"A few ballets, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake, which at the end of the 19th Century brought together to the stage the composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and two ballet masters of the imperial theatre, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, were conceived from three orchestral suites, which had become musical standards.

Among these symphonic suites, The Nutcracker alone was written by the composer and performed under his direction before the creation of the completed ballet. It was on the occasion of a gala evening, so Tchaikovsky chose the "featured dances", namely dances reserved for "entertainments". Yet, even if he had considered using them, the orchestral suites of The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake were included without his approval after his death. Destined to be performed in concerts, they were considered a sort of best off of each of the ballets; bringing together without an event-driven chronology, the "featured dances" and a few numbers centred on the characters and the action.

In looking for a title, I remembered that as a child I defined my wonderments as "Magifique". Magnifique without a "n" because hatred divides (the word for hatred in French sounds like the letter "n"), and that this invented word, a sort of short-circuited language, fits well with the intentions of this creation: to create magic or else recycle life’s raw material through expressive and poetic forms. However, the title is also "Tchaikovsky‘s Suites", in order to be consistent i.e. "avoir de la suite dans ses idées”.
(Thierry Malandain)

Recorded at the Gare du Midi in Biarritz, 2010.

Music: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography: Thierry Malandain
Sets and Costumes: Jorge Gallardo
Lighting Design: Jean-Claude Asquié
Additional Music: Nicolas Duperoir

"Malandain the ‘Magifique’ … one of his most beautiful creations.” - Les Échos

"What remains is Malandain’s thoughts about the magic of dance, a delicate piece of poetry whose cracks are gracefully expressed. A neverending ovation acclaimed the excellent troupe, but also the spirit of the work which kept resounding for a long time …” - Generalanzeiger Bonn

Bonus: Making of Magifique. Including interviews with Thierry Malandain and the dancers as well as rehearsal footage.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo
Picture Format: 16:9
Resolution: 1080i FULL HD
Languages/Subtitles: FR, GB, DE (Bonus)
Running Time: 80 mins + 25 mins (Bonus)
Blu-ray Disc: 25 GB (Single Layer)
FSK: 0
Region Code: Worldwide
Worldwide available