Royal Ballet's Giselle - Autumn 2021

[zxDaveM]

I think this run of Giselles, topped off with last night's performance, encapsulates why this is my favourite story ballet 🙂

[JohnS]

2 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

May I ask who was answering the question?

An ROH staff member. As I say there may well have been too much reading into the flower throw (fairly soon after Ed Watson’s farewell performance) and some miscommunication.

[Bluebird]

16 hours ago, Meetmeatthebarre said:

 

I have to confess that it felt somewhat odd to hear KOH make the speech, given how much Laura has been under-cast since he took over from Monica. 

 

A little bit unfair since, before KOH took over, I have no memory of Laura Morera being given the opportunity to dance the lead role in Giselle, Titania in The Dream or Mary Vetsera in Mayerling.  If I'm wrong, do please correct me.

Edited December 4, 2021 by Bluebird

[art_enthusiast]

On 03/12/2021 at 00:20, Rob S said:

 

I miscounted...today makes a final tally of 11 and I think today may have been my favourite overall performance. No flower pot or key dramas, no Mr Bravo, my favourite Giselle and very pleased to see the Pajdak/Lubach duo that I assumed would be in tomorrow's cast as that's usually my luck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great photos, where exactly are you sitting to get all these close ups? I'm guessing it's stalls circle near the stage?
 

[Rob S]

11 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Great photos, where exactly are you sitting to get all these close ups? I'm guessing it's stalls circle near the stage?
 

Stalls Circle Standing D16….so almost as far from the stage as you can get 🔭😜

[art_enthusiast]

On 03/12/2021 at 01:42, AnticaFiamma said:

While I was watching Sarah Lamb's final steps on stage all I could think of were Salieri's words in the scene in Amadeus in which he watches Le Nozze di Figaro: "I heard the music of true forgiveness filling the theatre, conferring on all who sat there perfect absolution". It is an extraordinary performance, and I adore her Giselle: she's the most ethereal, the most compassionate, the most forgiving. Pity shone in every movement, and the moment in which she raised her arms one final time after the Wilis were gone to instil strength in Albrecht was so sweet and touching that it moved me to tears. And I loved the moment in which she started stepping back into her grave and the look of surprise she gave to her feet as if they were moving against her will. Her acting alone would make her an unforgettable Giselle, but her technique is so pristine and her dancing so perfect that her portrayal of the role is a true masterpiece.

 

I watched their first show together last week, and I'm glad to say Lamb and Sambé have great chemistry. They're still not always in sync, and it's somewhat noticeable in the jumps and hops in act 1 and the middle of act 2, but their unique acting and dancing skills combined can make one overlook such things, which will naturally improve with time. Sambé is such a lovely Albrecht, very gentle with both Giselle, the townfolks and even Wilfred: it's very sweet how he immediately repents after having scolded him off in the opening scene! His second act is just terrific and heartbreaking, he brought a great depth of despair to a truly touching ending. He had a couple of funny mishaps, one with the sword at the beginning and one at the very end, when he threw himself so forcefully at Giselle's tomb that the whole thing seemed to tremble. But honestly, it was a great performance and I'm looking forward to seeing him again in this role.

 

Gina Storm-Jensen improved a lot since last week and her Myrtha is truly terrifying. Her Myrtha is the coldest and cruellest of all the great potrayals we saw during this run, her icy queen has almost a reptilian edge in the brisk way she moves her head. There is this terrific moment after the morning bell rings in which she outstretches her arm, as if trying to get a hold of Albrecht even if she knows her power has ended. She's very reluctant at letting him go, and their love does not inspire pity in her, but horror and disgust. While her dancing felt slightly underpowered last week, she was absolutely on top form tonight: comparing her to Magri or Nunez would be very unfair considering all their experience with the role, but I'm sure than in no time her Myrtha will rank among the very best.
 

Romany Pajdak and Isabel Lubach were both very fine as Moyna and Zulme, and Luca Acri is an endearing and spectacularly fast Hilarion, as always. Always great to see Kristen McNally as Berthe and the pas de six was quite strong too as led by Melissa Hamilton and Nicol Edmonds. I'm going back tomorrow for the last show and I have to say I'll really miss having Giselle playing at the Royal Opera House, it brings the best out of the RB.

Great review. I totally agree about Gina Storm-Jensen, she was great as an extremely icy, malevolent Myrtha. I thought Isabel Lubach was extremely good, haven't seen her much before, very impressive. I didn't feel as much steely Wili anger from Romany and she didn't catch my eye as much, but she was of course very good. 

Completely agree regarding Sarah and Marcelino's portrayal. Sarah's mad scene was extremely evocative, also loved her youthful vibrancy at her entrance - it reminded me of her performance as Juliet. I found the final scene the most touching, where Sarah is almost literally fading away from him, Marcelino's expression of despair was very moving. The small jolt when he threw himself onto the tomb added to the intensity of his grief, I think.

Just wondering though, did Marcelino do as many entrechat six as some other Albrecht's? Not too sure and of course I don't hold this against him, I was just curious. That part seemed slightly shorter to me than usual, although Act 2 always seems shorter than Act 1, probably because there's more action/intensity/drama throughout.

I previously considered Act 2 of Giselle to be superior to Act 1, possibly because I prefer the melancholic atmosphere and score. (Deathly vengeance/pure forgiveness is usually a lot more palatable to me than joyful peasant dancing, which is a large portion of Act 1.) However I found the pas de six a lot more riveting at this performance, largely due to Melissa Hamilton. I find her dancing to be absolutely beautiful and technically perfect, and she made the entire pas de six extremely vibrant throughout. Also amazing performances from Mariko Sasaki and Leticia Dias.

[Rob S]

3 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Just wondering though, did Marcelino do as many entrechat six as some other Albrecht's? Not too sure and of course I don't hold this against him, I was just curious. That part seemed slightly shorter to me than usual, although Act 2 always seems shorter than Act 1, probably because there's more action/intensity/drama throughout.

 

He did 10-11…pretty much the same as all but Reece and Federico 

[art_enthusiast]

Just now, Rob S said:

He did 10-11…pretty much the same as all but Reece and Federico 

Oh OK, I must be thinking of Reece then, didn't see Federico. Also thought Vadim might have done more?

[AnticaFiamma]

6 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Oh OK, I must be thinking of Reece then, didn't see Federico. Also thought Vadim might have done more?

No, he did a dozen

[maryrosesatonapin]

4 minutes ago, art_enthusiast said:

Oh OK, I must be thinking of Reece then, didn't see Federico. Also thought Vadim might have done more?

I'm sure Muntagirov COULD have done more but he was adhering to his interpretation of the story.  My reading is that Reece, having his debut, wanted to make a stunning impression (in which he succeeded).  And then Bonelli thought 'I'll show those youngsters that there's life in the old dog yet' and did even better.  This isn't a criticism, just a bit of fun on my part - I loved all of the Albrechts that I saw during this season.  And I find Bonelli's continued virtuosity, coupled with his deeply thoughtful and emotional interpretation and his outstanding partnering, quite breathtaking.  But he clearly also has a sense of fun, as indicated by his little 'applause' jump.

[art_enthusiast]

3 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

I'm sure Muntagirov COULD have done more but he was adhering to his interpretation of the story.  My reading is that Reece, having his debut, wanted to make a stunning impression (in which he succeeded).  And then Bonelli thought 'I'll show those youngsters that there's life in the old dog yet' and did even better.  This isn't a criticism, just a bit of fun on my part - I loved all of the Albrechts that I saw during this season.  And I find Bonelli's continued virtuosity, coupled with his deeply thoughtful and emotional interpretation and his outstanding partnering, quite breathtaking.  But he clearly also has a sense of fun, as indicated by his little 'applause' jump.

Sure, great point. I'm assuming Steven McRae in the past has done a lot of them as well - I think I saw a video on YouTube where he did 32?

[Lizbie1]

I enjoyed Clarke's and Bonelli's displays a lot but the ongoing discussion about how many entrechats various dancers performed is rather taking the shine off it.

 

FWIW, my conclusion is that most of the RB Albrechts are capable of performing a long series of entrechats in good style but not all of them chose to. Maybe we could put this to bed now?

Edited December 4, 2021 by Lizbie1

[art_enthusiast]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

I enjoyed Clarke's and Bonelli's displays a lot but the ongoing discussion about how many entrechats various dancers performed is rather taking the shine off it.

 

FWIW, my conclusion is that most of the RB Albrechts are capable of performing a long series of entrechats in good style but not all of them chose to. Maybe we could put this to bed now?

Yep sure. I agree that ballet, as an art form, can't be reduced to quantitative measures. I just felt that in the case of Clarke, the amount he performed really added to his desperation as Albrecht and made it more believable. That said, would gladly end the discussion here.

[LinMM]

How did you get that Thankyou to stay oncnp 🤔

Ive seen it’s started popping up when you like someone’s post but not how to use it 🙄 

[alison]

When you hover over the heart, the cup comes up, and then it's that you have to click on.  I've just tried it for the first time.

[LinMM]

Here goes then Thankyou Alison! 

[Richard LH]

8 hours ago, alison said:

When you hover over the heart, the cup comes up, and then it's that you have to click on.  I've just tried it for the first time.

Tapping the heart, rather than hovering over it, seems to work for me.

[Jan McNulty]

11 minutes ago, Richard LH said:

Tapping the heart, rather than hovering over it, seems to work for me.

 

If I tap the heart on my MacBook I get a heart, if I hover I get a choice.  On my phone I always have to do a double tap so I get a choice when I do the first tap (if that makes sense).

[Fonty]

Moving away from the subject of entrechats, I notice someone else mentioned a point that I made in my post about Lamb's Giselle, and which I also observed with Morera.  This is the fact the neither of them seemed to deliberately stab themselves with the sword during the mad scene. 

 

It has been a long time since I read the actual synopsis for Giselle, because I always think I don't have to, I have seen it so many times.  Hence my confusion about Hilarion's death, I didn't realise he was supposed to drown in a lake and couldn't work out how he actually died.  I was interested to see if the original intention was to make Giselle a suicide but the sensibilities of the day meant it was unacceptable to show this on a stage.  I wondered if modern productions were simply taking it back to the original intent.  However, from what I can glean from a quick trawl of the web, it seems it wasn't, she was meant to be a young girl with a weak heart who dies because of the stress brought on by the betrayal of Albrecht.  That makes sense of so much of the choreography, which still includes all the chest clutching.  There was never any mention of her having to be buried in unsanctified ground in order for her ghost to rise from the grave.  That seems to be an idea brought in at a much later date.  

Edited December 5, 2021 by Fonty

[Jamesrhblack]

I’ve been reading Cyril Beaumont’s The Ballet Called Giselle, which gives the following synopsis from the Gautier’s original book of the ballet, Giselle ou les Willis, published in 1841.

 

”She seizes Albrecht’s sword still lying on the ground, and at first plays mechanically with the weapon, then she falls on its sharp point just as her mother leaps upon her and drags it away.”

 

I didn’t see Lamb but did see Morera twice. At the matinée, it wasn’t clear if she stabbed herself but she did do the gesture of seeing blood on her hands and wiping them clean. On Friday, she certainly didn’t stab herself and I didn’t notice the hand cleaning gesture either.

 

Does anybody know if Sir Peter Wright has a preference on this and if the dancer is allowed a personal interpretation at this point?

[alison]

I seem to remember Sylvie Guillem having a "personal interpretation" - I don't think it went down terribly well, as I recall.

[Fonty]

That's interesting, @Jamesrhblack The article I read said that Gautier, inspired by Heinrich Heine's poem about the Willis, envisaged a story about a young girl, betrayed by her betrothed, who dies of a broken heart.  Apparently there was also another poem that influenced him about a young Spanish girl whose passion was dancing, but was in frail health, and after attending a ball catches a chill and dies.  He combined the two stories for Giselle.  

 

Heine's original summary of the Wilis:
 

‘There is a tradition of nocturnal dancing known in Slav countries
under the name of Wili. The Wilis are affianced maidens who have
died before their wedding-day; those poor young creatures cannot
rest peacefully in their graves. In their hearts which have ceased to

throb, in their dead feet, there still remains that passion for
dancing which they could not satisfy during life; and at midnight
they rise up and gather in bands on the highway and woe betide the
young man who meets them, for he must dance until he drops dead.

Attired in their bridal dresses, with garlands of flowers on their
heads. and shining rings on their fingers, the Wilis dance in the
‘moonlight like the Elves; their faces, although white as snow, are
beautiful in their youthfulness. They laugh with a deceptive joy,
they lure you so seductively, their expressions offer such sweet
prospects, that these lifeless Bacchantes are irresistible.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Fonty

[Sim]

A fascinating video of Sarah Lamb and Marcelino Sambe performing excerpts from Giselle to the Cambridge Union.  Afterwards there is an interesting Q&A session with them and Kevin O'Hare.  

 

 

[Emeralds]

On 04/12/2021 at 00:33, maryrosesatonapin said:

I did exactly the same, Jenny!  It sounded so much better.

LIke the other forumites above, I was deeply touched by tonight's memorable performance from Laura Morera and Federico Bonelli.  I loved watching them together. Laura always oozes personality on stage and Fede is such a gentleman. I tend to think of him as a reliable stalwart, but in fact he is so much more than that.   During the adagio pas de deux in Act II his slow, tender lifts of his Giselle were extraordinarily moving.  The whole performance was a delight, and ended with an air of festivity as flowers were thrown onto the stage as Laura received her 25 year medal of which you can see a photo here: https://maryrosedouglasuk.wixsite.com/ballet

So the 2021 run of Giselle comes to an end.  I went to the first and the last performances and several in between.  Standouts for me were Osipova's fast, exciting and original performance with the excellent Reece Clarke; Francesca Hayward's exquisite second Act ethereality; and tonight's very special combination of two of my favourite dancers.  

I saw a lot of Mayara Magri as Myrthe and she just seemed to get better and better.  I had hoped to see Marianela but she wasn't in any of the performances we went to, although when I bemoaned the fact, my partner reminded me that we had in fact seen her dance the role ages ago - maybe 15 or 20 years even?  And of course she can be seen on the streamed performance, I hope.  

So that was my last ballet of 2021 and one to savour and remember for a long while to come.  Thank you, Royal Ballet, for a fabulous autumn.


 

Lovely photo of Laura with her well-deserved medal, Maryrosesatonapin! Am  quietly envious but very happy for everyone who managed to attend Laura and Federico’s performances as I was stuck at home with an ill household and had to return my tickets woefully (great seats they were too)! Did anyone else take any photos of Laura or Federico at this performance?

 

I have crossed my fingers and everything else that I can see them both in another production - any production - soon. They were sublime in the Manon pas de deux livestream and bring such dramatic depth and emotional eloquence to their roles. Laura is a technical powerhouse (I have never seen her wobble or stumble in any steps or solo in all her 25 years with the company, which is astounding, while making it look effortless.) Federico is like the danseur version of assoluta- put him in anything, and he makes it work...he’s one of the most, possibly the most versatile male dancer in the ballet world today. He’s in virtually every single new work- if not first cast, then the lead in the second cast. He makes every ballet look right, and it’s never dull watching him. 

 

We’re so lucky to have these two outstanding artists at the Royal Ballet.

Edited December 5, 2021 by Emeralds

[Rina]

4 hours ago, Jamesrhblack said:

Does anybody know if Sir Peter Wright has a preference on this and if the dancer is allowed a personal interpretation at this point?

 

He discusses this in his autobiography Wrights & Wrongs: My Life in Dance. In his production in Stuttgart he left it to the audience to decide but in subsequent productions for the RB he came down firmly on the side of the suicide theory. He was not pleased with Sylvie Guillem who took a different view!

 

An aspect of Giselle which intrigues me is that many of its images point to the hidden presence of the god Dionysus: the vine-dressing and grape harvest, the disguise, the madness, the dance, the hunting, the sense of mystery and underworld in Act 2, among many other features. I'd be interested if anyone has noticed this/ written about it. 

[Jane S]

Have you seen this, I wonder? (or maybe you wrote it!)

[JohnS]

Whatever the original sources, doesn’t the ballet work better where Giselle does stab herself and hence there’s an explanation as to why she’s buried deep in the forest, not a churchyard? The synopsis on the cast sheet is very clear that Giselle kills herself. Of the Giselles I saw, I thought Francesca Hayward’s suicide/stabbing the most convincing, indeed audible where I was sitting.

[Fonty]

20 minutes ago, JohnS said:

Whatever the original sources, doesn’t the ballet work better where Giselle does stab herself and hence there’s an explanation as to why she’s buried deep in the forest, not a churchyard? The synopsis on the cast sheet is very clear that Giselle kills herself. Of the Giselles I saw, I thought Francesca Hayward’s suicide/stabbing the most convincing, indeed audible where I was sitting.

 

I have seen many graveyards attached to churches which are very spooky places indeed. I used to live near Highgate Cemetery, and I could certainly imagine a few Willis flitting about amongst the trees there once it gets dark.  

 

49 minutes ago, Rina said:

 

He discusses this in his autobiography Wrights & Wrongs: My Life in Dance. In his production in Stuttgart he left it to the audience to decide but in subsequent productions for the RB he came down firmly on the side of the suicide theory. He was not pleased with Sylvie Guillem who took a different view!

 

 

I saw Guillem as Giselle and thought she was brilliant.  I think the choreography allows either interpretation.   

Edited December 5, 2021 by Fonty

[James]

1 hour ago, Rina said:

 

He discusses this in his autobiography Wrights & Wrongs: My Life in Dance. In his production in Stuttgart he left it to the audience to decide but in subsequent productions for the RB he came down firmly on the side of the suicide theory. He was not pleased with Sylvie Guillem who took a different view!

 

 

I believe that Sir Peter was mystified by ballerinas who refused to stab themselves as Giselle, but were quite happy to do so as Juliet.

[Rina]

1 hour ago, Jane S said:

Have you seen this, I wonder? (or maybe you wrote it!)

No, I hadn't - thank you Jane S, it's fascinating. The little film brought back memories of improvisations we did as students when I was training to be a movement and drama therapist.

 

I could well see the Greek maenads as an inspiration for the Wilis. Think how they tore Pentheus limb from limb in Euripides' Bacchae. By that measure Hilarion got off lightly just being drowned in the lake! I hadn't thought of Giselle as Dionysian before but a few thoughts occur to me now. In myth it is quite common for a mortal to suffer or be transformed at the hands of a god he or she has offended - for example by over-stepping the bounds of human perfectibility. I think of Psyche who was so beautiful that people flocked around her instead of worshipping at Aphrodite's temple - to the extreme displeasure of the goddess! With Giselle we have someone whose whole life is devoted to the dance, and I wonder if by her total absorption in it she overreaches herself and is punished by the god. Dionysus would be regarded as the madness itself  possessing her. 

 

It's interesting that Dionysus as god of drama - comic and tragic - is also personified by the stage. As he is sexually ambiguous and fluid, perhaps it is fitting that this particular stage is formed between the female cottage of Giselle and her mother and the male side of Loys/Albrecht, somehow partaking of both. Myth is metaphorical and shows up in such fragments and images. 

[bridiem]

The sword plays a prominent role in the mad scene, and I think it's also of dramatic and psychological significance that it's Albrecht's sword she uses. So dying of a broken heart (alone) doesn't really fit in with the choreography of this production (and certainly not with the stated scenario). I personally think she dies of a combination of a broken heart and a self-inflicted stab wound. But without a post-mortem, we'll never know... 🙂

[Meetmeatthebarre]

On 04/12/2021 at 15:41, Bluebird said:

 

A little bit unfair since, before KOH took over, I have no memory of Laura Morera being given the opportunity to dance the lead role in Giselle, Titania in The Dream or Mary Vetsera in Mayerling.  If I'm wrong, do please correct me.

Fair enough on Giselle & Mary. However, my perception is that she was cast more often - not just a couple of Sugar Plums per run and after the new year. I recognise that we've had a swell in top talent in the past several years, I just wish we could have seen more of Laura. 

[Meetmeatthebarre]

Slightly off-topic, but I had the absolute honour of taking class with Vadim today. Seeing his perfect turnout up close is unreal, and what an absolutely lovely person as well. But there was an unexpected substitute teacher for the class I took just before that - Kevin Emerton, who has danced the Leader of the Hunt, Wilfred, but also... Hilarion. So I took class with both Hilarion and Albrecht on the same day!