Petit: Notre Dame de Paris (Teatro alla Scala, 2013) [DVD]

Esmeralda, Quasimodo, Frollo and Phoebus: four great characters around which a highly dramatic, passionate story revolves. The Corps de Ballet underscores the dynamics almost like an ancient choir. And in the background is the silent but incumbent presence of the cathedral, both witness and actress in this drama. Notre-Dame de Paris, inspired by Victor Hugo's novel, with music by Maurice Jarre, sets by René Allio and the renowned costumes of Yves Saint-Laurent, returns to La Scala after more than ten years since its last performances. Once again it will be celebrating Roland Petit and his artistic vein, his ability to evoke and synthesize in bringing the essential cores of the story to light. And the triumph of his vision of the performance as a total creation: dance, sets, costumes, music, theatricality. Press Reviews "Petit's Esmeralda is a cousin of his landmark Carmen, and there is no better enfant terrible to play her today than Natalia Osipova ... Her legs are at once ordinary and extraordinary for the ballet stage: not immediately striking but lightning-fast and explosive in their effects, not least the gravity-defying jumps she is famous for. As Esmeralda she uses them to the full, commanding the stage with mischievous ardour from her initial variation, and her vividly realistic despair in Act Two is a reminder of the larger-than-life acting she has honed over the years." (The Financial Times ★★★★) "Osipova is every bit the thespian as the ballerina; her terror as she heads to the gallows in Act II is palpable and her disgust at Frollo's lunging affections convincing. As for Bolle, it's got to be hard enough to dance most of a two-hour ballet with one shoulder hunched up to your ear, much less to elicit compassion for a character who is (in this telling) underdeveloped. Yet he manages to instill Quasimodo with a tragic air that is both fierce and tender." (arts.heraldtribune.com) "Luigi Bonino has reinvigorated this twentieth-century hit – a stylish interpretation of Victor Hugo's Gothic classic The Hunchback of Notre-Dame – with excellent casting ... Natalia Osipova is ... mesmeric as Esmeralda, supplementing her smooth, gliding turns with serpentine port de bras and deliciously coquettish eyes. A series of show-stopping chorus numbers complement the principal action, their jazzy timbre and kaleidoscopic formations a nod to choreographer Roland Petit's Hollywood years." (Auditorium) Cast Natalia Osipova (Esmeralda) Roberto Bolle (Quasimodo) Eris Nezha (Phoebus) Mick Zeni (Frollo) Orchestra of La Scala; Paul Connelly Designer: René Allio Choreographer: Roland Petit Catalogue Number: OA1139D Date of Performance: 2013 Running Time: 95 minutes Sound: 24 bit LPCM / 5.1 DTS Master Audio HD Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Anamorphic Subtitles: EN (extra feature only) Label: Opus Arte