convincing. The Corps-De-Ballet dance with great elegance and don't put a foot wrong in dances that would have been instantly obvious if a mistake was made.
Gillian Murphy has superb dancing technique(and amazing legs), and performs an appropriately cold and truly moving Odette and an Odile that is seductive, cunning and with a little more steel than usual(I will be honest though and say I did prefer her as Odile, where she showed more personality). Angel Corella is a very expressive actor, even with the odd off-putting facial expression that the camera work is somewhat unforgiving to, and very handsome, I have nothing to fault his dancing either. His and Murphy's chemistry doesn't quite smoulder but it's never to the extent that it is stillborn either. Herman Cornejo displays powerful jumps and a genuine sense that he is at a party and celebrating Siegfried's birthday, easily one of the better Bennos on DVD for me. Marcelo Gomes' human Rothbart was one of the highlights of the production, he is handsome and seductive- to the extent that all the ladies present literally are falling for him- while also showing clear evil intentions, his Act 3 number was a treat and he places every move and gesture perfectly. Isaac Stapas also does very well in the even more evil non-human guise, not looking at all phased by his costume. You do question the need for two Rothbarts, especially as Gomes is more than capable at every side of the role, that's how good his acting is, seeing how quick their change has to be you can also understand too. The Queen and tutor are also beautifully played.
All in all, very nicely done if a little disappointing at the same time. 7/10 Bethany Cox