Bruce Wall Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 (edited) I remember Johan Kobborg saying how frustrated he used to get in the RB Peter Wright version....he used to do the entrechats brilliantly, but was told to stop at a certain point. He thought it made dramatic and musical sense to keep them going if you could (there is enough music for this), not for showing off but to make Albrecht's total exhaustion more believable. Nureyev used to keep on going no matter what he was told and it worked! I agree with you, Sim, but I think it must have to do with the production framing. The previous Giselle I saw on the Coliseum stage was the lovely production by the Mikhailovsky. I vividly remember the truly stunning entrechats six that Sarafanov copiously delivered whilst jumping ever higher, much as Baryishnikov sometimes did. (Indeed, I ran into the former in the house at another performance and told him they were the best entrechats six I had seen since Bujones! - and that's going some.) That said they had been clearly built into the framework of the production's setting by Messerer. Last night - as fine as Corrales gave - there did seem to be a moment before they were launched that did rather hang - whereas Skeaping's production itself is such a wonderfully fluid whole. (It will be interesting to see if that is simply smoothed over at the Sunday matinee. I have a feeling that it might well be - and I'm sure the excellent ENB team have Skeaping's best interests well and truly to heart. Surely they must.) Skeaping's - as it is in the ENB setting as opposed, say, to the Cuban one - is now, I think, my FAVOURITE production of Giselle. Rojo has said she would have liked to play this and the Khan in rep. That would be thrilling in the extreme. Perhaps they might do that on their next trip to Paris. I have a feeling it would be hugely celebrated. I was only sorry that we didn't see Stina get a chance to do Skeaping's Mrythe - She was so incandescent in the Khan. Edited January 19, 2017 by Bruce Wall 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Of course, I love Cesar Corrales (and I hugely admired his Albrecht). I also love seeing well-performed entrechats six (Paris Opera Ballet and Mikhailovsky both up to 32; Royal Ballet rather less). However, last night, they felt out of place - not so much Albrecht dancing to exhaustion as a special audience-pleasing trick which seemed out of sync with the production and the surroundings. I couldn't understand why they suddenly appeared after several shows without them. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboyd Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Love them! - So long as there is no clapping. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 Love them! - So long as there is no clapping. If they are officially included in the production I agree but not otherwise. I totally agree about the clapping, which completely ruins the mood. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 We were back to the authentic version this afternoon (with Ken Saruhashi) and it really made more dramatic sense - to me (in this versions) anyway. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I wasn't going to go and see this, but having read all the rave reviews I got a last minute ticket for this afternoon, and I am very glad I did. I enjoyed Act 1, but while I thought there was some excellent dancing, I can't say I preferred it to the RB's production. However, I absolutely loved Act 2. I thought the corps were terrific, and the lighting was wonderful. From where I was sitting in the dress circle, I had a strange optical illusion. When the Wilis were standing perfectly still one behind the other. the effect of the light shimmering on the row of Wilis directly in front of me to the right made it look as though one girl was being reproduced over and over, getting slightly out of focus towards the back. I had to blink a couple of times, because I thought my eyesight was going! 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betterankles Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I believe it was Nureyev who introduced the entrechat six to Albrecht's coda in act 2. Without them there should be plenty of dancing for Albrecht, as it should be two diagonals of very brilliant brises, and then a manege of which the original step is very difficult and very hard to do - and exhausting... In Mary Skeaping's production there are no sixes. Incidentally those done last night were entirely off the music... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted January 19, 2017 Share Posted January 19, 2017 I think the entrechats are very effective to both illustrate exhaustion as mentioned upstream, and to create a sense of compulsion. In the Skeaping version, a lot of the sequence is taken up by Albrecht begging Myrtha for mercy - it kind of works, but I don't get the sense that the men are killed through exhaustive dancing alone, particularly with Hilarion being marched offstage never to be seen again. For all I know Myrtha's helpers might have pushed him down a well. I really enjoyed the Summerscales / Parish evening show tonight, there was a lovely sweetness to it and they both were a joy to watch. I'm pleasantly surprised how much I like Parish in this run of Giselles, having not been massively taken with his Mariinsky outings a couple of years ago. Isabella Brouwers was another excellent 'in-house' Myrtha - she struck me as a little Puck-like and brilliantly bolshy. It crossed my mind that she'd probably make a fun Puck in Pita's Dream, though I'd happily watch her in a more traditional version as well... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I believe it was Nureyev who introduced the entrechat six to Albrecht's coda in act 2. Without them there should be plenty of dancing for Albrecht, as it should be two diagonals of very brilliant brises, and then a manege of which the original step is very difficult and very hard to do - and exhausting... In Mary Skeaping's production there are no sixes. Incidentally those done last night were entirely off the music... In terms of the 'brilliant brises' - the performances that I - to this day - recall in that specific respect are the ABT ones with Baryishnikov with either Makarova or Kirkland. Those brises were simply stunning - you could hear the audience 'ahhh' - and were completely in keeping with the ballet's narrative. If you pull through to 2.00 on the timeline of this clip you will be able to see such for yourself. I was lucky enough to be at his live recording made in what was then NYS Theater in 1977. Of course live broadcasts then (this was done for PBS) were nowhere near as skilled as they are today ... but still ... you will be able to get the idea. Enjoy. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irmgard Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 The entrechats were superb but I thought they were not in this production. First time I have seen them in this run The entrechats sixes are not part of Skeaping's production and I made this clear to all concerned at ENB. However, when such a young dancer makes such a passionate and mesmerising debut as Albrecht, I can forgive his faux pas (no pun intended) on this occasion! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 MICHAELA DEPRINCE was on the Today Show this morning as noted below. You may be interested in listening on line. 0725 Tonight will be the last night that ballerina Michaela DePrince dances on the London stage. Born amidst Sierra Leone’s violent civil war in the mid-1990s, Michaela lived in an orphanage before being adopted and taken to the US where she started to dance. The BBC’s Siobhann Tighe has been speaking to her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMC Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 There was a short but interesting item on Michaela DePrince on the Today programme this morning (around 8.45). Very heartwarming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Hello BMC and welcome to the Forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Soper Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Having read all the wonderful accounts on the forum of Cojocaru's interpretation of Giselle, I couldn't help feeling a little bit disappointed when I realised that the only performance I was going to be able to make was yesterday's matinee. But I really shouldn't have worried – Alison McWhinney (who I remembered delivering a really sensitive Juliet on a dark autumn afternoon in Southampton in 2015) absolutely wowed as the innocent-turned-wraith in this terrific production by ENB. Strangely, I realised afterwards that it was for exactly the same reason I loved her performance yesterday as I did the earlier one. At the heart of this story is Giselle's development from a shy teenager to the strong mature woman (albeit in ghostly form) who stands up to the fearful Myrtha to protect the man she loves and has forgiven. McWhinney carried off this transition so effectively that the memory of Giselle's earlier happy innocence made her defiant protection of Albrecht, her arms spread wide in front of her grave, really very moving. But the whole production was a delight, and, with its juxtaposition to Akram Khan's ballet, is another bright feather in ENB's cap of innovation. We can now see that offering these two works almost side by side was no gimmick, but helped to bring out the timelessness of the story, and its several layers. I hadn't realised (although I can see many forum members did) that the particular significance of Mary Skeaping's version was its attempt to get close to the original vision of the ballet. To me, this production really did feel like something out of the 1840's, and that made it a particularly enjoyable contrast to Khan's work. Final shout-outs: the orchestra seemed to me to be on tip-top form (is it just me, or do the ballet company orchestras all seem to have upped their game over the last eighteen months or so?) And I agree with those members who have pointed out how well the lighting and staging worked in Act Two. I'm sure I'm not alone in loving both the idea and the stage reality of the Willis – delivered here by the company with that extra bit of menace that was wanted whist still remaining beautiful and alluring. And of course Myrtha is up there with the great villainesses of the ballet, danced with appropriate gravity yesterday by Jung ah Choi. Altogether a perfectly wonderful way to spend a couple of hours on a cold winter's afternoon in central London. 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 0725 Tonight will be the last night that ballerina Michaela DePrince dances on the London stage. I somehow don't think so, Bruce. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) I somehow don't think so, Bruce. Capybara, copied this from the BBC website. They often make switches on the day, especially - understandably - on a day such as this. In an attempt to be constructively helpful, please pull through to 2.45.16 on the link provided and you should find the brief referenced item there: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08bhpdc Edited January 20, 2017 by Bruce Wall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Bruce, I think what Capybara means is that this will NOT be the last time MdP dances on the London stage....she will definitely be invited back!! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) Bruce, I think what Capybara means is that this will NOT be the last time MdP dances on the London stage....she will definitely be invited back!! Bless you, Sim. (Sorry for my misunderstanding, Capybara.) I'M SURE IT WON'T BE. Fingers crossed ... I look forward to seeing her in the three performances I'm attending by HET Ballet in June. Very much so ... Oh, and, of course, in ENB's wonderful Giselle again tonight Edited January 20, 2017 by Bruce Wall 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coated Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I'm not feeling quite as enthusiastic about MdP as the rest of board, but hope to see her one day in another ballet where I can actually see her footwork. The choice of wearing dark shoes and tights in a darkly lit second act with a dark floor means that she was an oddly shortened, footlessly floating Myrtha from my balcony perch. Makes a potentially lovely bourree invisible to people without catlike night vision. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) Alison McWhinney. Has there ever been a sweeter Giselle? I think not. I thought she was exquisite in the role: so girlish and pretty in the first act and so tenderly forgiving in the second. You could quite understand why Albrecht and Hilarion (and probably all the other men in the village) were in love with her. I thought that Jung ah Choi, a dancer who does not regularly feature in named roles, was an authoritative Myrthe. Xander Parish was the ultimate ballet prince and the only one of the three Albrechts whom I saw who really convinced as an aristocrat. His acting was really good and he made the most of the dance to his (near) death, actually looking exhausted before he was saved by Giselle He and Laurretta had a warm rapport on the stage and I loved the way that he watched her dancing so appreciatively. Although Laurretta danced and acted really well she suffers from the same problem as Marianela Nunez: she is too hale and hearty looking for the role (IMO). Isabelle Brouwers was a confident Myrthe with a powerful jump (I like the Puck comment someone made above). It must have been interesting for her to have danced two different Myrthes with very different choreographies within a couple of months. I've really enjoyed this run of Giselle. There is so much much to enjoy in this production and the different casts have provided plenty of interest. Edited to correct a dancer's name. Edited January 20, 2017 by aileen 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 I'm not feeling quite as enthusiastic about MdP as the rest of board, but hope to see her one day in another ballet where I can actually see her footwork. The choice of wearing dark shoes and tights in a darkly lit second act with a dark floor means that she was an oddly shortened, footlessly floating Myrtha from my balcony perch. Makes a potentially lovely bourree invisible to people without catlike night vision. I initially thought that was a bit of a problem too, Coated; but I also found the 'floating' impression, with the high jumping and flitting and flashing around the stage, so exciting that I decided it outweighed the disadvantage of not being able to see the footwork. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beryl H Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 Finally got to see Giselle last night, I was waiting for Xander Parish to do the entrechats and was disappointed he didn't, agree with Aileen that he looked very aristocratic, possibly too nice as I prefer Albrecht to be more of a cad to begin with, likewise agree with Aileen that Laurretta Summerscales is too healthy looking (felt the same about Marianela Nunez) but they were a beautiful couple and well matched with Isabelle Brouwers' Myrtha. Crystal Costa had the perfect style for the peasant pdd, and I got the chance to see Rina Kanehara as Moyna who also has a lovely soft dancing quality. Surprising how much Mary Skeaping's production has shaped how I feel about Giselle, the extra dancing for Giselle and Albrecht in Act 1 for instance, the fugue, and the original musical ending with full orchestra, I always miss these things in other productions, hope ENB will perform it again soon! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted January 20, 2017 Share Posted January 20, 2017 (edited) Really enjoyed seeing this beautiful production again. Giselle always makes me feel very nostalgic. My father's sisters on the Isle of Sheppey had a highlights disc of the old Covent Garden production that was played endlessly (I still have the Ace of Clubs LP with a photograph of Margot Fonteyn on the cover) and it was the first ballet I saw at Covent Garden in 1970 (a matinée with Antoinette Sibley and Donald Macleary - I can still remember her ankle deep in flowers at what was her first CG performance in the role).Having become rather used to the current RB production some of the design seems perhaps a little "theatrical" rather than naturalistic (which is, I imagine, a definite part of the conception) but I enjoyed the pacing of the First Act and had forgotten how effective that remarkable Fugue is in Act Two.I don't see enough of ENB to have a real feel for the company as dancers but two things in particular impressed me. Given the discrepancy of training and background, the unanimity of the ladies of the corps de ballet in Act Two was remarkable (and I loved the off white tutus tapering into the green and brown of mud) and the accomplished and expressive playing (much acclaimed by the audience too) of the orchestra, especially during what has been a long run under the ever invigorating baton of Gavin Sutherland.Extraordinarily, this was the first time I had seen Alina Cojocaru as Giselle. Indeed, apart from a distant memory of her in the Makarova Beauty, I don't think I've seen her in a nineteenth century classic apart from La Sylphide. There was much to explain why she is so highly regarded in this role. Some exquisite details in Act One suggesting both fragility and coquetry, some touching gaucheness, an almost catatonic Mad Scene, a sensation of light and air in Act Two with the coquetry developed in to something more dangerously seductive and a remarkable sense of pallor and ephemerality at the end. So, why was I not absolutely entranced? Her feet concerned me - I have read that she suffered some damage in early training and her shoes, large and noisy, certainly did not help the illusion. There were also indications that her technique may be slightly on the wane - she abbreviated the hops in Act One and towards the end of Act Two some of the jumps in ensemble were barely attempted and there were incidental moments where feet seemed unstretched. I am probably writing heresy and I don't necessarily expect technical as well as artistic perfection but it wasn't quite the performance I anticipated, lovely and touching as much of it was.Isaac Hernandez has an evidently fine technique but I'm not sure that it is yet put at the service of character rather than display. There was a little more chemistry between him and Cojocaru than I had sensed in Romeo and Juliet in Manchester last year and he partners with due care. However, in Act One it was hard to sense any real affection let alone love for Giselle and there was never that sense in Act Two of Albrecht being drawn against his will in to the fatal dance. The entrechats six were there but unrythimcally and it was the one moment where the conductor really had to adapt his chosen tempo to adapt to the dancer's technical need.I was impressed by Michaela DePrince. Of course, her life story is inspiring but I found she had a captivating presence and a stunningly impressive jump. Maturity might bring greater implacability and sense of character and some of her bourrees might have been a little neater (those for her final exit were particularly wide) but her freedom of movement was really rather wonderful to behold in this splendidly extended version of one of the great killers of the repertoire and decidedly better than anyone I've recently seen at the RB in the role.I'm quibbling. I've been more moved by Giselle up the road (Park and Wall, Collier and Mukhamedov, Osipova and Acosta) but it was still a lovely evening. What a beautiful ballet it is, the romantic vision turned on its head with the female now as the avenger and yet ending in loving forgiveness and some sense of understanding. Edited January 21, 2017 by Janet McNulty Edited to amend "version" to "vision" at the request of OP 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Wall Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 (edited) A quick notation about last night given that I have already commented on this combo. I, myself, felt it was what some might choose to call 'one of THOSE nights'. Magic - so richly wrapped in the delight that is Skeaping's historic production - was in the air. It snapped, crackled and emphatically popped. Cojocaru's troubled feet have long been in evidence - and not wishing to comment on the degree of their determined stretch or lack of it - what was abundantly displayed was her vivacious combination of spontaneity mixed with musicality such as united to ravish the soul of man. Cojocaru toyed with our hearts in the magical swish of every moment, seemingly as fresh to her as to us. As to MdP, her Mrythe yet again was a body for whom the phrase 'leaps and bounds might have been minted and Mr. Bufala vivaciously jimmied his Hilarion's heart against even the sternest palate's lock with gusto. In the PDD Kanehara once again ravished the acoustic of every refrain such as graced the delicate transport of her unmitigated delectation. No, I wanted to put a word in for Mr. Hernandez's Albrecht which hereabouts has had more than a few notations of dissatisfaction. For me he and his relationship with the young girl he had stumbled upon was sweetness not only personified but enhanced. For me Hernandez made clear that this Albrecht's own life - one seeded in the strict aristocratic surrounds that fate saw fit to place him in - was as uncomfortable as the heart troubles that were seemingly determined to sour the bliss of the oasis he - of the sudden - found himself in charge of. I, myself, have sometimes seen examples of exactly this kind of gentle nobility so at odds with the harsh reality of its surrounds when doing projects in Mexican prisons. (Indeed I look forward to my next project in that State in 2019.) It is always an anima enriched by the determined soul such as lies at playful root of the Mexican pneuma; one native to this fine artist. Hernandez's clearly unsettled reaction to the presentation of the necklace that Bathilde (the richly benevolent Quagebeur) had given to Giselle was as if it had woken him from his dream unto a nightmare - and such lasted through to the point where he had to crown his joy as the harvest queen. The passion of Hernandez's Albrecht - that of a 'gentle man' - became all the more poignantly enhanced from that point forward and each element in his depiction thereafter was - as with the source of Skeaping's enriched inspiration - devoutly pledged. His first solo in the second act was - in a word - masterful. No one could ask for a more enticing proposal. Bravo and thanks say I. How lucky we are to live in a country where the fine young dancers of our native companies as led by their fine masters - be it at ENB, the RB, BRB, SB or NB - offer us potential for the very definition of hope through rapture. 'Very' I cry. VERY! Edited January 21, 2017 by Bruce Wall 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Between his performances on Thursday evening and tonight Xander Parish fitted in a quick visit to his hometown of Hull yesterday to receive an honorary degree from the University of Hull. Congratulations to him. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 I'm not feeling quite as enthusiastic about MdP as the rest of board, but hope to see her one day in another ballet where I can actually see her footwork. The choice of wearing dark shoes and tights in a darkly lit second act with a dark floor means that she was an oddly shortened, footlessly floating Myrtha from my balcony perch. Makes a potentially lovely bourree invisible to people without catlike night vision. Have to agree with you there I could not see much of the footwork detail due to the dark shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northstar Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Great as always to read the many thoughts on this year's ENB Giselle at the Coliseum on the forum. I saw the performance on eve of Tues 17th Jan with Cojocaru and Hernandez as the leads and Michaela DePrince as Myrtha which others including Sim, bridiem, Tatiana, LinMM have already described. I'm a bit late adding my thoughts to the forum. It was a bit of a dream for me to see Cojocaru dance this role for the first time live. Her affinity to Giselle would make me compare any other dancer in the role to her. This affinity I have come to know only through internet clips I have seen of her performances years ago. The other forum users I mention above have already described the qualities of her performance that evening and I agree with all their praise. Cojocaru's natural dancing instinct and ability to act and express herself down to her fingertips was quite evident. Oddly, I found this quite hard to appreciate since I've had the image of her dancing Giselle in my mind for years, and so there was an element of surreal-ness in actually seeing her live. But the live performance, looking down from the upper circle, allowed me to appreciate how she used the whole stage, particularly in the Act I solo, compared to video clips I've seen. In Act II she's almost transparent with fragile grace. And yet I find myself almost exactly echoing the thoughts of Jamesrhblack who saw the same cast (possibly not performance), in that I was not in rapture and thrall in the way that I can be at a classical ballet performance at its best. I will regretfully and quickly say that some of the non-perfect technique Jamesrhblack mentioned also troubled me. I saw Cojocaru not long ago in Swan Lake in Liverpool (late 2014) and her technique was so sharp and brilliant - I was certainly in rapture then. Likewise, the physical presence of Hernandez cannot be denied (I've seen him live a few times now) but again I think Jamesrhblack is very astute in questioning the quality of characterisation. I would mention also that my emotions were in no way stirred as much as the cinema broadcast I saw of the RB Giselle last year with Nunez and Muntagirov, where I was fighting back tears. But I do not think it is comparing like with like - the closeups and camera shots of the cinema (which I generally do not approve of) certainly enhance the emotional effect. I have a theory that there is something about the Coliseum as well. In recent years I've seen the ENB Nutcracker, Corsaire and this Giselle in London and in all cases the experiences have lacked some of the electricity and magic than performances I've seen in Liverpool and Manchester. Perhaps this is northern prejudice. Anyway similarly to Jamesrhblack my reservations with the performance do seem like quibbles. The moment that gave the most electricity I would say was the first scene with Myrtha (Michaela De Prince) and the Willis. DePrince's assuredness, spectacular leaps, and chemistry with the ensemble all part of the magic. I'm not a Giselle expert (the last one I saw live was probably BRB about 10 years ago at the Lowry) but I certainly noticed the fugue section as something I had not heard before. It makes a startling musical contrast, and one that adds rather than detracts from the ballet. Finally I very much enjoyed the peasant pas de deux with Crystal Costa and Aitor Arrieta. Both superb but particularly Arrieta impressed me. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatiana Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Saw Dronina's matinee today with high expectations as so many people raved about her on the forum - definitely did not disappoint! I thought she was stunning, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Also, I'm not sure if it was the fact that I had a much, much better seat this time around, or if I was just paying better attention, but the narrative seemed to make a lot more sense today? I saw all the signs of a weak heart acted by Dronina very clearly, and Giselle's death worked better because of it. (For me, anyway - maybe I was just too tired last time to appreciate it properly!) People threw roses and lilies onto the stage at the curtain call. I'd never actually seen that happen before and I'm very charmed to find out that it's a real thing people do. If Dronina comes back to us at any point after this I might join them! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatiana Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 (Also, I usually restrict myself to a very very tight budget when it comes to buying tickets, but I ended up in a great seat tonight and enjoyed everything much more than usual. I might start to become extravagant after this - it feels like a slippery slope!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAB Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Flowers were thrown at Cojocaru last night too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 (edited) Great as always to read the many thoughts on this year's ENB Giselle at the Coliseum on the forum. I saw the performance on eve of Tues 17th Jan with Cojocaru and Hernandez as the leads and Michaela DePrince as Myrtha which others including Sim, bridiem, Tatiana, LinMM have already described. I'm a bit late adding my thoughts to the forum. It was a bit of a dream for me to see Cojocaru dance this role for the first time live. Her affinity to Giselle would make me compare any other dancer in the role to her. This affinity I have come to know only through internet clips I have seen of her performances years ago. The other forum users I mention above have already described the qualities of her performance that evening and I agree with all their praise. Cojocaru's natural dancing instinct and ability to act and express herself down to her fingertips was quite evident. Oddly, I found this quite hard to appreciate since I've had the image of her dancing Giselle in my mind for years, and so there was an element of surreal-ness in actually seeing her live. But the live performance, looking down from the upper circle, allowed me to appreciate how she used the whole stage, particularly in the Act I solo, compared to video clips I've seen. In Act II she's almost transparent with fragile grace. And yet I find myself almost exactly echoing the thoughts of Jamesrhblack who saw the same cast (possibly not performance), in that I was not in rapture and thrall in the way that I can be at a classical ballet performance at its best. I will regretfully and quickly say that some of the non-perfect technique Jamesrhblack mentioned also troubled me. I saw Cojocaru not long ago in Swan Lake in Liverpool (late 2014) and her technique was so sharp and brilliant - I was certainly in rapture then. Likewise, the physical presence of Hernandez cannot be denied (I've seen him live a few times now) but again I think Jamesrhblack is very astute in questioning the quality of characterisation. I would mention also that my emotions were in no way stirred as much as the cinema broadcast I saw of the RB Giselle last year with Nunez and Muntagirov, where I was fighting back tears. But I do not think it is comparing like with like - the closeups and camera shots of the cinema (which I generally do not approve of) certainly enhance the emotional effect. I have a theory that there is something about the Coliseum as well. In recent years I've seen the ENB Nutcracker, Corsaire and this Giselle in London and in all cases the experiences have lacked some of the electricity and magic than performances I've seen in Liverpool and Manchester. Perhaps this is northern prejudice. Anyway similarly to Jamesrhblack my reservations with the performance do seem like quibbles. The moment that gave the most electricity I would say was the first scene with Myrtha (Michaela De Prince) and the Willis. DePrince's assuredness, spectacular leaps, and chemistry with the ensemble all part of the magic. I'm not a Giselle expert (the last one I saw live was probably BRB about 10 years ago at the Lowry) but I certainly noticed the fugue section as something I had not heard before. It makes a startling musical contrast, and one that adds rather than detracts from the ballet. Finally I very much enjoyed the peasant pas de deux with Crystal Costa and Aitor Arrieta. Both superb but particularly Arrieta impressed me. Thanks for your kind words about my observations Northstar which were from last night's performance. I have to say that I love the Coliseum for ballet. I was in the front centre row of the Upper Circle and with the auditorium being wide and the stage forward it felt wonderfully intimate whilst allowing one to appreciate the floor patterns. To be fair to Mr Hernandez, I think Bruce Wall does pick up very astutely on his reaction to Giselle's gift from Bathilde (which I registered at the time but didn't mention in my perhaps over quickly written assessment).... Edited January 21, 2017 by Jamesrhblack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamesrhblack Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Really enjoyed seeing this beautiful production again. Giselle always makes me feel very nostalgic. My father's sisters on the Isle of Sheppey had a highlights disc of the old Covent Garden production that was played endlessly (I still have the Ace of Clubs LP with a photograph of Margot Fonteyn on the cover) and it was the first ballet I saw at Covent Garden in 1970 (a matinée with Antoinette Sibley and Donald Macleary - I can still remember her ankle deep in flowers at what was her first CG performance in the role). Having become rather used to the current RB production some of the design seems perhaps a little "theatrical" rather than naturalistic (which is, I imagine, a definite part of the conception) but I enjoyed the pacing of the First Act and had forgotten how effective that remarkable Fugue is in Act Two. I don't see enough of ENB to have a real feel for the company as dancers but two things in particular impressed me. Given the discrepancy of training and background, the unanimity of the ladies of the corps de ballet in Act Two was remarkable (and I loved the off white tutus tapering into the green and brown of mud) and the accomplished and expressive playing (much acclaimed by the audience too) of the orchestra, especially during what has been a long run under the ever invigorating baton of Gavin Sutherland. Extraordinarily, this was the first time I had seen Alina Cojocaru as Giselle. Indeed, apart from a distant memory of her in the Makarova Beauty, I don't think I've seen her in a nineteenth century classic apart from La Sylphide. There was much to explain why she is so highly regarded in this role. Some exquisite details in Act One suggesting both fragility and coquetry, some touching gaucheness, an almost catatonic Mad Scene, a sensation of light and air in Act Two with the coquetry developed in to something more dangerously seductive and a remarkable sense of pallor and ephemerality at the end. So, why was I not absolutely entranced? Her feet concerned me - I have read that she suffered some damage in early training and her shoes, large and noisy, certainly did not help the illusion. There were also indications that her technique may be slightly on the wane - she abbreviated the hops in Act One and towards the end of Act Two some of the jumps in ensemble were barely attempted and there were incidental moments where feet seemed unstretched. I am probably writing heresy and I don't necessarily expect technical as well as artistic perfection but it wasn't quite the performance I anticipated, lovely and touching as much of it was. Isaac Hernandez has an evidently fine technique but I'm not sure that it is yet put at the service of character rather than display. There was a little more chemistry between him and Cojocaru than I had sensed in Romeo and Juliet in Manchester last year and he partners with due care. However, in Act One it was hard to sense any real affection let alone love for Giselle and there was never that sense in Act Two of Albrecht being drawn against his will in to the fatal dance. The entrechats six were there but unrythimcally and it was the one moment where the conductor really had to adapt his chosen tempo to adapt to the dancer's technical need. I was impressed by Michaela DePrince. Of course, her life story is inspiring but I found she had a captivating presence and a stunningly impressive jump. Maturity might bring greater implacability and sense of character and some of her bourrees might have been a little neater (those for her final exit were particularly wide) but her freedom of movement was really rather wonderful to behold in this splendidly extended version of one of the great killers of the repertoire and decidedly better than anyone I've recently seen at the RB in the role. I'm quibbling. I've been more moved by Giselle up the road (Park and Wall, Collier and Mukhamedov, Osipova and Acosta) but it was still a lovely evening. What a beautiful ballet it is, the romantic version turned on its head with the female now as the avenger and yet ending in loving forgiveness and some sense of understanding. Might a moderator correct version to vision in my last paragraph so that I have written actually makes sense? Apologies - maxima culpa.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 21, 2017 Share Posted January 21, 2017 Might a moderator correct version to vision in my last paragraph so that I have written actually makes sense? Apologies - maxima culpa.... Done, but please note that correction does not carry through to the quoted post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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