Editorial Review:

Description:
‘This Coppelia is a traditional ballet from start to finish and one that is timeless in the way of all the best and best-loved fairy tales’ – Sunday Telegraph. This delightful ballet tells the story of Dr Coppelius, a toymaker and magician, who attempts to bring to life his beautiful doll, Coppelia. He is fooled by the mischievous Swanilda, who masquerades as Coppelia and saves her lover Franz from the doctor’s magic. From a tale by Hoffman. With Lisa Pavane, Greg Horsman, The Australian Ballet.

The Australia Ballet version of Coppelia is outstanding. I especially enjoyed the animation of the corps de ballet. The production is lavish, the dancers exquisite.

If you love Coppelia, don't miss the version with Fernando Bujones and the Ballet Nacional de Puerto Rico. Yes, the production values are a bit high school, but what it lacks in expensive costuming and scenery, it more than makes up for in the sheer exuberance of the dancing.

Average Rating:

Rating: - A delight from beginning to end!
The Australia Ballet version of Coppelia is outstanding. I especially enjoyed the animation of the corps de ballet. The production is lavish, the dancers exquisite.

If you love Coppelia, don't miss the version with Fernando Bujones and the Ballet Nacional de Puerto Rico. Yes, the production values are a bit high school, but what it lacks in expensive costuming and scenery, it more than makes up for in the sheer exuberance of the dancing.

Rating: - A common man's point of view.

It was the Australian Ballet that got me interested in this so very beautiful art form. I purchased a three ballet boxed set of Tchaikovsky ballets, which included "Sleeping Beauty", "Swan Lake", and "The Nutcracker". I fell in love with Sleeping Beauty, by THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET. Sleeping Beauty / Christine Walsh, Australian Ballet It stars Christine Walsh and David Ashmole. Since then I have been collecting all the ballet DVDs I can afford.

Little did I know that in the "Sleeping Beauty" was the up and coming sensation of "Coppelia", Lisa Pavane and Greg Horsman. If you have that DVD, Lisa is the Fairy Godmother in the brown tutu. I could not identify Greg.

I know my job as a reviewer is to inform you of what I think of "Coppelia" by the Australian Ballet, so I will get to the point. First of all, it is the most FUN ballet in existence. It is the happiest ballet that I have so far seen. I saw it live once many years ago in Nashville, Tennessee, so I knew the story and LOVED the music. One reviewer commenting on "Snow White" with music composed and conducted by Emilio Aragon from Spain, said that Aragon's music had only one theme and was repeated over and over throughout the entire ballet.Aragón: Snow White (ballet) I did not agree (read my review on Snow White). The same could never be said about Coppelia because Leo Delibes gives us at least 31 distinctly different melodies, and most of them are so beautiful that words cannot describe them. The producers of this Coppelia were not happy with 31 melodies so they borrowed one from another Delibes ballet "Sylvia". The melody is the one used by the bridesmaids and groomsmen in their dance to honor the bride and groom Swanilda and Frans in the third act. It is so beautiful I do not blame them for adding it to Coppelia. Delibes: Sylvia

Lisa Pavane is a sensational ballerina and her partner Greg Horsman is a sensational danseure. They both have a tremendous amount of dancing to do in this ballet, and most of it is fast tempo. It shows in the curtain calls as they are perspiring profusely. The costumes used in this ballet are fabulous (as they were in the Australian version of Sleeping Beauty) And the sets were also the best I've seen both live and in the Royal Ballet production of Coppelia. Each act has a completely different set. The Coppelius workshop set puts the Royal Ballet's to shame. There is simply no comparison, and that goes for the animatons (dolls) too. You don't have to believe me, just buy this ballet and listen to the patrons of the Sydney Opera House go wild when the dolls come to life and go through their dance routines, especially the disjointed rag-doll. Colin Peasley is simply great as DR. Coppelius, the "mad" doll maker. Peasley is also a member of the governing body of the Australian Ballet Company.

When I saw this ballet live so many years ago in Nashville, the promoters offered anyone who was not happy with the production, their money back. I did NOT ask for my money back. If you buy this ballet, I don't believe you will ask for your money back either.

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Rating: - Great version of this beloved classic...
Coppelia has always been my favorite ballet (to watch and to dance).
My friend and I decided that we wanted to see the ballet again, after several years of not seeing it, so I went on Amazon to see what was out there. I'm really glad that I chose the Australian Ballet's version.
If you read the other reviews, yes, there are some differences from the 'classic' version of the story, but it's done really well and the dancing is phenomenal. If you're looking for a great version of this ballet for your collection, pick this one up, you won't be disappointed.
(this, from a professional ballet dancer. Well, 2 if you count the friend I watched it with!) :-)

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Rating: - A Must Have For Any Ballet or Music Lovers
I thouroughly enjoyed this video!!!! The Australian Ballet Company was fun to watch with their subtle nuances in gestures that said it all without words. The musicians were of high caliber as well. I had never seen it acted out, as I am usually in the pit playing the music, so this was refreshing for me as well.

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Rating: - Traditional and Classic
This production of Coppelia is very well performed in a traditional and classic style. For the most part, the dancing is outstanding, especially the lead dancers. It is a worthy addition to any ballet lover's collection. The costumes are very decorative and the sets are rustic with an old Eastern European charm. Why four stars instead of five? It's because the Kirov (1993) version has several important qualities missing or underrepresented in the Australian version. First, Coppelia, the mechanical doll, is much more animated and charming in the Kirov version. The choreographer, Oleg Vinogradov, wisely chose to give her more character and attention. After all, the ballet is named after her. In the Australian rendition, she is strictly a mechanism, with very brief appearances. You wonder why Franz and his friends ever fell for her. Second, the Kirov version creates much more interaction and support between the lead dancers and the corps. This helps to unify the two elements and accents the rift between Swanilda and Franz, especially in the final scene. In the Australian rendition, the corps and the lead dancers are much more separated, and the corps is often seen standing passively in the shadows like members of an audience. Finally, Vinogradov has wisely added comic gestures throughout the ballet, including a delightful and humorous dance involving Coppelia and Franz's friends. This is very fitting because Coppelia is probably the most famous comic ballet in the repertory. (Incidentally, in E.T.A. Hoffmann's famous tale and Offenbach's opera, Coppelia could utter friendly sighs and dance.) The Australian rendition tends to focus on elegant and classic poses--beautiful but somewhat sugary at times and not contributing much to the story.

One review of the Kirov version has appropriately commented that the Australian production is more traditional and classic. This is true to a large extent. However, Coppelia lends itself to new choreography due, in large part, to its intrinsic comic element. The late George Balanchine added a considerable amount of new choreography to Coppelia, especially in the final act. This same review has added a few comments that should probably be taken with a grain of wheat. Yes, the Mazurka is missing from the first act because Vinogradov thought it was more appropriate to include it in the final scene as one of the festive dances in the town celebration. Yes, the Kirov left out the shaking of the wheat (a test for faithfulness) probably because the sets and costumes are more contemporary. (There's a very charming shaking of the wheat in the Paris version, 2001.) And what about the strange accusation that the second act of the Kirov version is grotesque? In the Australian version, we see a menacing figure carrying a severed head, a writhing bandaged body, and Franz placed on a wheel rack--enough said? (Incidentally, these scenes are not mentioned in the "traditional" story.) They might have frightened Hoffmann and Delibes. After all, Dr. Coppelius was meant to be eccentric but not necessarily malevolent. Finally, this same review concludes that the Kirov version is for people who hate ballet. Needless to say, this comment is not worth one grain of wheat--not to mention the chaff.


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