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The Royal Ballet: Giselle, Feb-April 2016


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Why is it Hilarion, who is, after all, really the good guy, who dies and Albrecht, the traitor, lives?  Is it because he was more deserving, as an aristocrat, than a mere gamekeeper was?  In my book, the Wilis (or the writer) got it the wrong way round!! 

 

Not Another Teen Movie explains it pretty well:

 

Ricky Lipman: I am *not* going to let you hurt Janey again. Okay? Besides, I love her.

Jake: Well, so do I.

Ricky Lipman: [slight pause] Yes, but I'm the best friend, and I have been in front of her face the whole time, and she just... hasn't really realized it yet, but she will.

Jake: Well, I'm the reformed cool guy, who's learned the error of his ways. She's gonna forgive me for my mistakes, and realize that I really love her.

Ricky Lipman: [pause] Dammit, that's true.

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Peter Wright is clear that in his productions Giselle kills herself (though it's not clear whether it is intentional or accidental - I think that's left to the dancer).  This must be so as otherwise she would not be buried in unconsecrated ground in the forest.

 

If this is the case, then there are some things in his production that don't quite make sense. 

 

When I first started seeing Giselle many years ago, I seem to remember that Giselle's physical frailty was emphasised much more. I am pretty certain she was supposed to have a weak heart, or something like that, so this was why her mother was anxious to stop her from dancing and exerting herself too much.  It has been a long time since I have seen it, but doesn't some of the mime indicate this? Otherwise, what was her objection? And it also explained why Giselle appeared quite child like in some of the scenes,  This was a girl who had been very protected and sheltered by her mother for very practical reasons.  If this element is removed, or downplayed too much, then there is always a danger that Giselle might come across as slightly mentally retarded!  And would make Albrecht look like a very seedy individual indeed. 

 

When the sword was produced, as a sign of his nobility, and Giselle realised how he had betrayed her trust, I am pretty certain that many dancers portrayed her as literally dying of a broken heart. I think there was a certain amount of leeway; some dancers chose to die as a result of moving around with the sword, but it did always seem to look as though it was an accident by someone who was totally unaware of their surroundings. (Would that be called suicide, in the strictest sense, by the way?  Surely that indicates an intent to kill oneself, and a mad person doesn't have a clue what they are doing. )

 

It really was a question of personal preference on the part of the dancer.  I remember discussing it in dance classes, and my practical mind always used to think, "Surely frail peasant girls with weak hearts would probably have died long before they reached puberty?"  So I was always pleased when I saw a Giselle opt for the alternative.   Later on, I noticed that the death-by-sword was performed by just about everyone, but I didn't realise it had become compulsory.

 

Regarding the idea that Giselle has to be a suicide, and therefore have to be buried in unconsecrated ground, that surely is fairly recent as well?  I am assuming the thought behind this is that the Wilis can't do their thing otherwise?  But if that is the case, why did earlier productions (and current productions elsewhere) have enormous crosses with Giselle's name on it?  Quite apart from the fact that cemeteries seem to be the favourite haunts (if you will pardon the pun) of ghosts and ghoulies, who seem to have no trouble roaming about there quite freely, how does Giselle actually save Albrecht now?  Again, I haven't seen this production for some time, but I am pretty sure that in the old days, it was the power arising from the cross that actually protected him against the Wilis, and Giselle's love for him that allowed him to get close to her grave and benefit from its protection..  Hence the fact that it was made so prominent in the staging. 

 

Sorry, I've rambled on a bit here!  But it does seem to me that modern views do jar slightly with some of the elements of the ballet. 

Edited by Fonty
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Even by the standards of the day Giselle seems incredibly child-like. Even a naive teenage girl would not finger a stranger's clothes or tell her about her engagement. Are we to conclude that Giselle has a mild learning disability? Osipova's interpretation in the last run seemed to me to portray a girl with some sort of intellectual challenge. Or is she is fact just very young (perhaps only 14 or 15) and naive, having lived a rather limited life with an over protective mother in a very small community?

 

There is a film of Lynn Seymour as Giselle where she does indeed seem to  have 'a mild learning disability', it is an interesting interpretation and not by any means standard at the time, however I doubt if too many dancers would follow her example.  Perhaps she thought hard about the role and came to the same conclusions as you, Aileen.

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Yes, I remember Kobborg talking about the circle she draws around herself with the sword;  everyone knew not to step over the line and into the circle. 

 

I agree with your comments, TTP, and I have also often thought that there is much to be said here about the classes.  Why is it Hilarion, who is, after all, really the good guy, who dies and Albrecht, the traitor, lives?  Is it because he was more deserving, as an aristocrat, than a mere gamekeeper was?  In my book, the Wilis (or the writer) got it the wrong way round!!

I thought there was also something about the wavy line that was supposed to be linked to a snake, although it may not be in this version?

 

Albrecht lives because Giselle still loves him, and forgives him and his betrayal (and she too avoids becoming a Wili by not taking her revenge on him). Hilarion hasn't done anything which requires forgiveness (unless, of course, in some characterisations you can claim that his actions were self-interested rather than having Giselle's best interests at heart, I suppose).

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(Would that be called suicide, in the strictest sense, by the way?  Surely that indicates an intent to kill oneself, and a mad person doesn't have a clue what they are doing. )

I doubt that the church, back in those days, would have made the distinction.

 

Later on, I noticed that the death-by-sword was performed by just about everyone, but I didn't realise it had become compulsory.

Maybe not compulsory, exactly, but without it being deemed suicide she'd presumably have been buried in the churchyard, in consecrated ground, and the rest of the ballet wouldn't have played out as it did. (I'm assuming that consecrated ground was deemed to keep any evil away from the bodies).

 

Regarding the idea that Giselle has to be a suicide, and therefore have to be buried in unconsecrated ground, that surely is fairly recent as well?  I am assuming the thought behind this is that the Wilis can't do their thing otherwise?  But if that is the case, why did earlier productions (and current productions elsewhere) have enormous crosses with Giselle's name on it?  Quite apart from the fact that cemeteries seem to be the favourite haunts (if you will pardon the pun) of ghosts and ghoulies, who seem to have no trouble roaming about there quite freely, how does Giselle actually save Albrecht now?  Again, I haven't seen this production for some time, but I am pretty sure that in the old days, it was the power arising from the cross that actually protected him against the Wilis, and Giselle's love for him that allowed him to get close to her grave and benefit from its protection..  Hence the fact that it was made so prominent in the staging.

I doubt that it's recent. And there's no restriction on crosses to churchyards only: indeed, if someone was buried in unconsecrated ground I guess it would be thought that they needed every help they could get in keeping evil spirits away from their bodies, making a cross more likely to be used, maybe? And yes, it *is* ultimately the power of the cross which at least helps to save Albrecht: when Giselle sends him back to its protection and stretches her arms out in front of him in a cross the Wilis all cower away in fear. What keeps him going until dawn, though, is that she relieves him of half the dancing, so he hasn't been danced to death by then.

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I doubt that the church, back in those days, would have made the distinction.

 

 

Well, as the vicar wasn't there when she died, it would only be officially recorded as suicide if someone else told tales.  :)

 

 

I doubt that it's recent. And there's no restriction on crosses to churchyards only: indeed, if someone was buried in unconsecrated ground I guess it would be thought that they needed every help they could get in keeping evil spirits away from their bodies, making a cross more likely to be used, maybe?

 

 I think I was assuming that official crosses were restricted to "proper" burial grounds, and that those in unconsecrated ground were not allowed religious symbols because of the very fact that they were outcasts. But I am not well up on religious things!

Edited by Fonty
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Maybe I'm exceptionally naïve (or have learning difficulties) but I don't find Giselle in the least bit improbable. She's young and innocent and in love, and has lived a sheltered life with a loving mother in a strong community (wonder what happened to her father?! I've never thought of that before. Perhaps if her father died when she was young, that would contribute to the intensity of her love for, and need of, Albrecht). She won't have experienced deception or betrayal. She may be unusually idealistic, or unusually intense, or physically weak, which would all contribute to her collapse when she realises the awful truth. Just too much for her psyche (or perhaps her physical health) to bear. In fact perhaps it's the very degree of her innocence (goodness) in Act I that gives her her extraordinary redemptive power in Act II. And I'm sure she would have saved Hilarion too if she could have; when he first enters the forest she's still in her grave and so powerless, and by the time he comes back she's already trying to save Albrecht. It's also Albrecht who ultimately needs saving (at the level of his soul); Hilarion dies, but had not sold his soul in life!

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Somebody above (sorry couldn't find the post) referred to Giselle as seeming simple minded caressing Bathilde's dress with her cheek.

 

I've always seen that as a mime gesture showing how fascinated she is by rich clothes rather than anything particularly literal (how do you show in mime terms, "Her dress looks beautifully soft and rich in texture').

 

I don't think ballet is a literal art but find some of its subtleties extremely touching and more.

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Tonight's performance was absolutely blissful. I'm on the train back & feel like I could float the 100+ miles home in my Giselle happy bubble instead!

 

Vadim, Marianela & all the cast gave a superb performance again.

 

I was sat front amphi this time & so was able to fully appreciate the subtler details. Their Giselle & Albrecht conveyed such tenderness towards each other in Act II & such depth of emotion, just in the way they touched or looked at each other. Matthew Ball & Yasmine Naghdi had that same quality in their stunning debut of R&J. Making it utterly believable.

 

Interestingly, there's an article in the RB's Giselle programme which could have been written in direct response to much of the above discussion as in it Peter Wright answers a number of points!

 

I would expand but I've never posted on my mobile before & am not sure it'll even work!

 

What a wonderful evening. Can't wait for the Giselle live cinema relay.

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I think Kobborg once mentioned that she definitely does kill herself because of where she is buried (and I agree that this isn't always so clear), and he also spoke of the lines that Giselle draws with the sword on the ground but I can't remember the symbolism does anyone know?

 

 

 

Perhaps this is unrealistic but so is a bunch of ghosts dancing around a forest killing men?! Many ballet tales have elements of what's unrealistic, especially the Romantic ones; however, this is often a way of highlighting the moral codes that support the narrative. Giselle has to be overly naive and child-like to make the betrayal strong enough to send her mad.

 

I've actually always thought that the lead characters are more symbolic than they are realistic: Giselle symbolises betrayed women and Albrecht symbolises the aristocracy and the unfairness between classes during that time.

 

Definitely unrealistic but firmly based in folklore. This is the Wiki article on Vila (or Wila), and dancing men to death seems to be one of their specialities:

 

"The voices of the Vilas are as beautiful as the rest of them, and can form large gusts of winds that can lift houses into the air. Despite their feminine charms, however, the Vila are fierce warriors. The earth is said to shake when they do battle. They have healing and prophetic powers and are sometimes willing to help human beings. At other times, they lure young men to dance with them, which according to their mood can be a very good or very bad thing for the man. They will kill any man who defies them or breaks his word. Vila rings of deep thick grass are left where they have danced; these should never be trodden upon, as this brings bad luck."

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_beings_in_Slavic_folklore#Vila

 

This is (at least I assume it is) the same source for the Veela that feature in the Harry Potter novels (Fleur Delacour is part Veela, as poor Ron found to his embarrassment).

Edited by Melody
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I agree, Indigo, another superlative and deeply emotional performance. I was a bit worried that they couldn't better last week's, but they did. Such an utter pleasure to watch. On such a sad day, they reminded me in spades that there is beauty in this all too often ugly world.

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 (wonder what happened to her father?! I've never thought of that before. Perhaps if her father died when she was young, that would contribute to the intensity of her love for, and need of, Albrecht).

 

 

Ah, I think we've had that one before.  One of the theories put forward was that Berthe might have been the victim of another womanising nobleman, and a single mother, I seem to remember.

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Last night's performance was, quite simply, awesome. The sheer beauty and quality of Marianela's and Vadim's dancing, the truth of their acting and the way they built the emotion to the point where we felt their anguish and despair to an almost unbearable degree was wondrous to behold.

 

Let's hope that this star partnership is carried forward beyond Frankenstein and deep into next season. It is one to be nurtured and treasured.

Edited by capybara
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I've just arrived at the ROH and picked up a cast sheet - it's Bennet Gartside.

Thank you - and wasn't he terrific?

 

What a beautiful and deeply moving performance last night. Nuñez and Muntagirov moved me more than any other cast I've seen. Dancing together lifted their already impeccable technique to another level entirely and their dancing was quite literally out of this world. I agree with others that Albrecht's love and gentleness to Giselle in Act 1 is so heartfelt as to make his betrayal seem highly unlikely, but I think that instead of consciously two-timing her, it's as if his village life is a fantasy of how things could be; no responsibilities, comfy clothes, the simple life with a gentle, sincere, truly loving girl. To be honest he was so adorable that I'd forgiven him before Hilarion blew the horn to summon the hunting party.

 

The pas de six were tremendous; Naghdi and Hayward truly in synch and dancing wonderfully; Choe and Campbell as beautiful as I had expected. The corps were outstanding. Great acting by all concerned and I had such a sensation of impending doom and tragedy when Hilarion picked up the horn. I felt as if I were holding my breath during the entire mad scene and wondered if Act 2 could possibly be any better - it was.

 

I don't get to the ROH very often these days but thank you, Royal Ballet, for such an extraordinary and moving evening.

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Yes, wonderful all round last night - and I am very happy that I have a rather better seat than usual for next week's performance by the same cast.  Everything just seemed as close to perfection as I could have hoped for, after I'd turned up at the ROH in a terrible mood for various reasons.

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Last night's performance was, quite simply, awesome. The sheer beauty and quality of Marianela's and Vadim's dancing, the truth of their acting and the way they built the emotion to the point where we felt their anguish and despair to an almost unbearable degree was wondrous to behold.

 

Let's hope that this star partnership is carried forward beyond Frankenstein and deep into next season. It is one to be nurtured and treasured.

 

I wanted my comment on Nunez/Muntagirov to stand alone but the Pas de Six (Nagdhi/Hayward especially) and all the Wilis were superb.

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Booing?  I have never, ever heard anyone boo at the ballet. In fact, I don't think I have ever heard a theatre audience in the UK boo anything or anybody.   The Brits reserve that emotion for football, don't they?

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Ah, so it wasn't only me.  I thought I heard booing as well, but dismissed it because it didn't occur to me that ANYONE who has a heart could be anything but deeply moved by that performance.  I thought I was hearing things, but sadly not.  There is always one idiot.  I can only hope that people sitting near him would have told him to shut up.  I sure would have.

 

Fonty, I have been at many things here in London that have been booed:  ballet, opera and theatre.  The Brits certainly aren't as emotionally quiet as they once were!  :)

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Booing?  I have never, ever heard anyone boo at the ballet. In fact, I don't think I have ever heard a theatre audience in the UK boo anything or anybody.   The Brits reserve that emotion for football, don't they?

 

I take it you don't go to the opera, Fonty.

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This is a brief (ish!) summary of my understanding from reading the article I mentioned  (post #144) in the RB's Giselle programme, which is an interview with Peter Wright about his interpretation of Giselle:

 

- While Giselle's heart is broken by Albrecht, she dies because she stabs herself. As it's suicide, she doesn't have a Christian burial & so is buried in unhallowed ground where there isn't that protection from the evil Wilis.

 

- The peasant girls in this production are rougher & earthier, which: "helps to illustrate the class distinction that causes all the trouble".  

 

- Count Albrecht is a challenging role for the dancer, who needs to portray to / remind the audience that he is an aristocrat, while at the same time being convincing to the villagers that he's a peasant.

 

- Peter Wright likes it when Albrecht is played as being engaged to someone he doesn't love. It helps if Bathilde is quite a contrast to Giselle too - rather artificial & selfish. So it's more credible that Albrecht could love Giselle & want to be with her. Also, understandable to the audience that Albrecht would want to get away from the palace, with its more rigid & artificial life.

 

- He also mentions that in a Rhineland village in the time period of Giselle, a local duke would have had droit de seigneur. As there's no mention in the story of Giselle's father. Berthe may also have experienced a similar fate in love, to her daughter, Giselle. Which could explain why Giselle's dancing & looks are different to the other peasants - she is technically illegitimate & has some "blue blood".

 

- The article asks Peter Wright why he doesn't mention all this intricate back story in the synopsis to his production. The reason he gives is that ultimately these are suggestions to help the dancers with character building & a lot can be left to their own individual interpretation (except changing the steps or the story).

 

I found the article interesting & worth a read. Personally, I found the interpretation of both the casts I've seen to be credible.

 

Anyway, I thought the above summary might be of interest after the discussion yesterday.  :)

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"- He also mentions that in a Rhineland village in the time period of Giselle, a local duke would have had droit de seigneur".

 

I've often wondered why Albrecht didn't exercise that, but I suppose we wouldn't have had a story then, or we'd have a very different one.  But at least no one would have died.

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I concur heartily with all the happy things that have been said about last night's performance of Giselle.  The entire cast was as one in completing the arc of the tale; nothing was rushed; all was sourced from a secure centre.  Nunez's smile as ever captured the sun's rays and Muntigirov has I think become the Leslie Howard of the Royal Ballet: a class act through and through.  Naghdi was as ever musicality personified - with a smile that amazingly could even rival Nunez's glory (... and that takes some doing ..); Alistair Campbell sailed through that difficult partnering with easy elan; McGorian impressed by being theatrically flagrant in her maternal charge; Gartside so vividly real his in his hail fellow well met (and betrayed) and Beatriz Stix-Brunell (a fine Myrtha in the waiting methinks) dancing with potency in Mendizabal's haunt replete with the latter's Helpmann-like gaunt icicle glare.  No production bugbears here.  The entire company was on fire dancing inside Wright's glory and this will serve the UK/worldwide cinema audience mightily.  No boos from the quarter certainly; only pride and cheers for a wonderful evening.    

Edited by Bruce Wall
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- The peasant girls in this production are rougher & earthier, which: "helps to illustrate the class distinction that causes all the trouble".  

 

The first thing my delightful brain did with this info was to imagine the CdB as burly dock workers with moustaches. I'd probably watch that Giselle, too.

 

Muntagirov and Nunez are definitely one of my new favourite pairings, and I suspect I won't ever tire of them.

 

I like that Nunez is a sunny Giselle, a happy young girl in love who is getting on with life (...until she dies) instead of wanly wilting away with heart disease. Obviously I don't know what Nunez's thoughts on the role are, but I'm reading it as a really positive interpretation of a person with a medical condition. Having a condition does not prescribe the character of a person and Nunez's interpretation as a generally happy teenager who is trying to ignore her condition makes a welcome change.

 

It also makes the rising from the grave scene incredibly poignant to me. It's always the scene that gets me most, but having a delightful sunny Giselle become this sorrowful Wili seems to make it even more tragic.

 

I'm very happy that I have one more ticket, though that's not enough...

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It's so interesting to read different views of the same performance, especially Coated's above, but as the saying goes you pays your money and you makes your choice and for me Marianela Nunez was a little bit too mature and sunny for Giselle, personally I prefer a more fragile nervous type, but her dancing was glorious. As for Vadim Muntagirov, in the final scenes he was so exhausted and distraught I was thinking "Nureyev is back", he had the same intensity, and his dancing throughout was heavenly!  Imagine the cinema relay on the 6th April with close-ups of the final scene!

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I just want to know: who the heck was that *booing* during the curtain calls?!

I wondered if it was a French "bis" i.e. encore. At least there was plenty of noisy appreciation to cover it, including some foot-stamping.

I so hope they will release this on DVD, it was the best evening I've had at the ROH in the last year. I have the recent Osipova/Acosta one but would not hesitate to buy this as well.

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