Margot Fonteyn in Firebird, full ballet

This ballet is based on the Russian folk tale of the Firebird. Igor Stravinsky used the beloved story as the inspiration for his musical score. The Firebird ballet tells of Prince Ivan who defeats the evil Kastchei with the help of the magical Firebird. She offers one of her enchanted feathers to Prince Ivan after he spares her life while hunting in the forest. The feather is later used by Prince Ivan to summon the Firebird when he needs her help as Kastchei’s bizarre creatures capture him. The Firebird’s magic makes Kastchei and his creatures fall into a deep sleep so that Prince Ivan can destroy the egg containing Kastchei’s soul. This frees all who had been under his spell including thirteen princesses, one of which is the beautiful Tsarevna, with whom Prince Ivan falls in love with and marries.

Choreographed by Mikhail Fokine
Dancers: Margot Fonteyn as the Firebird and Michael Somes as Prince Ivan

Thank you kindly for watching,
Pam Boehme Simon for Graceful Beast Ballet

#margotfonteyn
#gracefulbeastballet
#pamboehmesimon

[tatianakurosh]

Марго удивительно хороша, женственна, грациозна, и в то же время движения быстрые, даже резкие, у нее удивительно выверены все движения, не зря её называли "Абсолюта".Идеал женской красоты в балете. Для меня она самая лучшая, ей нет равных, она номер 1 !!! ❤ Спасибо за публикацию!

[margheritadiana]

Che bellezza, grazia e bravura insuperabili, è stata una grande ed adorabile ballerina ...non vedo nessuna comparabile a lei tra le giovani promessa della danza, alcune gelidi mostri di bravura, con stupendi fisici forti come l''acciaio, tanto più sono perfette, tanto più sono prive di anima.

[Elizabeth-qs]

Thank you for posting. I have this in both commercial tape and dvd format, however it is always good to have an additional format. Of course Margot is wonderful (breathtaking in all the films I have of her), but let us not forget dear Michael Somes ... elegant, steadfast, a gentleman and selfless in the way he presents his ballerinas, the most wonderful partner and a true danseur noble of the older school.

[avesraggiana]

Wow! I didn't expect Fonteyn to wear the role of the Firebird so well! She' s marvelous, and unexpectedly quite athletic too! Thanks for posting.

[isabeldiezlangre]

Nunca habia visto este ballet entero, solo fotografias de Margot.
Me ha parecido explendida su actuacion, que movimiento de brazos tan delicados, preciosa bailarina.🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

[JanetteHeffernan]

I was lucky enough to be a child in Petrushka at Covent Garden in 1956 I was 14, In those days learned how to be.a ballet dancer while watching in the wings This was allowed. On Firebird nights there were always a lot of real soldiers around the opera house in full army uniform and I could never think what they were doing there and then I discovered that they were all used at the end of Firebird where right a the end a line of solders walks on quite clearly as extras. The stage manager told me why! It seems Queen Victoria and Prince Albert attended the opera one night and were horrified at the way the extra soldiers walked on. She thought they were very amateurish and spoilt and let down the production. A Royal Command was given that whenever The Royal Opera House required soldiers as extras they would be supplied by Her Majesties local barracks and still were in 1957! Evidently the order was never removed. I wonder if it is still there? It is true. I am not making this up.

[sedekiman]

Thank you, thank you. What a glorious Firebird Fonteyn is, as Karsavina said, who coached Fonteyn, "No human emotion here!"

[DavidLeBlanc]

Wow, that was dramatic. Amazing how engrossing the story becomes with the music, the costumes and of course the dancing itself with such a furious pace. Boom, then it's over, complete with a happy ending.

Fonteyn makes me really believe she is a magical bird. What a long, magical career she had.

Thanks for posting this Pam.

[angela]

I don't think I have seen this ballet before. Thank you

[ronaldtiracchia]

Wow. I can't wait to watch this. Thanks for posting this

[beebenton]

This was the first ballet i saw, with Lynn Seymour, at the ROH when i was 12 years old …

[zamyrabyrd]

After watching various Firebirds including Gelsey Kirkland in 1970, I don't find the hopping around choreography in the beginning so interesting.

[mariachile]

Precioso video! Mil gracias por la primicia. De qué año es esta presentación? ❤🎉❤

[josephciolino]

Something wrong with that final chord, or is it me?

[michelboudot]

Very mediocre no jumps no feet messy technique….good face only .if you have seen osipova…..forget fonteyn Basic