Ravel: Boléro (Tabula Rasa)

Tabula Rasa, an ensemble from Saint Petersburg, Russia, performs their own rendition of Boléro, a one-movement orchestral piece by the French composer Maurice Ravel (1875-1937). Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian actress and dancer Ida Rubinstein, the piece, which premiered in 1928, is Ravel’s most famous musical composition.

Manuel de Falla – El amor brujo (DRSO, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos)

Conducted by the Spanish conductor and composer Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (DRSO) performs El amor brujo, a ballet composed in 1914-1915 by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by Gregorio Martínez Sierra (6 May 1881 – 1 October 1947, the Spanish writer, poet, dramatist, and theater director).

Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring (Dutch Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Jaap van Zweden)

Conducted by the Dutch violinist and conductor Jaap van Zweden, the Dutch Radio Filharmonisch Orkest (Radio Philharmonic Orchestra) performs Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (French: Le Sacre du printemps), a ballet and orchestral concert work, which was written for the 1913 Paris season of the Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets …

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring [hr-Sinfonieorchester, Orozco-Estrada]

Conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada, the hr-Sinfonieorchester (Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) performs Igor Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” (French: Le Sacre du printemps), a ballet and orchestral concert work, which was written for the 1913 Paris season of the Russian art critic, patron, ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company.

Tchaikovsky: Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker Suite [Vancouver Symphony Orchestra]

Conducted by Bramwell Tove, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra performs Waltz of the Flowers from The Nutcracker Suite, a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker [Mariinsky Theatre, Gergiev]

The famous ballet in two acts, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”, from the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, December 2012. Valery Gergiev: conductor, Vasily Vainonen: choreography, Benjamin Tyrrell: stage and costumes. This successful production is recorded exclusively for EuroArts Music (see the sources). The film creates spectacular images of this great ballet production for the …

Stravinsky: The Firebird (Vienna Philharmonic & Gergiev)

Conducted by Valery Gergiev, the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) plays Russian composer Igor Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” (French: L’oiseau de feu; Russian: Zhar-ptitsa); a ballet and orchestral concert work, written for the 1910 Paris season of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes company, with choreography by Michel Fokine. Recorded during the Salzburg Festival in 2000.

Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (Full) [The Kirov Ballet, 1990]

Probably the best-loved classical ballet, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” Op. 20. It tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse. Here the naturally gifted Russian ballet dancer Yulia Makhalina dances the challenging role of Odette/Odile while the part of Prince Siegfried is danced by Igor Zelensky. …

Boléro (Ravel): Wiener Philharmoniker, Dudamel

Conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, the Wiener Philharmoniker (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) performs Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro“, a one-movement orchestral piece, originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian actress and dancer Ida Rubinstein. Recorded during the Lucerne Festival on September 18, 2010. Director: Michael Beyer.