Alexei Ratmansky

Commissioned by the Mariinsky in 2002, 'Cinderella' was the production that launched choreographer Alexei Ratmansky onto the world stage. Filmed in 2013 and now released on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time, the production stars one of the foremost prima ballerinas in the world today, Diana Vishneva. Recently described by The Telegraph as being 'as close to physical and technical perfection as it is possible to be', Vishneva delivers a dazzling performance, and is conducted by leading Prokofiev interpreter, Valery Gergiev. Ratmansky is the world s most influential ballet-maker, credited with revitalising classical dance through a series of highly individual productions. He breathes new life into Prokofiev s ballet, weaving together an array of different styles and echoing the complexities of the composer s score.

A tale of the French Revolution, The Flames of Paris belongs to the pearls of the pure classics of classical dance. This world premiere recording of the production from choreographer Alexei Ratmansky (after Vasily Vaynonenon) and the Bolshoi Ballet, features the standout soloists Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev. Although set in revolutionary France, The Flames of Paris was intended to serve as an allegory for contemporary events in the Soviet Union. The ballet premiered in 1932 on the anniversary of the October Revolution, and one of its main characters was the population - revolutionary in mood and ready for action. Not surprisingly, The Flames of Paris was quickly included in the ranks of works which were always presented for major anniversaries.The choreographer Alexei Ratmansky has attempted to make maximum use of the preserved fragments of Vasily Vainonen in his new ballet.

Don Quichot – an audience favourite of prestigious companies worldwide – is a dazzling display of high spirits, virtuosity and Spanish temperament. The flamboyant leaps, dizzying pirouettes and crisp pointe work that are standard features of the production give the performers every opportunity to show off their technical prowess. But at the same time, the comic story based on Cervantes’ masterpiece makes strong demands on the dancers’ acting abilities.

Ratmansky, the world's most sought-after choreographer and master of narrative ballet, fills every measure of Prokofiev's cinematic score as he recounts Cinderella's rise from poverty to success. Cinderella is a story about building a new future from the ashes of the past. Cinderella, defined by her unhappy childhood, discovers hope for a new tomorrow. Prokofiev composed his ballet at the beginning of World War II, and the score is charged with equal parts sorrow and fantasy... After listening to the melancholy overture, it is clear that this is no romantic comedy.

Lucien, a young composer, sets out to conquer the Parisian scene in search of glory. His success soon blinds him, and he betrays his friends and his love. Lost Illusions is a new ballet created in Moscow in 2011 by Alexei Ratmansky with dramaturgical advice from Guillaume Gallienne. This stylised adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s novel features thwarted love, ambition, and disillusionment, with 19th century Paris as its backdrop.

Inspired by Lord Byron’s epic poem, this jewel of the repertoire boasts a lavish production complete with a shipwreck, pirates, and some of ballet’s most renowned scenes.

During harvest festival at a collective farm, a visiting dance troupe reunites a ballerina with her childhood friend Zina. In order to teach her unfaithful husband a lesson, Zina, the ballerina, and the ballerina’s husband decide to swap roles for the evening… Alexei Ratmansky invokes the genius of Shostakovich’s score at the Bolshoi, creating a laugh-out-loud masterpiece with its bits of slapstick comedy, hilarious deceptions, false identities including Principal Dancer Ruslan Skvortsov dressed as a Sylph and its many colorful characters! The Bolshoi bursts with vivid life and bright spirits in Ratmansky’s brilliantly choreographed smash. Captured live on Apr 29, 2012.

For one evening, the Bolshoi takes on a new challenge with audacity in The Cage by Jerome Robbins, Harald Lander’s Études and Alexei Ratmansky’s Russian Seasons.