Swan See

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake [BluRay Untouched]
Ulyana Lopatkina / Danila Korsuntsev / Mariinsky Ballet / Valery Gergiev
MPEG-4 AVC, 1080i, 1.78:1 | DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, LPCM 24-bit Stereo | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: Decca, BBC # 074 3302 DH | Country/Year: UK 2007 | Size: 43 GB | 5% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical | Style: Ballet, Romantic, HiDef

There have been a number of very fine performances on CD and DVD of of this marvellous timeless work - arguably the greatest masterpiece in the history of classical ballet - but a really good Blu ray disc is surely the visual holy grail! In my view this is by far the best overall presentation of Swan Lake to date. The playing and sound are magical under Gergiev's assured hand and the dancing is superb. It largely uses the traditional Petipa / Ivanov choreography. None of the sexual mannerisms that made Nureyev's dancing and choreography so distinctive, and the casting, costumes and sets are wonderfully conceived. No video performances include all the music Tchaikovsky wrote but this performance at 129 minutes seems quite complete…

Recorded at the original Sun studios in Memphis, this turns into an Elvis tribute album from Swan. But rather than just replicate Elvis' old Sun sound and arrangements, Swan puts his own spin on these tracks and despite the historic surroundings, the session has a modern sound to it that's not at all reverential. Instead, Swan simply has a good time with these old war-horses, changing them around to suit his needs and vocal timbre. The result is a loose session that captures some real rock & roll feeling, without becoming a mundane retro exercise. Definitely worth a listen.

Casablanca is a Swedish rock band with members from several other famous groups: Josephine Forsman from the Sahara Hotnights (drums), Erik Stenemo from Melody Club (guitar), Anders Ljung from Space Age Baby Jane (vocals), Ryan Roxie from Roxy 77 (guitar) Mats Rubarth who previously played football in AIK (bass) and Erik Almström from Bullet (guitar). In the final of Melodifestivalen 2010 they performed with the 2009 winning song La voix along with 2009 winner Malena Ernman. Later in the year released the single Downtown. 2012 came the debut album Apocalyptic Youth, followed by the album Riding a Black Swan, 2013.