TCHAIKOVSKY: The Sleeping Beauty - Royal Ballet (BluRay)

"Tchaikovsky's most majestic ballet gets the royal treatment - With contributions from no fewer than four choreographers the Royal Ballet's Sleeping Beauty certainly gives you more bang for your bucks. Marius Petipa's original work has been augmented in such a way by Frederick Ashton, Christopher Wheeldon and Anthony Dowell that it seems made of whole cloth. Similarly, Oliver Messel's designs – towering arches, fairytale forests – have been deliciously heightened by Peter Farmer to the point of timelessness. The costumes never fail to amaze, reflecting three different eras with the exception of the Master of Ceremonies who remains above – or beneath - fashion." (The Stage ★★★★★)

"If you want spectacle at the ballet then this Sleeping Beauty is for you. Based on the opulent production that reopened the Royal Opera House after the Second World War, Monica Mason and Christopher Newton’s staging is a sumptuous homage to the splendour of the French court of Louis XIV. With so much richness on stage, in costumes, sets and the sheer number of courtiers and fairytale characters, the view from the stalls is full to bursting." (The Times ★★★★)