The Sleeping Beauty

This is not perhaps the most ideal The Sleeping Beauty. The Aurelie Dupont and Alina Cojacaru performances will appeal more to people I think. I know a lot of people in opera and ballet that are very fussy about cuts, and this film does have a lot like with some of the variations and the Adagio to the Pas De Deux. That said, this Sleeping Beauty really lives up to its name. What we have of the score is performed with a lot of style, power and pathos by the orchestra and the conducting has a full command of the musicality and tempos. It is a visually sumptuous production, with handsome costumes and sets, simple but unobtrusive camera work and very cinematic effects. The choreography is very technical and looks so elegant and graceful. The dancing of it is very precise with lots of beautiful poise and perfectly judged arm and leg placements, and it never feels cold either. Alla Sizova is a beguiling Aurora, and she is matched by her Prince Desire, Yuri Solovyov, in looks and technique. Irina Bazhenova, Kaleria Fedichova and particularly Natalia Mankarova are elegant looking ladies and dance with grace, which is what you expect from these roles, while Natalya Dudinskaya is wholly sinister as the Wicked Fairy Carabosse. All in all, highly recommended if not so easy to find. 10/10 Bethany Cox