| | |  | Ballets & Classics | Home » » » Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Maximova, Vasiliev, Bolshoi | | | | | | | Description: | | Live from the Bolshoi Theatre. This 1978 remake is a truly spellbinding version of this Christmas classic. Tchaikovsky's beloved melodies combine with superb dancing to create pure delight. Starring Yekaterina Maximova, Vladimir Vasiliev, Victor Levashev, and Sergei Radchenko. 105 mins. | | | Product Details: | | | Actors:
| Yekaterina Maksimova, Vladimir Vasilyev, Nadiya Pavlova, Victor Levashov, Sergei Radchenko | | Director:
| Yelena Macheret | | Format:
| Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC | | Language:
| English | | Number of Discs:
| 1 | | Studio:
| Kultur Video | | Run Time:
| 100 minutes | | DVD Release Date:
| November 30, 1999 | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 19 reviews |
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- VeryGood | | | $9.85 | New | | | $9.99 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $10.19 | New | | | $11.06 | New | | | $12.21 | New | | | $13.81 | New | | | $34.33 | New | | | $40.00 | New | |
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| $4.19 | New | | | $4.37 | New | | | $4.38 | New | | | $5.41 | New | | | $5.53 | New | | | $5.59 | New | | | $5.73 | New | | | $5.75 | New | | | $5.79 | New | | | $5.81 | New | | | $5.82 | New | | | $5.94 | New | | | $6.28 | New | | | $6.49 | New | | | $6.50 | New | | | $6.52 | New | | | $6.61 | New | | | $6.95 | New | | | $6.99 | New | | | $7.19 | New | | | $7.50 | New | | | $7.92 | New | | | $8.14 | New | | | $8.43 | New | | | $8.47 | New | | | $9.85 | New | | | $9.99 This item is eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. | New | | | $10.19 | New | | | $11.06 | New | | | $12.21 | New | | | $13.81 | New | | | $34.33 | New | | | $40.00 | New | |
| Used | |
| $3.48 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.51 | Used
- Mint | | | $3.51 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $3.99 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $4.36 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $5.65 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.74 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.79 | Used
- Mint | | | $5.94 | Used
- Mint | | | $6.50 | Used
- VeryGood | | | $8.89 | Used
- VeryGood | |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
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 biographyJan 07, 2009
This was a very informative biography on the life of Tchaikovsky. Well done and the music is wonderful.
3 of 4 found the following review helpful:
 A Flawed but Elegant Nutcracker by and for AdultsSep 21, 2008
This Nutcracker is by and for Adults. Other reviewers have ably noted the facts about what choices were made by the choreographer. Whether you like or dislike those choices is an individual preference. I liked the choices and enjoyed the opportunity to focus on the superb dancing without distractions. Maximova and Vasiliev dance wonderfully. Some of the other dancers are out-of-sync at times but it didn't bother me much. What I look for is an overall spontaneity which I did find in this performance.
As for the flaws, there are two areas which detract. One, the visual. Two, the aural.
As for the visual, the stage and sets look very dark. I can't help but think that in person it did not look so gloomy. I suspect that the video production was poorly chosen and executed. Wrong cameras? Wrong settings? Poor equipment? Poorly handled? Just guesses. The First Act, especially, is dreary looking visually. I actually turned the brightness up about 30 degrees on my TV to compensate. That helped and I recommend anyone buying this DVD to do the same. At least some color popped out after doing that. The Second Act was a very pleasant surprise as the curtain lifted. The set was so much more theatrical (befitting the storyline of course) and fun. Much more visually engaging than the First Act.
As for the aural, the sound quality is poor. Or maybe "distant" would be more accurate? Or over-processed? I'm guessing that the sound team wanted to make sure that there was no audience noise audible, being a "live" performance. So they applied sound processing with a heavy hand and squashed out not only any/all audience noise (like coughs) but also a lot of the top end of the threater orchestra. The result? A drab, flat, distant sound quality which was certainly not the reality of how that pit orchestra sounded that day. Even through that heavy blanket one can hear a very vibrant (some would say too vibrant) Russian orchestra of considerable quality. The conductor sets a brisk pace and does a nice job of keeping the music flowing along. The trumpets are too loud and coarse for my taste but that's the Russian way.
A last note. This DVD performance, though seriously flawed in some ways, is still a great deal. At the time of this writing they are going (in fine condition) for about $5 each here on Amazon. What a bargain! But not for kids. This is a DVD by and for adults. For ballet-loving, Tchaikovsky-loving, tradition-loving, adults.
Put the kids to bed, turn up the brightness on your tv (and by necessity the sound too), settle into a comfy chair, and enjoy this diamond in the rough.
1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Sound quality is unacceptableDec 03, 2007
If you don't mind listening to music on a transistor radio (circa 1960s) then you'll enjoy this DVD. The sound quality is the absolute worst I have ever heard in the past 20 or so years. I played this through a high-end home theater system and it sounded no different than listening to it through a conventional TV with all the bass and treble completely turned off. This DVD is worthless. I guess the old adage, "you get what you pay for" is true. At just under $10 bucks I should have know something wasn't right. If you buy this for the ballet, go for it. But if you buy it primarily for the music, don't.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Superb TechniqueDec 12, 2006
This version of the Nutcracker satisfied every bit of my need to see superb, Russian, ballet technique in all its glory! True, it may lack in color and zest (ofcourse Americans can't imagine anything unless it's dripping in blinking lights and such), but the rather drab colors may have been an attempt to demonstrate contrast between what ought to be focused on and what NOT to focus on. Remember, this is the Bolshoi, not Las Vegas....this is world class Ballet at it's finest and Maximova and Vasiliev deliver 10-fold. I prefer the renditions where Masha is both child AND adult dancing in both acts as opposed to one version of her in Act I and then another version of her in Act II. I also loved how Masha and the Nutcracker danced the Grande Pas de Deux, instead of the Sugar Plum Fairy that you might see in a Balachine Production. Overall, if you're a dancer who can appreciate technique-then you'll love this, however, if you're a mom looking for another "Barbie Nutcracker", you'll hate this.
1 of 11 found the following review helpful:
A must for all ballet fansMar 16, 2006
One of the greatest achievement in classical ballet, music and production design. Nureyev in one his finest performance. Great DVD transfer, superb sound.
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