Genre:

Ballet; Opera

Release Date:

Oct 2012

Number of Discs:

3

Sound:

2.0LPCM + 5.1(5.0) DTS

Subtitles:

EN, FR, DE, ES (The Nutcracker); EN. FR, DE, ES, IT (Hansel und Gretel)

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 Anamorphic

Display:

NTSC

Catalog Number:

OA1090BD

A Christmas Celebration (The Royal Ballet; The Royal Opera)

Ricardo Cervera (Nutcracker / Nephew); Miyako Yoshida (Sugar Plum Fairy); Iohna Loots (Clara); Angelika Kirchschlager (Hansel); Diana Damrau (Gretel); Anja Silja (Witch);

Settle down and enjoy Christmas fun and fantasy for all the family with these two magical classics from the Royal Opera House. All-time ballet favourite The Nutcracker comes to life in this stunning and captivating production a real delight for adults and children alike. This is coupled with a spectacular and unforgettable performance of Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel. Imaginatively staged and with a new and original interpretation, this classic fairy tale provides the ideal seasonal treat.

Reviews

"... the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker is a handsome, magical, thoroughly traditional rendering ..." (The Sunday Express - The Nutcracker)

"The dancing of the two young principals, Iohna Loots and Ricardo Cervera as Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker, is characterful and enchanting ... this is a generally conventional production [of Nutcracker] which sets off the dancers well ... Kirchschlager is a very believable shock-haired boy, and brings Hansel’s boredom and mischief to life with great panache ... The delicious profile of the music as delivered is picked up by the orchestra under a most responsive conductor." (Musicweb International - The Nutcracker)

"Angelika Kirchschlager’s tousled, boyish Hänsel and Diana Damrau’s Gretel are dramatically convincing and vocally superb, while their parents, excellently sung and played by Elizabeth Connell and Thomas Allen, earn our sympathy as well as our censure. Pumeza Matshikiza’s goblin-like Sandman is truly magical and Anita Watson’s feather-dusting Dew Fairy another amusing creation. Colin Davis, unafraid to relish the icing on the cake, draws a warm, effulgent sound from the orchestra." (Evening Standard - Hansel & Gretel)

"Not only was the production a great one to attend as a first opera, but the DVD is perhaps as good an introduction to opera as one could hope for, a success on almost every front." (Musicweb International - Hansel & Gretel)