Swan Lake (HD DVD)

Swan Lake ballet. Music by Tchaikovsky. Book by V. P. Begitchev and Vasily Geltzer. "Tragic" choreography by Rudolf Nureyev in grand tradition of Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa. Directed 2005 by Brigitte Lefèvre and Patricia Ruanne at the Paris Opera Ballet (Opéra Bastille). Stars Agnès Letestu, José Martinez, Karl Paquette, Muriel Hallé, Michel Pasternak, Marie-Isabelle Peracchi, Nolwenn Daniel, Mélanie Hurel, Emmanuel Thibault, Dorothée Gilbert, Myriam Ould-Braham, Fanny Fiat, Mathilde Froustey, Emilie Cozette, Stéphanie Romberg, Aurélia Bellet, Laurence Laffon, Alessio Carbone, Nathalie Riqué, Julien Meyzindi, Christophe Duquenne, and Jérémie Bélingard. Vello Pähn directs the Paris Opera Ballet Orchestra. Set design by Ezio Frigerio; costumes by Franca Squarciapino; lighting by Vinicio Cheli; directed for TV by François Roussillon. Released 2007, HD DVD disc has 5.0 dts sound. Grade: A

This was the first fine-art HDVD disc! The HD DVD version was soon overshadowed by the Blu-ray version that Opus Arte published later.  For more information, try our full review of Swan Lake which discusses both the HD DVD and the Blu-ray versions in detail.