Fonty

Which old ROH one are you thinking of?

In the current one, yes, but it could also mean she has only just died, and therefore no "proper" cross has been put up. Also, if you look at photos of past productions there was always a large cross on her grave. Have a look at the Magic of the Dance, with the clip of Fonteyn and Nureyev in act 2, for example. In any case, suicide in those days carried such stigma, even if she had stabbed herself deliberately, surely it would have been covered up in some way by her horrified mother and the rest of the villagers. There is no way they would have allowed this poor girl to be buried in an unmarked grave somewhere in the middle of nowhere, especially after the way in which she had been treated by the man she loved. Incidentally, I've noticed that a couple of the dancers in the current RB production make it look as though they stab themselves by accident, as people attempting to intervene and take the sword from her. Which is one way round the issue. .

I remember that. Given that most of these performances are filmed on exactly the same stage, I would say that reason doesn't make sense. In fact, if the stage is so much larger, surely the dancers should be moving even more quickly in order to cover the space?

@alison If it is anything like everywhere else I have been this week, you might find yourself wishing you had worn a bathing suit! @Irmgard Thank you so much for your detailed comments about the story. I found this particularly interesting, as it has ben the subject of discussion before on this forum: "Gautier makes no mention of Giselle committing suicide or attempting to commit suicide. It is much more in keeping with the ethos of the Romantic era for a heroine to die of a broken heart but, again, it is up to the producer to decide which approach to take. Skeaping followed the leads of Pavlova, Spessivtseva and Nicholas Sergueyev in having Giselle die of a broken heart. The fact that Giselle is buried in a woodland glade is also from the Gautier scenario and does not signify that she is buried in unconsecrated ground but, rather, gives a beautiful setting for Act 2. " I have been watching Giselle for many years, and it is relatively recently that the RB production seems to insist on a definite suicide, the thought being that she has to be buried in unconsecrated ground so that the Wilis can get to her. This has never made sense to me, because her grave is normally marked with a large cross. I assume this wouldn't have been allowed on any grave other than in an official one, and also there is always the concept that its religious power provided by the sanctity of being buried in a place blessed by the church reduces the power of the Wilis. I presume that the fact that Giselle's grave seems to be all on its own is because it would be extremely difficult logistically to have all the Wilis trying to dance around a load of tombstones.

Now you tell me! Oh well, never mind, I had a Christmas present to use up.

That is the one thing that strikes me about many of the clips being shown. So why can't dancers do it at that speed today?

The cheaper seats have sold extremely well, but the more expensive ones in the Stalls seem to have plenty remaining. I've just picked up one as I decided to go again and see it from a different position.

Going back to the character of Albrecht, I've always preferred it when he isn't portrayed as being too nice. After all, he is of royal blood, he knows perfectly well he isn't going to be allowed to marry a peasant girl, no matter how gorgeous she is and how much he adores her. There is only one way that relationship can go, and it certainly doesn't involve wedding bells. Consequently, when the drama unfolds and he is faced with the appalling consequence of his actions (probably for the first time in his pampered life), it makes the grief displayed in act 2 so much more compelling.

Also, Hilarion's actions are entirely understandable, given that Albrecht strides up to the area outside, dressed in peasant clothing but wearing an expensive cloak and with his sword strapped to his side. The stupid idiot. Didn't he think when he was putting it on that it might be spotted? Now why didn't his companion say to him that perhaps the outfit wasn't appropriate and persuade him to wear some rough old coat and swap his sword for whatever peasants carried in those days. But then, reality has never been a strong point in any dramatic tale....

Thank you very much for this. As a matter of interest, how are the Wilis supposed to kill their victims? I have always thought that they literally danced their victims to death (similar to the fate of the chosen one in the Rite of Spring). My practical mind wonders about these details. They have marked similarities to vampires, so perhaps they are supposed to suck his blood? Or do they just swarm over him and tear him to pieces? Either way my mind is producing Hammer Horror images..... Also, I have always felt so sorry for Hilarion. He has done nothing wrong other than genuinely love Giselle.

She was a dancer who was adored by so many, and I did like her, just not in everything.

I've always read it as the latter, as in "you are being compelled to dance, but remember I am here to support you and help when you falter....."

@Lizbie1 Got to be honest and admit I wasn't a huge fan of Cojocaru in Giselle either, nor did I like her as much as other dancers in several roles while at the RB. So there might be two of us deleting our accounts.....

Yes, Arrieta was good, but my judgement was coloured by the fact that he wasn't the man I was expecting to see. They are very different characters.

@alison I was upstairs, and could barely see Hilarion at any time when he was on stage in Act 2. I could see his legs, but not his face. I have never had the best eyesight in the world, but my niece, in her 30s, has 20/20 vision and she was struggling. It could be whether people are in the front or to the side, perhaps?

No idea who Lady Ashcroft is, should I? Now, if the position was being supported by another lady, who was once married to a past AD, then that might possibly have been construed as exerting undue influence (or whatever the correct term is).

My perception is that the RB has always had some splendid character actors, so I am not sure the current AD can claim credit for that.

Yes, I found the increased focus on Benno rather odd. A bit like doing a new production of Giselle, and focusing most of the attention on Hilarion in Act 1. I think Mr O'Hare has done ok. My main criticism is his choice of programming. It would seem that it is now compulsory, apparently, to put on one of the 3 major full length MacMillan ballets every year, taking up a huge part of the season. Fond as I am of them, I don't think they should be given such preference over everything else in the back catalogue. Also, I do not like the fact that he seems reluctant to nurture a new classical ballet choreographer. Monica Mason employed MacGregor for reasons that escape me, but why he is still there after all this time baffles me. In fact, another interesting question would be regarding the tenure of the resident choreographer, who has been in post coming up for 18 years now.

Yes, quite possibly it was our seats. We were right over on the right hand side of the auditorium. I also had to lean forward a bit to see the right hand side of the stage. We did hear the bells perfectly though. Sorry, was I being a bit long winded? I am a very quick typist, and thoughts just pour out.

A few thoughts from last night. Overall I loved the production, and although it wasn't the cast I was expecting I really enjoyed the performances from the two leads. As Giselle, Khaniukova in act 1, was so delicate and fragile it was almost as if she was already part of another world. In act 2, she appeared to be so light, it was as if she was actually flying and Albrecht was having trouble holding her back .I thought the corps were excellent, and I really enjoyed Suzuki’s Myrtha. Did I read that it was her debut in the role? She seemed very polished and accomplished. I also agree that Burno and Velicu were great as Zulma and Moyna. Albrecht either has to be hopelessly and helplessly in love with Giselle, or an out and out bad boy who is faced with the impact of his actions in a horrific way. Arrieta was good as far as the dancing and partnering were concerned, but I didn't get much of an impression of the character, other than he was rather young and seemed a nice chap. It was interesting to see the differences between this production and that of the RB. Here it is made very clear that Giselle is in poor health, and dies as a result of that. Very traditional, and exactly how I remember it being performed many years ago by the RB. However, I did feel that the mad scene was much more muted. No tumbling hair, only a small amount of playing with the sword. I am not bothered that Giselle doesn't commit suicide, in fact I think Act 2 makes much more sense if she doesn't, but I didn't feel it made the dramatic impact I am used to. Of course, this could be the result of Khaniukova's interpretation, and I shall be interested to read about other casts. Giselle's act 2 is one of my favourite ballet experiences, and generally I prefer it to act 1. I loved the staging for this, but I did feel that the very subdued lighting for parts of it was a big mistake. Fine right at the beginning to create the correct atmosphere, but after that it was very difficult to make out what was going on. Surely they don't need to dim the lights so much that you can barely see anything? Also, I didn't get the feeling that any male was being danced to exhaustion. My brother and niece, as newcomers to Giselle, loved it. They said they preferred act 1, but they did say that although I had explained the story beforehand, the lighting for act 2 made it very hard for them to understand a lot of it. Such a pity. I have to say that the reaction of some of the audience was most peculiar. A row of women behind me seemed to find much of it very funny. The first appearance of the Wilis in the background, the retrieving and throwing of the flowers by Mrytha, the arrival of the corps in their veils, the menacing sequence where the Wilis move from side to side in arabesque, Giselle's veil removal, were all greeted with loud hoots of laughter. In the end I turned round and gave them the evil eye and a loud shush. They did shut up after that, but goodness knows what they were finding so amusing,

Obviously I haven't seen every Giselle, but if I had a top 5, Guillem would have to be in it. I wasn't a fan of her in everything, but she was extraordinary in this. And I would put Morera in my 5 as well. One of the last performances I saw from her was in this ballet, and she was absolutely superb.

You've got me worried now. I have no idea where we are sitting tonight, my niece booked, but I know it is upstairs somewhere. As I haven't been to the Coli for ages, I couldn't give her any advice on seats. @LinMM Curious to know who the others are in your top 5?

So looking forward to this tonight.

I've just seen something odd about the Live Screenings on the ROH website. I went to check the date of the Manon screening, put in my postcode....and found the only one close to me was in Leicester Square. Took out the postcode, put in London, and got the choice of about 6 - one in Leicester Square, 4 I've never heard of, and would have to look up, and one in Dagenham. Eh? Went and checked the website for 2 cinemas that I normally go to, and Manon is definitely listed on their websites.

Very odd, @JNC I certainly managed to view various other dates with no problem at all. I didn't get the seats I wanted, but I had no issue with moving around within my allotted time.