Delibes: Coppélia (Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow 2018)

Léo Delibes' ballet Coppélia is not merely a succession of beautiful dance scenes; above all, it is a finely crafted and wonderfully sardonic comedy. Curiously, Delibes drew his lighthearted inspiration from E.T.A. Hoffmann's sinisterly gloomy novella The Sandman, which he adapted freely for his purposes and transformed into a comedy. To this day, Coppélia is considered one of Delibes' finest compositions, which none other than Pyotr Tchaikovsky had already praised: "What beauty, what elegance, what richness of melodic invention, rhythm, and harmony!" And so the music from this ballet also made its way onto the international stages of symphony orchestras. The world-famous Bolshoi Ballet presents a classic 19th-century choreography by Marius Petipa on this recording from the French label BelAir Classiques. It corresponds to the Russian premiere of the ballet, was in use for many years, but (unusually for a Petipa production) fell into obscurity during the 20th century and only recently made its "resurrection" at the Bolshoi. An experience on every level: in terms of dance, music, and (not least) the entertainment value of the underlying story.