Here's a report on the current run of Raymonda from France 2 evening news. Skip ahead to 33 minutes past the hour. There are brief comments from Marie-Agnès Gillot and Nicolas Le Riche. I understand that the Gillot/Martinez/Le Riche cast is going to be filmed for television.

http://jt.france2.fr/player/20h/index-fr.p...;timeStamp=1978

These are the bits that are always edited out of the 30-minute newscasts I get on TV5 in my neck of the woods.

Also, a report from TF1:
http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/culture/0,,4183720...-de-paris-.html

P.S. Because the ostrich-feather thing never gets old, here's an interview with Zizi Jeanmaire that aired yesterday:
http://tf1.lci.fr/infos/culture/musique/0,...souvenirs-.html

I'm glad this is being filmed. I love the look of this production, based on what I've seen already on video; the clips on the Dancer's Dream Raymonda video
as well as the fuzzy copy I have of the old TV film of Noelle Pontois and Nureyev. It seems very warm and rich to me and the Saracens really seem exotic
rather than just stagy looking.

Oh no, no, no! Gillot is all wrong for Raymonda. Why don't they tape Aurélie Dupont?

I suppose we should just be glad that it's finally being taped.

Taped for television! Does this mean that there will be a DVD for those who cannot get french TV?? OH Please.

Finally, a film of the sumptuous POB-Nureyev RAYMONDA! If the pattern of recent years holds true, then we should have a commercially-released DVD in the coming months. The recently-released CINDERELLA was filmed in April of this year...so in about 8-9 months, we may have a RAYMONDA.

How ironic that most American balletomanes who do not reside in NYC know the current dancers of POB and the Royal Ballet a lot better than they do the dancers of NYCB and ABT, America's two 'international-stature' companies! When was the last time that either of America's own two top ballet troupes released a commercial DVD? Anything since ABT's SWAN LAKE four years ago? When was the last commercial DVD released by NYCB...NUTCRACKER, 15 years ago? Even the Kirov-Mariinsky and Bolshoi have had more releases of DVDs in the past 3-4 years. And folks wonder why the audiences in America are greying and disappearing.

That IS a good point, and one we all should have noticed. And that Swan Lake wasn't exactly the most indispensible item anyway, I'd have been as happy with nothing at all. But I hadn't realized that NYCB hadn't done any DVD in 15 years. Now I notice we are always looking for some new DVD from POB, and I, for one, keep wanting them to come to the U.S. and do Wuthering Heights, but it seems like they won't, and anyway, won't do Wuthering Heights. But it's been recorded, I believe azulynn said this, for French TV and so might eventually get DVD status.

I can confirm it is recorded with Marie Agnes Gillot and José Martinez. It will be broadcasted by french tv on december 25 th and a dvd will be issued later.

Actually Cinderella was filmed in April of 2007. So a possible DVD of Raymonda would likely arrive in about a year -- in the USA at least.

The Paris Opera has posted an excerpt with Gillot and Martinez on its web site. Judging by this, I'm glad that this cast is being filmed, because what's lacking on DVD is a great Jean de Brienne, and Martinez may be it.

http://www.operadeparis.fr/Saison-2008-200...768&IdS=549

Behind-the-scenes goodies on the broadcast of Raymonda

http://culturebox.france3.fr/raymonda

The France 2 link up top no longer leads to the Raymonda report, but you can still pull it up here.

"Raymonda" will be shown on France 3 on Christmas Day, according to the Nureyev.Org newsletter, in honor of Rudolf Nureyev. They included a link to click onto, which provided information, video clips, as well as info regarding the December 19 program honoring Rudolf - however, everything is written in French:

http://culturebox.france3.fr/#/raymonda

If you haven't visited it lately, check out the 'culturebox' for Raymonda. New clips are being added, and I counted 16 in total today.

Those clips are wonderful, giving us a few glimpses of what goes on behind the scenes at the ballet. I particularly liked the clip of Gillot and Martinez rehearsing and viewing footage of Nureyev.

I am looking forward to the DVD.

Indeed, so am I.

Though I hope that someday the 1983 performance will be re-issued as well. By then Nureyev was certainly past his prime, but think of the rest of the cast: Noëlla Pontois as Raymonda, Manuel Legris and Laurent Hilaire as Bernard and Béranger, Monique Loudières as Clémence, Claude de Vulpian (!) as Henriette, Jean Guizerix (!!) as Abderam, Yvette Chauviré (!!!) as the Countess, plus Isabelle Guérin and Frédéric Olivieri in the Saracen dance, Françoise Legrée and Patrick Dupond in the Spanish dance and Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Fabrice Bourgeois in the Csardas. Talk about luxury casting.

date='Dec 7 2008, 12:11 AM']Oh no, no, no! Gillot is all wrong for Raymonda. Why don't they tape Aurélie Dupont?

I suppose we should just be glad that it's finally being taped.[/quote]



I agree with you totally, why not film Aurelie Dupont, she is such a lyrical expressive dancer, with an amazing technique and looks exquisit in the few small video's of this production on YouTube. I am not being critical against Marie Agnes Gill., but there is no contest if Aurelie is on her normal form.
I noticed she had been moved back in the Distribution list until later in December. Maybe she has not got back her stamina quite enough for this mammoth work. Unless I am mistaken she has not danced a great deal since returning from the birth of her little son Jacques. I actually tried to get a ticket to go and see Raymonda in December but it was sold out.


It remains to be seen, what the DVD will be like, I am not that keen on all of Ruddi's choreography, nor are some of the Paris Opera Dancers, as it is so hard, and exhausting. (I love the new Cinderella though and Don "Q").


I saw a Bolshoi productionof Raymonda in London, a few years ago, with Nina Ashnavilli (spellingh?)and Gedimas Taranda) which was really fantastic, so true to its traditions, with authentic character dances and roles. . I really loved this production, which was the same as the one that was available on Video cassette in the past but with Nat. Bess who sadly by then was way past her prime.


Now the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden has taken over, Opus Arte productions, they have a list of new DVD's that they would like to release(Info from the ROH) but it is all subject to copyright and their obtaining the necessary rights to do so. So possibly we may get some of the older or even more recent ABT and NYCB, even S.F.B works on DVD in the future, that is if Kultar have not got the rights for them.

MAG was choosen, because AD is already featured on some dvds and each principal must unofficially of course be featured at least once on a dvd.

AD danced the main part, and was very good from what I have neard but I think it would have been a good idea to select Dorothée Gilbert as Raymonda for this dvd

That seems fair. The only problem is that it seems like dancers sometimes are taped in roles that don't suit them. Gillot is much better in modern pieces, and Dupont in the traditional full lengths, IMO.

I agree about Gilbert. But she danced Henriette, so that's something. I suppose the powers that be figured they have lots of time to film her, as she is so young.

I watched three casts: Gilbert/Duquenne/Paquette, Letestu/Bullion/Paquette and Gillot/Martinez/Le Riche (the latter on one of the dates that was filmed for the DVD). While Gillot was definitely miscast, I am truly glad they did this, and glad that this performance will come out on a DVD. What a remarkable ballerina! She was able to take a role that does not naturally suit her and make it very interesting and exciting to watch. I would not mind having the other two casts on DVD as well because I thoroughly enjoyed all three performances. All three ballerinas had very different, individual interpretations. I was also impressed with how meticulously small details were worked out: e.g., the interactions between Raymonda and Abderam in the second act were completely different in the three performances. Paquette's boorish Abderam faced an uninterested Raymonda in Gilbert, and a curious and a bit flirtatious Raymonda in Letestu. A more suave and refined Abderam of Le Riche interacted with a friendly and sympathetic Gillot's Raymonda. Overall, the Gillot/Martinez/Le Riche cast was preferable to me because of the superior technique of the male leads and their larger-than-life personalities, especially Le Riche. Of course, it was also quite impressive that Henriette and Constance were danced by Gilbert and Cozette, respectively, in that performance.