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Choreographer Angelin Preljocaj draws inspiration from the founding theme of Siddharta for the original new work that he is offering the Paris Opera Ballet. He revisits the saga of the one who would become the Awakened One or Buddha, bringing a personal interpretation exploring the themes of new challenges, ordeals and sacrifi ces in the quest for an absolute. Moving beyond mere narrative, he reveals the torments and mysteries of a long inner journey riddled with pitfalls, uncertainties and doubts. Preljocaj shares his journey with two artists with strong personalities: Bruno Mantovani, the brilliant, young French composer and Claude Lévêque, the visual artist and scenographer, with his powerful ability to dream up new spaces for our time.
Review
Nicolas Le Riche campe un Siddharta dune jeunesse solaire. Au soir de la première, le public a longuement ovationné les artistes. --Le Figaro
there are standing ovations for Preljocaj and his collaborators --The Observer
there are standing ovations for Preljocaj and his collaborators --The Observer
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
I run out of options for buying new BD ballet recordings. And since I liked Stephan Bullion in his role in La Dame aux camelias, I hoped to have another chance to see his exceptional performance.
I never got to the point to see him. The music is so alien to my sense of harmony, so difficult to stand that I turned the player off after half an hour of disappointment. The scene is dark, the ballet reminds rather elaborate gymnastics then dance... No, thank you.
I never got to the point to see him. The music is so alien to my sense of harmony, so difficult to stand that I turned the player off after half an hour of disappointment. The scene is dark, the ballet reminds rather elaborate gymnastics then dance... No, thank you.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Interesting, but hard to follow...
9 Sep 2011
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am familiar with the story of Siddharta, so I thought that even if this ballet only touched on his life while being more avant garde in the interpretation of the story, I would still love this. However, throughout the ballet I kept thinking that if I saw this on stage without the title of each scene so I know what is going on I would have no clue what this story is all about.
I think abstract ballet is fine in abstract ballet, but this attempts to be a story ballet, but it is impossible to understand what is happening without the list of titles of each scene.
With this said I did enjoy much of the dancing, and I think the dancers gave their all in this production. I just think a person should be able to come off the street with no prior info and watch a story ballet and know what is going on. All the famous story ballets (La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, etc) are easy to follow even with very little miming and mostly just dancing.
Preljocaj's choreography is interesting (it does not ignore ballet's roots but adds a lot of modern dance moves), and I think someone who enjoys modern ballet would find it worth watching and enjoy the dancers. Nicholas LeRiche and Aurelie Dupont are fabulous! But this is barely a story ballet. It is much more like an abstract ballet with very little story and if you purchase it, and somehow the booklet is missing you will not know what is going on at all.
I gave it 3 stars b/c of the dancers, the choreography, and the good attempt at creating a "new" ballet. However, I am not sure newcomers to ballet would like this. I could be wrong. I think newcomers are always going to love Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake, because they understand what is happening.
I think abstract ballet is fine in abstract ballet, but this attempts to be a story ballet, but it is impossible to understand what is happening without the list of titles of each scene.
With this said I did enjoy much of the dancing, and I think the dancers gave their all in this production. I just think a person should be able to come off the street with no prior info and watch a story ballet and know what is going on. All the famous story ballets (La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, etc) are easy to follow even with very little miming and mostly just dancing.
Preljocaj's choreography is interesting (it does not ignore ballet's roots but adds a lot of modern dance moves), and I think someone who enjoys modern ballet would find it worth watching and enjoy the dancers. Nicholas LeRiche and Aurelie Dupont are fabulous! But this is barely a story ballet. It is much more like an abstract ballet with very little story and if you purchase it, and somehow the booklet is missing you will not know what is going on at all.
I gave it 3 stars b/c of the dancers, the choreography, and the good attempt at creating a "new" ballet. However, I am not sure newcomers to ballet would like this. I could be wrong. I think newcomers are always going to love Sleeping Beauty or Swan Lake, because they understand what is happening.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Mon dieu! Quel Ballet! Magnifique! Plus que cinq Etoile!
25 May 2011
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Je commence avec mille fois merci a Mlle. Brigitte Lefevre (I'm sorry my computer does not allow me to insert French punctuation). Elle avait la courage de faire cet Ballet comme un travail fait sur commande. Her courage was justified! I'm writing this Review immediately after my first viewing of this marvelous Ballet. As I've noted in other of my reviews, I'm no fan of ballet, or of dance, performed on naked, or near naked stages, with subdued lighting, and where most, if not all of the dancing is barefooted. Well, all of these personal "negatives" are in Siddharta. But so what! Nicolas Le Riche as the coming Buddah, and Aurelia Dupont as The Awakening, sensitively perform their difficult roles: Armed only with their dancing skills, and the art of mime, each makes apparent to the attentive viewer the spiritual truths being expounded. No easy task. But they are assisted by a large supporting cast of gifted performers. The Ballet is told in a series of 16 Tableaux. One should carefully read the DVD's (or Blu-Ray's) accompanying Booklet in order to understand fully what is going on. Even were one to skip reading the Booklet, the story line will come through to the attentive viewer.
The musical score by Bruno Mantovani does not fall under any rubric I can think of - but it beautifully assists in telling the story of the evolution of a Prince in a beautiful kingddom, into the ascetic Buddah he will become, as related by the masterful choreography of Angelen Preljocaj, The choreography is eye catching in its intricacies, even breathtaking physical demands. The several pas de deux's between the various principals do not have the classicism of a pas de deux, say, as in Swan Lake, but I found them even more physically taxing on the performers - yet beautifully executed. The eroticism of the choreography is well executed. Quite physical, erotic,:|"steamy", without being smutty.
In the DVD/Blu-Ray of La Danse, a Documentary by Frederick Wiseman, of the Paris Opera Ballet (which I highly recommend), there is a sequence of a conversation between Aurelie Dupont and Brigitte Lefevre in which Aurelie says she is getting too old (she is in her late thirties, I believe) to do all the difficult work of a Danseuse Etoile. Aurelie's performance as The Awakening in this Ballet, belies her concerns. She's admirable! Nicolas Le Riche, as Siddharta, should be a feminine hearthrob, and an example to men in general: he's muscle and sinew galore.
Should you venture to buy this Ballet, do not expect to see another Nutcracker. Instead, expect to see something different. If at first you don't like it, view it again. The second time may be your eye opener. I believe this "difficult" ballet will, with time, become a basic part of Ballet's repertoire. Siddharta clearly has earned its 5 Stars. King Arthur, Arthur Stanley Katz, May 25, 2011
The musical score by Bruno Mantovani does not fall under any rubric I can think of - but it beautifully assists in telling the story of the evolution of a Prince in a beautiful kingddom, into the ascetic Buddah he will become, as related by the masterful choreography of Angelen Preljocaj, The choreography is eye catching in its intricacies, even breathtaking physical demands. The several pas de deux's between the various principals do not have the classicism of a pas de deux, say, as in Swan Lake, but I found them even more physically taxing on the performers - yet beautifully executed. The eroticism of the choreography is well executed. Quite physical, erotic,:|"steamy", without being smutty.
In the DVD/Blu-Ray of La Danse, a Documentary by Frederick Wiseman, of the Paris Opera Ballet (which I highly recommend), there is a sequence of a conversation between Aurelie Dupont and Brigitte Lefevre in which Aurelie says she is getting too old (she is in her late thirties, I believe) to do all the difficult work of a Danseuse Etoile. Aurelie's performance as The Awakening in this Ballet, belies her concerns. She's admirable! Nicolas Le Riche, as Siddharta, should be a feminine hearthrob, and an example to men in general: he's muscle and sinew galore.
Should you venture to buy this Ballet, do not expect to see another Nutcracker. Instead, expect to see something different. If at first you don't like it, view it again. The second time may be your eye opener. I believe this "difficult" ballet will, with time, become a basic part of Ballet's repertoire. Siddharta clearly has earned its 5 Stars. King Arthur, Arthur Stanley Katz, May 25, 2011
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Interesting, but troubled.
29 Sep 2011
Format:Blu-ray
The Paris Opera Ballet is nothing if not experimental. Siddhartha is a great example of their propensity for evolution in ballet and risk taking on stage. Having said that, one needs to be aware of the fact that experimental ballets are seldom perfect, and Siddhartha is an example of this. Dupont and Le Riche are absolutely gorgeous and fit their roles perfectly. Dupont stole the show with her ethereal, water-like movement qualities, and Le Riche is never less than magnificent (no wonder Nureyev liked him). However, the staging has some issues. The opening act stutters a few times, and even with the libretto in hand, often leaves you wondering just what is going on. When it does pick itself up and display a stronger narrative, Siddhartha becomes a very fascinating, emotional ballet. The dancers portray the scene wonderfully, and it is in ballets like this that you can really appreciate seeing a company who has all come from the same training background. Overall, this is a good purchase for those familiar with ballet and willing to suffer through some bouts of messy choreography and staging to see some of the 21st century's brightest stars. For those new to ballet (or even new to contemporary ballet), it's a good idea to start slower, and save this one for later.
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