5/5 A common man's point of view.
  by Richard Rawls (Dublin Ga USA)
This is one of the best Swan Lakes I have in my small collection of nine (Swan Lakes). I fell in love with Nina Ananiashvili when I saw her in this production. Her partnering with Fadeyechev is perfect, so I buy as many of their ballets I can afford. This is the same production being sold by Amazon with a different keepcase cover picture distributed through Kultur. Tchaikovsky - Swan Lake / Ananiashvili, Fadeyechev, Russian State Perm Ballet It was filmed in Japan and the orchestra was also Japanese, but they were GOOD. You couldn't ask for better orchestration. But remember, that's just a common man's point of view. I'm so common that Aaron Copeland wrote the most famous fanfare of all time just for me.Copland: Appalachian Spring; Rodeo; Fanfare for the Common Man

Nina Ananiashvili is a very beautiful but sad Odette, and when she is in character, you can tell that she is a very unhappy swan maiden, trapped as she is, half swan and half human yearning to be set free. When the audience is yelling it's bravos, she cannot afford to lose her composure, else the effect is gone. Yet, when she becomes Odile, her evil counterpart, her composure is completely different. She is now vivacious, saucy, taunting and deliciously beautiful in her Black Swan outfit. Who could blame Siegfried for falling in love with her? Even Odette is able to forgive him, and they celebrate their love together on earth, since this is a Russian version, but in the western versions they celebrate their love in heaven. Who could ask for a more romantic idea than that? Go ahead and buy this ballet, you won't be sorry.