Ludwig Minkus (1826-1917)
Don Quixote, ballet in prologue and 3 Acts (1869)
Orchestration and arrangement by Martin Yates
Production and Choreography by Carlos Acosta
Kitri- Mayara Magri
Basilio- Matthew Ball
Don Quixote- Gary Avis
Sancho Panza- Liam Boswell
The Royal Ballet Company, Students of the Royal Ballet School
Orchestra of Royal Opera House/Valery Ovsyanikov
rec. live 28 October, 7 November, 2023, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
Opus Arte Blu-ray OABD7279D [127]

The Royal Ballet’s production of Ludwig Minkus’ Don Quixote is like a glittering piñata filled with delightful treats and amusements. This is the second video I have seen of Carlos Acosta’s production, which is a feast for the ears, eyes and is sure to satisfy any lover of classical ballet.

My first encounter with Minkus’ ballet was the wonderful old production that was mounted for Mikhail Baryshnikov by the American Ballet Theater in 1983 and was once itself available on DVD but alas is now discontinued. Happy memories of that production have stayed with me over the years, which always make me look forward with great anticipation to any new staging of this work. Minkus’ Ballet was initially produced and choreographed by the father of Russian classical ballet, Marius Petipa in Moscow in 1869 but later expanded to a much larger work (also by Petipa) for St Petersburg 2 years later. In modern times it seems as if the original score doesn’t satisfy the taste of Ballet Company directors as there is no shortage of adaptations and re-arrangements of Minkus’ original score. To hear the original score one must turn to two CD sets, one on Naxos (review) and the other on Capriccio. All of the versions of this ballet that I have seen feature music that has been adapted in some way and this version is no exception. Here the credit for the arrangement and orchestration is given to Martin Yates. For many years the ballet was seen in a version that had been tinkered with by John Lanchberry, which one of my colleagues (Rob Maynard) was dismissive of in a review of a previous DVD which used the Lanchberry version (review). Even the old Barishnikov production used a musical version by Patrick Flynn. I am no expert in the musical differences between the different versions, but I can relate that most of the new clothing for Don Quixote seems to involve expanded use of percussion instruments to make the score sound more colourful. For the Royal Ballet production Martin Yates has added plenty of orchestral paprika to the score with the addition of tambourines, castanets and triangles to give more oomph to the vibrant dancing seen on the stage. Yates also adds some authentic and rather intimate sounding Spanish music to the sequence with the Gypsies in the first half of Act Two. The additional music does not harm the score in any way, although it does tend to stand apart from what one has heard before and after it; perhaps that was the point.

The musical side of the performance is kept bouncing along at an enjoyable pace by the energetic baton of Valery Ovsyanikov. He presents the details of Yates’ adaptation with a mellow polish and even a certain nuance in some of the less spectacular bits. His handling of the Spanish Gypsy music is delicately shaped and a highlight of the score.

The dancing is indicative of the high standards which are maintained by the Royal Ballet Company. The corps de ballet has a lot to do in this work and they do it with real panache. They also are well-drilled enough to make their work appear to be more spontaneous than anyone has a right to expect.

Among the star performers Matthew Ball’s Basilio stands out as the saucy village lad who is full of spunk and good humour. Ball is a superb performer who projects a certain subtle charm despite all of the highjinks that Basilio gets up to. Mayara Magri is an elegant Kitri who tries to present the heroine as a slightly more complex girl than I have seen in other stagings. Doesn’t Kitri seem to enjoy her flirtations with Espada just a little too much? One begins to wonder about fairy tale endings, and just how idyllic her marriage to Basilio might remain. Gary Avis as Don Quixote projects a tender vulnerability in the midst of the old man’s delusions. Among the excellent ensemble cast Calvin Richardson’s attitude of flamboyance as the Toreador Espada really stands out. With superb sound and picture on this Blu-ray one really couldn’t ask for more. This will definitely be making it onto my list of recordings of the year.

Mike Parr

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Additional Cast:
Lorenzo- Thomas Whitehead
Gamache- James Hay
Espada- Calvin Richardson
Mercedes- Leticia Dias
Dulcinea- Nadia Mullova-Barley
Kitri’s friends- Sophie Allnatt, Sue Maeda
Two Matadors- David Donnelly, Jospeh Sissens
Queen of the dryads- Annette Buvoli
Amour- Isabella Gasparini
Gypsy Couple- Hannah Grennell, Leo Dixon
Fandango Couple- Mica Bradbury, Lucas B. Brændsrød
Guitarists- Forbes Henderson, Daniel Thomas, Nigel Woodhouse, Tom Ellis

Production Details:
Staging- Christopher Saunders
Designer- Tim Hatley
Lighting- Hugh Vanstone

Technical Details:
Filmed in High Definition
Picture format: 1080i 16:9
Sound formats: LPCM 2.0 ; DTS-HD MA 5.1
Région code: all regions