****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor : VIDEOCASSETTES

“The Nutcracker.” Kultur. $29.95. Until recently, CBS/Fox marketed a videotape of the same Bolshoi Ballet production (slightly abridged), with many of the same principal dancers and the same conductor. In the new Kultur version, however, the noble, virtuosic Vladimir Vasiliev and the fleet, enchanting Ekaterina Maximova don’t disappear after Act I. Moreover, image brightness and sound quality are far superior and the ballet (like its predecessor, taped in live performance) is uncut. Yuri Grigorovich’s adaptation of the 1892 Christmas sugarplum is still confused dramatically and underinspired choreographically, but at least the dancing and score are now vividly conveyed. Erratum: Drosselmeyer is danced by the great Bolshoi caractere specialist, Vladimir Levashev (identified as “Victor Levashov”). Information: (800) 458-5887. ** 1/2