Bolshoi Ballet : Ratmansky new Giselle

[alison]

Oh good.  I could do with some hilarious translations  

[Naomi M]

Some very beautiful photos of this production on photographer Natalia Voronova's Instagram

 

https://www.instagram.com/talia_ballet/

[Irmgard]

I was not going to make any more comments about Ratmansky’s production until I had seen the live-stream.  However, further clips have been posted online, including the Act II Fugue in full.  I have double-checked my copy of the Justamant notebook and, as I remembered, there is no fugue in it as it had been cut from French productions by the time Justamant made his notes in the 1860s, moving from Giselle guarding Albrecht at the cross straight into Myrtha commanding Giselle to dance.  Looking at Ratmansky’s choreography, I note he uses a lot of the same steps that Mary Skeaping created, starting with her versions for Ballet Alicia Alonso and the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1953 but in a different order.  Therefore, I surmise that Ratmansky also used a filmed recording of the Mary Skeaping production as one of his sources! 

 

I also would like to respond to a few statements made by Floss in her lengthy post. As mentioned, I have had the facsimile of Justamant’s notebook for some time and can confirm that this is definitely a ballet master’s aide-memoire.  The mime scenes are written as prose with absolutely no indication of the gestures used (Justamant would not have needed to do this) and with no indication of the timing.  In fact, there is very little indication of the musical timing for the danced scenes or the drama scenes.  Justamant wrote these notes in the 1860s, at least twenty years after the première of “Giselle” and when the original choreographers, Perrot and Coralli, were not around to have any input or any say in what was cut or added.  Petipa’s version of “Giselle” did not come out of the blue.  He was in Paris when his brother, Lucien, created the role of Albrecht and travelled to Russia with Perrot in 1848 as his assistant, working on the version the Mariinsky already had, having been staged by Titus who was sent to Paris in 1842 to learn the Coralli/Perrot staging which he reproduced exactly for the company (no choreographic copyright in those days!).  After Perrot left Russia, Petipa worked on the ballet, more or less taking credit for the whole thing by 1862.  Therefore, it is just as likely that his version of the mime scenes which he taught to Karsavina, amongst others, is what the Paris audiences of 1841 saw, especially as his perfectly fit the conductor’s score from 1841, of which I have a copy.  This score was neatly handwritten by a copyist from Adam’s own messy autograph score for use by the conductor at the first performance and has never, to my knowledge, been published.  Indeed, it languished in the Opéra archives until the 1950s when Mary Skeaping obtained a microfilm of it (which I have) and had a copy of it printed, which has been used almost in its entirety in her various productions.  Interestingly, the Royal Ballet also used this orchestration in their most recent revival of Peter Wright’s production (courtesy of ENB’s music department), although it had to be chopped and changed to fit his conception.  I therefore wonder which “traditional” score Marian Smith used.  Of course, because the music of “Giselle” was so popular, the Paris Opéra took the step of publishing a piano reduction of the orchestral score in 1841, almost unheard of for a ballet score at that time.  Because of this, productions of “Giselle” which sprang up quickly afterwards in Russia, the United States and England, amongst others, were able to use the Adam music although it was left to house composers to make the orchestrations (apart from Milan, where the ballet was danced to music by another composer and acquired a further two Acts).  I have a copy of this piano reduction of 1841, which Mary Skeaping discovered in the archives of the Royal Opera House, Stockholm in the 1950s, the ballet having been first performed there in 1845.  Although there are no metronome markings to indicate exact speed, it has invaluable information about the various scenes, with Adam commenting on the action.  My favourite is “rire satanique” which corresponds to the moment when the Wilis despatch Hilarion!  One final comment on the mime, anyone who has studied ballet mime knows that mime in 19^th century ballets was ‘written’ in French, as I always mention when talking about the mime in “Giselle”, as this explains the odd syntax when translating into English.  When working with dancers, I always ask them not to mumble (i.e. make the gestures clear enough to be understood at the back of the amphitheatre) and to watch their punctuation, plus to use the same dynamics as they would if actually speaking the words, and of course to fit whatever they say to the rhythm of the music, which it does perfectly when the Adam score is used in all its glory.

[stucha]

A teaser for the January broadcast, featuring the first night performance and a few of the reinstated moments... It is interesting that in every interview or publicity for this new Giselle, everyone is at pains to point out that the version by Grigorovitch will not be replaced but will remain in the repertoire.  Politics. 

 

 

[Janite]

some rehersal footage with Alexi Ratmansky 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXIX0Va-_Hc

 

[Sebastian]

13 hours ago, Janite said:

some rehersal footage with Alexi Ratmansky 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXIX0Va-_Hc

 

 

More of Ratmansky working on his Giselle appeared during World Ballet Day this year.The section starts around 3 hours and 30 minutes in:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF5Nkg_MrhE

[Janite]

10 minutes ago, Sebastian said:

 

thank you Sebastian

[Sim]

Well worth watching, but I wish they could silence the audience, especially in Act 2!

[BeauxArts]

Quite agree Sim: the clapping was very intrusive and almost distracting. However, I thought Smirnova and Belyakov were excellent, dancing beautifully and very well matched physically and dramatically. A big bravo to the corps as well. This is an important new production for the Bolshoi and I think a very good acquisition. I look forward to seeing it again, and with other casts. 

[Shade]

What an enjoyable way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon and educational. I do appreciate the information shared by the presenter snd the interview with mr ratmansky. Very impressive dancing. The peasant Pdd looked very challenging. Loved the Wilis choreography especially when viewed from above. Great precision
 

I think the mime added to the production. 
 

 

 

[Dawnstar]

1 hour ago, alison said:

Can't find the Bolshoi broadcast thread at the moment, but thought I'd point out that this afternoon's cinema broadcast may well be available on their website for the next few hours.

 

It's now on there. I'm about to start watching it, though as I've never seen Giselle before I'm not in a position to appreciate Ratmansky's amendments.

[Buru]

On 18/12/2019 at 07:16, stucha said:

A teaser for the January broadcast, featuring the first night performance and a few of the reinstated moments... It is interesting that in every interview or publicity for this new Giselle, everyone is at pains to point out that the version by Grigorovitch will not be replaced but will remain in the repertoire.  Politics. 

 

 

Ballet fans in Moscow are dying to see their old classical Giselle by Grigorovich (Vasiliev would do to). I went to see the Ratmansky production on Friday with Smirnova, Belyakov and Vlashinets. Curious but not the production I’d go to see again. Once is enough. The more classical (not this old-fashioned) version gives many more chances to principals for interpretation which makes it interesting to watch with different casts. So, it’s not so much about politics as preserving the best in the repertoire of the Bolshoi. 

[Mary]

2 hours ago, Sim said:

Well worth watching, but I wish they could silence the audience, especially in Act 2!

Wasn't it awful. I could not believe they were 'clapping along in time' at one point to Giselle's poignant solo in the  graveyard scene- it was grotesque!

I should think Ratmansky was pulling his hair out.

 

I thought Belyakov danced like a dream- what an expressive torso and his whole acting and mime was as good as his superb dancing.

Smirnova seemed to me technically amazing as ever and quite touching ..and together they were just starting to build something very lovely towards the end, but the atmosphere never got a chance because of the audience.

 

The peasant dance pas de deux in Act 1 was quite superb- no names on my programme.

 

 

 

 

[Bluebird]

The cast, according to the Bolshoi website:

26 January 2020

Giselle	Olga Smirnova
Count Albrecht	Artemy Belyakov
Berthe, Giselle's mother	Lyudmila Semenyaka
Hans, the gamekeeper	Denis Savin
Giselle’s friends	Xenia Averina Bruna Cantanhede Gaglianone  Antonina Chapkina Olga Kishnyova Elizaveta Kruteleva Tatiana Tiliguzova Alexandra Trikoz Victoria Yakusheva
Duke, Bathilde’s father	Alexei Loparevich
Bathilde, the Count’s fiancée	Nelli Kobakhidze
Wilfreed, the Count’s squire	Yuri Ostrovsky
Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis	Angelina Vlashinets
The Wilis
Moyna	Xenia Zhiganshina
Zulmé	Anastasia Denisova
Peasant Pas de Deux	Daria Khokhlova Alexei Putintsev
Conductor	Pavel Klinichev

 

 

[Shade]

Thanks bluebird. Helpful to have full cast. I thought Vlashinets was suitably menacing as Myrthe.  

[Dawnstar]

I've just finished watching it on the Bolshoi's website & enjoyed it more than I expected to. This is mostly because I thought Smirnova & Belyakov not only danced well but also acted well (unlike in the Bayadere & Raymonda cinecasts where they didn't seem to do much acting at all!) and were really quite touching together. I mostly liked the production, apart from the "supernatural" effects in Act 2 which came over as pretty unrealistic when seen in close-up, but I suppose they're traditional.

 

I agree the audience was pretty awful in Act 2. It wasn't as if they were being encouraged to applaud by the dancers pausing and bowing, as in some pieces, they just kept on applauding even though the dancers were continuing to dance.

Edited January 26, 2020 by Dawnstar

[alison]

There's also some discussion of today's cinema broadcast in the Bolshoi cinema thread here:

 

[Irmgard]

Having now watched the complete production, thanks to today’s live-streaming, my conclusion is that it is a mix and match production.  The mime scenes in Act I follow the word descriptions in Henri Justamant’s script for his staging of “Giselle” circa 1864 rather than those passed down by Marius Petipa who arrived in St. Peterburg in 1848 as assistant to Jules Perrot to work on the production St. Petersburg had had since 1842.  The beginning of Act II is a mixture of Justamant’s script and a snippet which is in Mary Skeaping’s production (Hilarion says “she was beautiful and I killed her”) taught to her by Tamara Karsavina from Petipa’s productions.  Interestingly, Ratmansky’s production and his explanations during the live-stream offered nothing that Mary Skeaping had not already come across in her research in the 1950s, incorporating her discoveries into her productions for the Royal Swedish Ballet and Ballet Alicia Alonso, retaining them in her definitive production for London Festival Ballet in 1971 which can be seen in performance by the Estonian National Ballet next month.  I have been passing on these ‘discoveries’ in rehearsals, programme notes and occasional lectures since 1984.  Certainly, in 1953, Mary had already turned to Gautier’s original conception of the character of Bathilde, seen as gracious, benevolent and forgiving.

 

I was surprised to hear Ratmansky say that the fugue in Act II had been dropped after the death of Petipa.  It had certainly been dropped in Paris by the time Justamant made his notes and was dropped at some point by Petipa himself as it was reinstated by Diaghilev, with choreography by Fokine, for his production first seen in Paris in 1910.  When Mary wanted to include it in her 1950s productions (it was not in any of the Sergeyev stagings from 1924 onwards), Karsavina could not remember any of the steps and so Mary created her own, a number of which Ratmansky appears to use although he said the choreography for the fugue “follows my fantasy”. 

 

It is a shame that Ratmansky did not follow Mary’s example and obtain Adam’s original orchestration from the Paris Opéra archives, as the orchestration used does not do Adam’s music justice in a number of places, including the fugue and the very end of the ballet (allegro).  I felt that the orchestration used was given a very workmanlike performance by the orchestra under the baton of Pavel Klinichev, diluting both the drama and the supernatural quality inherent in Adam’s orchestration.  Ratmansky has also retained most of the cuts from most twentieth century productions, including the Wilis’ round-up of peasants (gamekeepers in Mary’s production) which comes after Giselle’s initiation by the Wilis and before Albrecht’s entrance.  There are also the usual drastic cuts in Myrtha’s entrance (and with all the trapdoors in the Bolshoi stage, it would have been nice to see her gradually rise up from amongst the reeds by the lake, as in the original scenario).  Ratmansky does not include the complete Pas des Vendanges, which gave Giselle and Albrecht an extended pas de deux, with solos for each, after she is crowned queen of the vintage (quite separate from Giselle’s now-famous solo interpolated by Petipa in the 1880s), the music for which is the epitome of Romanticism.  My biggest disappointment was that Ratmansky did not imbue the ballet with any Romantic style, gearing it much more towards twentieth century classicism, so that I found the whole thing rather cool and lacking the dramatic intensity I was expecting.

 

Irmgard Berry

Adviser to the Mary Skeaping Estate

[jmhopton]

I signed in and it worked fine. Very good quality broadcast.

 

I had seen it earlier at Blackpool Odeon cinema as Preston don't seem to be showing the Bolshoi. I was impressed with the sets and costumes. The hunting scene in particular was very opulent looking and the white horses very splendid though unlike the pony in Fille they didn't really seem to add anything to the production. Liked the idea of the castle in the backdrop in act one so we see where Albrecht really comes from. It did look rather Disneyish but then Disney's trademark castle was modelled on the Bavarian castle of King Ludwig so it might be more authentic than it looked. Liked the backdrop in Act 2 with the church in the distance and convenient lake for the death of Hilarian! (Hans in this production.)

 

I'm no authority on dance technique but the dancing looked good to me. Liked the characterisation and acting of both Hans and Albrecht's squire whose name was mentioned in the broadcast but not in the cast sheet. Thought Belyakov was a terrific Albrecht both in acting and dancing. He reminded me a little bit of Matthew Ball or Vladimir Shklyarov. Here was someone who seemed genuinely in love with Giselle and was devastated by her death and repentant in the last act. Their final moments together I find almost unbearably poignant. I'm afraid Smirnova did little for me. She didn't seem to me to be a young Giselle yet she didn't have the warm personality and infectious smile that makes someone like Nunez still make us believe she is a young person very much in love. I'm sure her dancing was excellent but I didn't really get a sense of her 'journey' from young person in love to the madness of betrayal. I thought her more believable in the second act and admired the way she stood up to Myrtha and the Wilis in defence of her man. it was interesting to see a sympathetic Bathilde that I actually quite warmed to and sympathized with as well in her moment of betrayal.

 

Some of the mime scenes seemed a bit rushed. I was barely aware of Albrecht discarding the daisy petal though the scene was rather confused as for some reason Giselle took 2 daisies. Also when Giselle was taken ill when dancing, to start with the camera was too far away from her to see what she was doing and when it got closer she didn't seem to be miming anything that specified illness. I thought I know what she's meant to be doing but I can't see her doing it so if you were new to the ballet I don't know what you might have thought. Also Berthes 'wili' mime was rather truncated and didn't really seem to make sense.

 

Once I got used to it I quite liked the second act starting and ending with the 'real people' even though the ones at the start reminded me of the 'yokels' in The Dream! I thought Angelina Vlashintets (never heard of her before) a terrific Myrthe and someone you definately wouldn't want to meet in the dark! The corps de ballet were terrific also and I loved the aerial shots that I usually dislike, as they were used sparingly but to great effect though I wish they'd used one to see the wilis crossing the stage which is my favourite moment in the ballet. I thought when they lined up in a cross formation was especially effective from high up even though it perhaps seemed an odd thing to do as they were so allergic to the cross! The only thing that slightly spoiled the stage crossing and other jumping especially in the second act was their stage landings were very audible. I think it must be more to do with the stage than individual dancers. Did they not have a properly sprung stage when the Bolshoi was renovated not very long ago?

 

Some of the special effects I could have done without. Not sure about the Wilis veils being whizzed off them and the  shots of Myrthe and Giselle 'flying'. the appearing of Giselle rising up from the depths was very effective as was her second act disappearance from the top of the tombstone she was lying on into the earth and where she had been been lying covered up with greenery. The final mime she gave to Albrecht to marry Bathilde I found very touching too as was the entire final scene. However I never wish to see another Myrthe cross the stage on an electric scooter!!

 

As others have pointed out the performance was rather spoiled by the continuous clapping and I couldn't believe it when they started clapping along to the music in Giselle's poignant act 2 solo! I know Russian audiences do participate more than we do but there should be limits.

 

But on the whole I found much to admire in the new Ratmansky Giselle and I hope they bring it next time they come as I'd like to see it with a different Giselle though the same Albrecht.

 

[annamk]

15 hours ago, Buru said:

Ballet fans in Moscow are dying to see their old classical Giselle by Grigorovich (Vasiliev would do to). I went to see the Ratmansky production on Friday with Smirnova, Belyakov and Vlashinets. Curious but not the production I’d go to see again. Once is enough. The more classical (not this old-fashioned) version gives many more chances to principals for interpretation which makes it interesting to watch with different casts. So, it’s not so much about politics as preserving the best in the repertoire of the Bolshoi. 

 

Maybe they can bring this version on tour and leave the Grigorovich at home  

 

Not really sure why you think this Ratmansky version is not interesting to watch with different casts. I read a few reviews which said that the principals played the parts differently. 

[capybara]

I realise that it sometimes takes time to grow to like a new production but I found aspects of this new Giselle very strange - such as 'formation dancing' by the wilis which, for me, detracted from their ethereal quality. Also, there appeared to be some additional, almost tricksy, choreography which  didn't quite go with the characters.

[Sim]

JM Hopton brings up many points that I was going to make.  I agree about the mime.  I didn't notice any attempt to show that Giselle had a weak heart, or was physically compromised in any way...so when her mother keeps saying that she mustn't dance, we don't know why (well, we do, but I'm trying to watch it from the point of view of someone who might not).  I also found that Berthe's mime telling the legend of the Wilis wasn't at all clear.   The other thing I found strange was that Berthe seemed to like Albrecht, and certainly had no suspicions or foreboding.  Why tell the story of the Wilis if you are happy with, or unaware of, Albrecht's true identity?  Berthe seemed to think he was a perfectly fine chap for her daughter.  I also liked the 'sympathetic' Bathilde;  after all, she is also deceived.  However, I found the interaction between her and Giselle unrealistic; SPW in his versions for the Royal Ballet companies makes very clear that there is a limit to socially acceptable dealings between peasants and nobles, and physical contact is it . 

 

Like Joan, I did find it was rushed in places, but on the other hand, it moved at a good pace;  there were no longueurs anywhere as there sometimes can be in Act 1.

 

I also loved the sets, and the costumes, especially the full, flowing Romantic dresses of the Wilis in Act 2.  I thought this act was very atmospheric, and so beautifully danced.  Like Joan, I bemoaned to my friend that the overhead camera should have been used during the criss-crossing of the Wilis.  It was shown from stage level and the beauty of the moment was largely missed (and also spoiled by loud applause).  I agree that the 'special effects' looked funny and almost amateurish to us, but perhaps it is Ratmansky's intention to give a 21st century audience a part-insight into what this early Romantic ballet might have looked like to mid-19th century audiences.  I really liked the reinstatement of the Wilis' fugue dance after they are weakened by the power of love;  it makes sense that they are expressing their emotion...perhaps a memory of a love they once had (or thought they had?).  A moment of emotional exposure, before they harden again and attempt to dance Albrecht to his death.  I also loved the effect when the Wilis formed a cross, with a newly recruited Giselle at its centre. 

 

The cross on Giselle's grave was very clearly a place of refuge for Albrecht.  Giselle propelled him there very clearly a couple of times, when it looked like even she would be overwhelmed by the power of Myrthe and her vengeful attendants.  Ultimately, though, the power of love wins through;  the dawn is rung (although I didn't notice any discernible light changes to indicate this) and a devastated Albrecht carries Giselle to a tomb that isn't hers and lays her down, as her life saps away.  She seems to become part of him and gives him the strength he will need to carry on without her.  They both know that they will never be together again as she can never be a Wili.  She is subsumed back into the ground whence she came (of the land, in life and in death) and the curtain closes with Albrecht reaching out to Bathilde, as coaxed by Giselle in a typically selfless final act. 

 

Olga Smirnova I thought was lovely as Giselle;  with her long, swan-like neck her Romantic line is perfect.  People often say that her dancing is great but that she is cold.  Yesterday she really put herself into the role, and although she didn't quite have the pathos of many of the dancers we see here in the role, she is well on the way.  Her mad scene was compelling.  I liked the way when she imagines the Wilis flying above her, she gestures for them to come and get her, and just before she dies she mimes the veil over her face, as if to say 'I am about to become one of them.'  Quite spooky and spine chilling.  Her emotional generosity to Albrecht was very warm and touching. 

 

Albrecht, danced here by Artemy Belyakov, is a truly passionate, in-love young man.  There is no doubt, right from the beginning, that this isn't an arrogant aristocrat hoping to exercise his 'droit de seigneur' with the beautiful peasant girl;  he is deeply in love with her.  His abject devastation when she dies, his utter misery in Act 2...this is all beautifully conveyed by Belyakov. He is so broken that he has to lean on his friend's shoulder when he approaches Giselle's grave. I could feel the physical weight of his grief.   In addition to his interpretation, his dancing was superb.  This chap should and will be a star in the Bolshoi's firmament.  I could have watched him all day.  He and Smirnova are a great partnership:  tall, beautiful, wonderful dancers and real chemistry there.   Angelina Vlashinets was a very convincing Myrthe;  someone you wouldn't mess with in a dark wood.  I also rue the cutting of her solo, especially when the dancing is as good as this.

 

There is much to admire in this version.  I would like to watch it again, and as I mentioned elsewhere, I really hope that if this is ever released in some way they can edit out the awful audience.  I just sat there with my mouth agape as they were clapping along to Giselle's solo.  I also got fed up with the clapping anytime anyone jumped or turned.  I thought that the Muscovite audience is supposed to be knowledgeable and sophisticated when it comes to ballet;  clearly this is no longer the case.  It was just embarrassing, inappropriate and distracting.  Put that to one side, however, and this was a very enjoyable way to spend a wet and dreary Sunday afternoon.  Lillian Hochhauser was in the cinema where I was, and she is amazing, walking up and down stairs unaided, stopping to chat to people...our huge thanks go to her and to Victor  H.  for laying all the original groundwork for these broadcasts to happen, that allow us to watch this wonderful company even when they don't come to visit. 

 

 

[annamk]

I found it hard to believe that these broadcasts have been happening for 10 years. I'm enormously grateful to the Bolshoi for their participation, it's such a pity others don't offer them - thinking the Mariinsky and maybe NYCB just for starters. Maybe the demand isn't there. Sorry mods, I guess this comment belongs in the other thread. 

 

Anyway, I enjoyed this performance so much. Very happy to see mime restored to a Bolshoi classic ballet, even if like others, I didn't entirely follow all of it. As I understand it, this Giselle doesn't have a weak heart and dies of a broken heart ? So how does Berthe's mime fit with that. Any enlightenment out there ? 

 

For me the performance of the leads was pretty much faultless. Not only are they blessed with the perfect physiques for classical ballet and look divine together but they dance at the highest level. I was particularly impressed with Belyakov's partnering yesterday. As for characterisation, I thought Smirnova had a charming a quiet mischief about her in Act 1 and is her more natural ethereal self in Act 2. Belyakov gave us a passionate, besotted Albrecht. Considering how young these two are,  this could be a partnership to treasure for years to come. 

 

Elsewhere too, the dancing was very impressive: the peasant pdd from Kochleva and Putintsev, Vlashinets Myrtha. 

 

There were some lovely touches in this version: the Act 2 pdd which ends with Albrecht kissing Giselle softly on the forehead and she kneeling with her head in her hands and the choreography of the cross and the Wilis circling around Albrecht. 

 

The only negative was the audience - how can people think it's appropriate to clap along to Giselle's melancholy Act 2 solo (in time as well ?  I can understand people want to show their appreciation but do it at the end - it's not Don Quixote ! )

[maryrosesatonapin]

A few thoughts after watching the film via the Bolshoi website:

I am still haunted by BRB’s exquisite production last autumn and, for all Smirnova’s technical gloss, I much prefer the faerie magic Momoko Hirata sprinkled over my heart.  She was and will always be unforgettable to me.  (I think Hirata’s technique was just about as good as Smirnova’s in a less showy way; maybe her jumps were inferior but her arms are more sinuously expressive.) 

It was interesting to hear Ratmansky say (I paraphrase) ‘ we like to think that dancers have become technically superior but it isn’t true – some of the things they did in the early C19th were incredible.’   And NB this wasn’t with those clumpy modern shoes!

Did y’all notice Belyakov chatting to his wife beforehand?  (She was the peasant girl in striped leggings, practising backstage at the beginning.)

Belyakov and Smirnova:
The rising star of the Bolshoi men, I think Belyakov is now eclipsing the gorgeous Rodkin and deserves to with his combination of dazzling all-round technique, acting ability and physical beauty.  Not that I am belittling Rodkin who is a favourite of mine also.  Likewise Smirnova seems to be stepping into Zakharova’s shoes, although she isn’t nearly as appealing to me as beautiful Svetlana.  This pair could, IMO, probably be considered the premier dancers in the world today.  It is certainly difficult to imagine anyone bettering Belyakov’s performances in any of the roles he has recently graced.  Smirnova was making a real effort to act well and embody the part but somehow I didn’t find her quite as convincing as her partner even though I couldn’t fault her dancing.  Together they were stunning, and completely in tune (dance-wise).

The whole company was on magnificent form – when the stage was filled with sixty peasants, including children and old people (and still with plenty of room to move) it really gave the impression of a genuine village scene.

In response to comments made by other forumites, I thought Giselle’s weak heart was mimed clearly enough by her mother and her collapse was due to that – conjointly with it being broken.  Someone remarked on the daisy scenario.  Giselle plucked two daisies and when one didn’t give the ‘yes he loves me’ answer, Albrecht picked up the second daisy which said he did love her.  I felt this was to show he is really in love, and not deceitful in that particular regard, and was a nice touch.

Funny, I didn’t notice the inappropriate clapping – maybe I was too tuned in to the drama of it all?

The second act was suitably spooky and poetic, with impeccable performances throughout.  There was a bit of a glimmer of rosy light but I think dawn could have been more clearly heralded, and I didn’t like this particular Albrecht getting off rather lightly when his beautiful  noble fiancée forgave him.

All in all a wonderful experience, priceless yet free.  Thank you Bolshoi.

[Shade]

Thanks for these very full comments. One remark I would make and perhaps it may have been affected by the audience but for me act 2 lacked atmosphere and I didn’t feel any sadness. I am still waiting for my ideal Albrecht, beautiful though the dancing was.

i would love to see this live though.

[stucha]

13 hours ago, Sim said:

a devastated Albrecht carries Giselle to a tomb that isn't hers and lays her down, as her life saps away. 

 

It looked a bit like that but it was meant to be a grassy mound which opens up and subsumes her.

I think it's a design issue which needs to be sorted out to make it clearer.

 

I loved the six falcons (not real ones of course) sitting on the arms of some of the men in the hunting party.

 

A very satisfying experience overall. Rather greedily, I watched it twice at home.

 

Would love to see ENB's production again to compare. I saw it in the 70s when it was new but remember the villagers at the start of act 2 drinking and gambling with dice in the graveyard before the entry of Hilarion. And also the special effects and flying of the wilis but not much else I'm afraid .

 

I thought Denis Savin as Hans (Hilarion) was fantastic. A thankless role but really well done.. And it was great to see the wonderful Ludmilla Semenyaka (a great Giselle in her day) as Berthe. So expressive.

[Janite]

I have tried signing in to the bolshoi ballet page and it isn't showing Giselle, can anyone help please?

Nor can I find it on youtube. I was unable to see it on Sunday and I do hope that doesnt' mean I have missed compleatly.

Edited January 28, 2020 by Janite

[Jane S]

7 hours ago, stucha said:

 

It looked a bit like that but it was meant to be a grassy mound which opens up and subsumes her.

I think it's a design issue which needs to be sorted out to make it clearer.

 

 

 

 

Peter Wright's Giselle for the RB at Covent Garden once used the idea of Albrecht carrying Giselle to a different grave but if I remember correctly it was dropped quite quickly as nobody understood it.

 

[Ivy Lin]

I saw the whole thing on the Bolshoi website and totally loved it. Here's my complete thoughts:

https://humbledandoverwhelmed.blogspot.com/2020/01/ratmanskys-new-old-giselle.html

[FionaM]

My friends who have seen both casts live  tell me the performance on Saturday evening by Ekaterina Krysanova  and Artem Ovcharenko eclipsed the cinema cast.  

[annamk]

That’s interesting I’d like to see other casts, I really hope they’ll bring it London. 
In the premiere run the critic Kuznetsova did not like the 2nd and 3rd casts so much. 

[maryrosesatonapin]

3 hours ago, FionaE said:

My friends who have seen both casts live  tell me the performance on Saturday evening by Ekaterina Krysanova  and Artem Ovcharenko eclipsed the cinema cast.  

Talk about an embarrassment of riches (in talent) - lucky Bolshoi audience!

[FionaM]

1 hour ago, annamk said:

That’s interesting I’d like to see other casts, I really hope they’ll bring it London. 
In the premiere run the critic Kuznetsova did not like the 2nd and 3rd casts so much. 

Hmmm I tend to disagree with her views, so perhaps we have different tastes!