Delibes/Minkus - La Source (complete ballet recorded in 2011)

Lost after its material records were destroyed by fire in 1883, the spectacular ballet La Source originally portrayed the idealistic vision of a magical domain in which a complex but beautiful love story of mythical figures unfolded. Jean-Guillaume Bart has long been captivated by La Source, and his new choreography retains the ballet's romantic fascinations and its glorious music by Delibes and Minkus. Filled with exotic colour and atmosphere, Bart takes the narrative on an odyssey through near- and far-flung realms of classical dance in a brilliant production, further elevated by Christian Lacroix's gorgeous costumes and Éric Ruf's imaginative set designs.

The New York Times reviewed this production: 'Much of this production is lovely. The music... is often ravishing, particularly the Delibes score in most of Act II. La Source is a fascinating exercise, a tantalising proposition to a ballet world always in
search of its holy grail: the successful full-length production, which audiences appear to crave.'