Alexander Ekman: A Swan Lake

First, let's clear up the confusion caused by Amazon's screw-up. This is not a performance of Swan Lake by the Norwegian National Ballet Company. Rather it is a wonderful, relatively new choreography by Graeme Murphy very loosely based on the original Swan Lake and performed by the Australian Ballet Company at the Sydney Opera House.Everything about this production is outstanding. Tchaikovsky's music is, of course, glorious. The choreography is full of energy with lots of dramatic lifts. The dancers are incredible: powerful, graceful, thoroughly professional, and with amazing stamina. The orchestra is wonderful. The sound is great. The staging is simple yet powerful.The lighting is almost always dramatic and effective.The story is more contemporary and more relevant than the original. There are no more sorcerers turning women into swans. It is no longer a good against evil story where everyone dies in the end. But Amazon doesn't give the viewer a synopsis of the story, so I will include a brief one to help you understand what is going on. As in the original, Siegfried and Odette are the main characters.Act I begins with a brief prelude in which Odette, who is to be married to Prince Siegfried, is troubled by worries that he hasn't gotten over an ex-lover, the Baroness von Rothbart. We see Odette's imagination acted out as Siegfried and the Baroness have a brief bedroom scene. The next day at a gathering celebrating the marriage, Odette's fears continue to develop as the Baroness makes eyes at Siegfried and he responds. Wonderful choreography follows, revealing the psychological state of each character. Siegfried is torn between his desire to remain loyal to Odette and his obvious attraction to the Baroness. Odette becomes more and more distraught as she realizes Siegfried is slipping away from her, and she is torn between her desire to fight to save the relationship and the impulse to flee from the traumatic nature of the situation. The haughty Baroness remains fixed on her goal to win Siegfried. Siegfried's mother shows up and makes her preference clear. At the end of the act Odette is overcome with despair and attempts to throw herself into Swan Lake.In Act II we find that due to her despair Odette has been committed to a sanatorium. Much of the act is devoted to her dreams of swans (where we see many charming dances reminiscent of the original Swan Lake choreography). Odette's dream also reveals her vision of what life would be if Siegfried were totally in love with her. However, at the end of the dream, Odette realizes that Siegfried is now firmly with the Baroness.Act III takes place at the Baroness's home where she and Siegfried are hosting a party. Odette has gotten away from the sanitarium and shows up at the party uninvited. Siegfried realizes that he loves only Odette, and now it is the Baroness who must try to hold on to Siegfried. She summons officials from the sanitarium, and when they arrive Odette flees rather than be returned.Act IV. Siegfried finds Odette at the Lake. I won't reveal the ending except to say the music soars to climax after climax.If you are not immune to beauty, prepare to conclude the watching of this production with a tear in your eye and pride in your heart for this remarkable human achievement.

Thought I was watching A Swan Lake from Oslo and was excited from the great reviews, but turns out it was the Australian Ballet's Swan Lake by Graeme Murphy. Confusing that the title and synopsis are for the wrong movie! More modern take of a cheating husband and an insane asylum instead of the classic fairytale. Non-traditional, if you're into that you will like this darker take on the classic. The swans were still my favorite part.

A little long in parts needs some trimming of scenes, but the choreography was inventive, sensuous, and seamless. The Corp de Ballet was impressive, the leads were evocative and very comfortable with the blending of modern and classical technique. I've never seen this choreographer, but for those of us that have seen "Swan Lake" so many times, this was a real treat. I loved the quality of the dancing, just beautiful, and not quite so technically overdone with Russian technical prowess. The costumes were beautiful and the colors alluring. Loved it.

This. Was. Beautiful.No, this is not the original, BUT if you have a love for ballet. Watch this. Please.I generally do not like any adaptations of originals. You don’t mess with perfection, but this was a stunning performance by Madeleine Eastoe and I can honestly say this is now one of my favorites hands down.

This is mislabeled. It is Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake with Australian Ballet. This should be fixed!!!

I appreciate the technique of the dancers, the music, the costumes; all was lovely. However, I am greatly disappointed in the change of the plot and choreography. Why does our culture insist on altering classic pieces of art? The essence of Swan Lake are the swans!!

I absolutely love the storyline, and how it was carried out! I even loved it more than the original Swan Lake. The choreography is wonderful!! If you love Ballet, you need to watch this!c

most unusual interpretation of Swan Lake but a visual feast for the eyes with dramatic stage production ... this production has everything but the kitchen sink ... the dancing on water was mesmerizing .... indescribable ... this has quickly become one of my favorites .... a guilty pleasure ... enjoy.

Firstly many of the reviews on here are incorrectly placed and do not actually refer to this Ekman production by The Norwegian Ballet. This is a very modern ballet with a score that only makes tribute passages to the original Tchaikovsky.I certainly prefer the wit and charm of Mats Ek's Cullberg Ballet presentation of Swan Lake to the original score and so much appreciate his choreography (also his Carmen and Sleeping Beauty). So much was made of Matthew Bourne's male swans yet Mats Ek was there first!For me there were few moments of beauty in this overlong production whose objective was to create a shallow lake on stage for the dancers to experiment with interesting new moves - sometimes almost a cross over to ice skating and body boarding water sport!Sorry I found the first act overlong, the music and dancing repetitive but perhaps the complex lighting and scenery together with so much action made it difficult to understand.I longed for some effective cutting as the lake scene was brilliant in places but became repetitive.This is the only version Swan Lake that I would not wish to view again!

I bought this title after seeing a trailer for it on another Blu-ray, and must say it did not disappoint. I found it a visual and audible delight, as it totally re-imagines Swan Lake from the water up. With hints of Tchaikovsky's music peppered throughout and hummer punctuating the work, this is a must see for anyone who is open to a jazz and contemporary dance interpretation.

Fantastic piece of work, by the acclaimed choreographer Alex Ekman. A must buy DVD for contemporary dance lovers.

High quality

It is too modern