Royal Ballet's Giselle - Autumn 2021

[Sim]

7 minutes ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

The music to 'Giselle' is pretty but shallow, with banal harmonies and musical sequences.  That's the only reason that 'Giselle' isn't my absolute favourite ballet, as the story and choreography are exquisite.

The way Boris Gruzin has been conducting this run of the ballet doesn’t do the music or the dancers any favours.  There have been a couple of times where I thought the music was going to grind to a halt.  Very inconsistent tempi.  It’s disconcerting for me, and must be even worse for the dancers.  

[Jan McNulty]

I don't understand appearance-ist comments.  What matters to me is the performance and how it affects me.  I would tend not to comment on someone being pretty or handsome because, at the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

I love the music for Giselle, shallow or not.

[LinMM]

I think the music of Giselle is too much part of me now so I hardly notice the score may not be the absolute best or whatever. 
I love the music in Act 2 where Giselle does those amazing developpes to second and then turns into an arabesque and penche perhaps I can’t separate the beauty of the movement from the music now. 
I wonder if anyone knows the famous Christmas Carol that Adam wrote the music for? 
Am looking forward to 19th to see at last  Akane Takada dance this role as have seen almost everyone else now. 
 

[capybara]

32 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

I don't understand appearance-ist comments.  What matters to me is the performance and how it affects me.  I would tend not to comment on someone being pretty or handsome because, at the end of the day, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 

There has long been a tendency for ROH audiences to whoop loudly for dancers who might be described as more conventionally handsome or well-toned. Critics can also fall prey to this tendency.

 

Last night, Matthew Ball's curtain call seemed to be greeted with louder cheers than those for Yasmine Naghdi yet, to my eyes, her performance had been completely, wondrously extraordinary in every respect - whereas Matthew (a dancer I admire greatly in many roles) did not, in my view, come anywhere near her level although I wanted him to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LinMM]

Sounds like he may have acquired a little fan base so perhaps not necessarily purely just a comment on the strength of his dancing ...though I’m sure it was okay!! 

[Lizbie1]

8 minutes ago, capybara said:

 

There has long been a tendency for ROH audiences to whoop loudly for dancers who might be described as more conventionally handsome or well-toned. Critics can also fall prey to this tendency.

 

Last night, Matthew Ball's curtain call seemed to be greeted with louder cheers than those for Yasmine Naghdi yet, to my eyes, her performance had been completely, wondrously extraordinary in every respect - whereas Matthew (a dancer I admire greatly in many roles) did not, in my view, come anywhere near her level although I wanted him to.

 

I'm not sure that's fair - other opinions about their respective merits are available and IMO legitimate.

[Sim]

5 minutes ago, LinMM said:

Sounds like he may have acquired a little fan base so perhaps not necessarily purely just a comment on the strength of his dancing ...though I’m sure it was okay!! 

It was much more than ok.  His dancing was marvelous.

[Sim]

I would like to take this opportunity to remind members once again that we will not tolerate nasty comments or insinuations about a dancer's physical appearance.  It is everyone's right to have their opinions about any dancer's performances or technique or interpretations, and we welcome the varying views...as long as they don't get personal.  These young people work incredibly hard for many years to get out there on stage to entertain us, move us and make us appreciate the good things the world has to offer.  They deserve more than to be judged on how they look.

 

May I also remind members that dancers and their families read this forum, and we don't want this to be a place where insulting hard-working artists who give us so much joy is acceptable.  It is not.  

[CCL]

Back to the music…I really like it - especially in Act Two - especially Myrthe’s entrance. In fact, I was reflecting on this on Monday night - it’s exquisite.  It may not be ‘great’ music but it is emotive and it touches me. 
I’m counting the days to seeing Naghdi and Ball on the 20th!

[capybara]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'm not sure that's fair - other opinions about their respective merits are available and IMO legitimate.

Of course. 

[AnticaFiamma]

Well, I was there last night and thought it was just marvellous. Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball have great chemistry and I was very impressed not only with their beautiful dancing, but also their amazing acting. They added so many nuances and personal touches in Act I, their relationship was so well outlined. Ball's a very caddish Albrecht, you can see why  Kristen McNally's Berthe is so hostile towards him. He seems to realize the depth of his love for Giselle only when he sees her dead on the floor.

 

Luca Acri was a lovely Hilarion, he looks younger than LBB and Thomas Mock, so he comes across as more boyish in an endearing way. And his dancing as he was tormented by the Willis was amazing, Luca's speed and precision are to die for. 

 

Marianela Nuñez was just brilliant as Myrtha. A few days ago someone here commented on – I think – Annette Buvoli's characterisation, how seeing Albrecht and Giselle might have reminded her of her own tragic love. You definitely get a strong sense of that with Nuñez, in the way she side-glanced at them as they dance and her posture softened a little. When the bells ring at dawn (a moment which was somewhat marred by some imprecision in the pit) I'd swear you could see relief on her face, and pity as she looked at them one last time before disappearing. 

[Scheherezade]

2 hours ago, maryrosesatonapin said:

The music to 'Giselle' is pretty but shallow, with banal harmonies and musical sequences.

 

Ooh, that's a bit harsh, Maryrosesatonapin!

[Rob S]

6 minutes ago, AnticaFiamma said:

 

 When the bells ring at dawn (a moment which was somewhat marred by some imprecision in the pit) 

Someone dropped a clanger…

[JohnS]

I thought the applause for Nunez, Naghdi and Ball together, Ball and then Naghdi in their solo curtain calls ratcheted up a notch each time … and was thoroughly deserved. I rather liked Ball’s performance, particularly his guilt and anguish at the end of Act 1 and carried throughout Act 2. I’m not as sure about his ‘dancing to death’ (and will be very interested to see Clarke on Friday) but the closing moments, picking up Giselle’s flower, were exquisite.

[Richard LH]

Another vote here in favour of the Giselle music...it  fits each part of the narrative very well  and I find some elements to be  really beautiful and moving. 

[Dawnstar]

20 minutes ago, AnticaFiamma said:

When the bells ring at dawn (a moment which was somewhat marred by some imprecision in the pit)

 

Ah, so there was an error at that point. I thought it sounded a bit wrong but as I don't know the music I wasn't certain.

[FionaM]

@AnticaFiammayour review resonates with me!  Thank you

 

Thrilled to hear of Luca’s fine Hilarion and your read of Marianela’s nuances and back story as Myrtha.

 

I am even more compelled to see the stream now (assuming the cast is unchanged) and only wish it was also in the cinema to get the big screen effect.  

[JohnS]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

Someone dropped a clanger…

Or perhaps not enough clangers as weren’t we rather short of bells?

[bangorballetboy]

1 hour ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Ah, so there was an error at that point. I thought it sounded a bit wrong but as I don't know the music I wasn't certain.

it wasn’t “an error”, the clanger fell off the bell

[zxDaveM]

1 minute ago, bangorballetboy said:

it wasn’t “an error”, the clanger fell off the bell

 

ah - I thought the percussionist had dropped the proverbial clanger...

 

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, Rob S said:

Someone dropped a clanger…

 

perhaps they came in a bit previous, and rang at 3.15am, rather than the customary 4am

[zxDaveM]

1 hour ago, AnticaFiamma said:

Ball's a very caddish Albrecht, you can see why  Kristen McNally's Berthe is so hostile towards him. He seems to realize the depth of his love for Giselle only when he sees her dead on the floor.

 

 

You can see he's a cad not only by his reaction when the hunting party exposes him as 'one of theirs', but also by Bathilde's look of confusion and contempt when Giselle's humilation exposed, as she realises he has been cheating on her, and even seeming to move to preferring Giselle, as the latter's angst unravels

[Sim]

2 hours ago, AnticaFiamma said:

 

Marianela Nuñez was just brilliant as Myrtha. A few days ago someone here commented on – I think – Annette Buvoli's characterisation, how seeing Albrecht and Giselle might have reminded her of her own tragic love. 

I think that might have been me talking about Mayara Magri on opening night...

[AnneL]

3 hours ago, CCL said:

Back to the music…I really like it - especially in Act Two - especially Myrthe’s entrance. In fact, I was reflecting on this on Monday night - it’s exquisite.  It may not be ‘great’ music but it is emotive and it touches me. 
I’m counting the days to seeing Naghdi and Ball on the 20th!

Me too - re music and the 20th! 

[Sim]

I also thought last night was something very special.  I knew that because of the purity and clarity of Yasmine Naghdi's classical dancing Act 2 would be beautiful, but Act 1 was also very affecting.   Here we had a cheeky cad very clearly conveyed by Matthew Ball, but the gradual transition from that to having some real feelings was utterly believable and very sad.  We really get the impression that it's tragic that it takes an innocent young girl's death for him to discover the true meaning of love, forgiveness and redemption...but discover it he does and by the end he is a transformed young man, who will always carry Giselle's love in his heart.  It will never die, even though she has.

 

Ball's interpretation was excellent, but so was his dancing.  Strong and assured, and such beautifully pointed feet during the entrechats six, and such clean and quiet landings from those high jumps.  Watching his Albrecht almost danced to death, he really made me feel 'how the mighty fall'....until he rose again, thanks to a beautifully benevolent Giselle.

 

Miss Naghdi transitions so believably between naïve village girl (who still had a touch of class;  perhaps she is the product of the 'droit de seigneur' that might have been exercised by the Duke of Courland all those years ago?) and mature spirit, who understands that love is all you need.  Her mad scene was beautifully done;  not over the top, not hysterical, just a young girl whose despair is too much for her to bear.  Her eyes are so incredibly expressive, looking around her and not understanding what is happening to her and why she has been treated this way...I felt her loneliness to my core.  In Act 2, every part of her body spoke to me about the human condition:  she loved, she regretted, she protected, she sacrificed, she forgave.  How can a tilt of the head bring tears to my eyes?  How can those lovely, fluid, flowing arms enveloping Albrecht make me feel safe, sitting out in the audience?  How can such beautiful technical control (those penches?  those arabesques?  those leaps?) convey so much emotion?   Here is someone whose entire being is telling a story, one that Albrecht will never forget.

 

Marianela Nunez was a cold, icy Myrthe, the perfect contrast to Yasmine Naghdi's warmth.  I could almost feel the temperature onstage change as Myrthe melts (albeit briefly) from the power of love,  and then  freezes out the men, with the help of a beautiful but fearsome corps of Wilis, ably marshalled by Olivia Cowley and Melissa Hamilton.  

 

Luca Acri was a gentle Hilarion, if that is possible!  Unlike in other interpretations, there was no inherent nastiness there, just a desire to do the right thing and show Giselle that she is being duped and deceived.  This made his death even more unfair;  and really came across to me as such.  He was trying to do the right thing and died for his trouble, whereas the one who really did do the dirty gets to live.  Acri's buoyant dancing showed a young lad fighting with all he had to beat the Wilis, but alas the fight drained out of him in the face of those vengeful creatures.

 

On the negative side, I mentioned up-thread the very strange conducting.  I am not a fan of how they have re-orchestrated the Act 2 music (done a few years ago and I can't remember, or understand, why).  I too am a lover of the music and don't appreciate it being altered, especially by conducting that is sometimes so bizarre as to make it almost unrecognisable.   The other negative is that I would have chosen a different lead couple for the pd6 for a film.  David Yudes did well for a debut, but I personally don't think that Meghan Grace Hinkis is well suited to this kind of classical role. I much prefer her in the more modern choreography.  But that's just my own opinion.

 

The Naghdi/Ball partnership is maturing in a special way.  They clearly love dancing together (as they have for the past six or seven years) and have a deep bond that projects to the audience.  Well to me, anyway.  I am really looking forward to their Nutcracker, R&J and Swan Lake, and am very glad that this partnership has been allowed to flourish, grow and continue.  Long may it last.     

[Sophie_B]

I loved last night's performance! It sort of goes without saying that Nuñez was brilliant. I thought both Ball and Naghdi were excellent. Every time I've seen Naghdi, I've been awed by her grace and technical precision. Last time I saw her (I think as Juliet and Aurora?), I was not that moved by her acting, a little bit too much "Yasmin Naghdi acting with great determination rather than taking me in the story with her" if that makes sense. So I do sort of know what the Instagram person referenced above means - but I didn't really feel that yesterday, I thought there was real emotion throughout her performance. And no, I didn't cry, but then I don't usually. Except for the first few post lockdown performances last year when I bawled my eyes out because it was so overwhelming to be back in the theatre!

 

I love the Giselle score and the mood it creates with the dancing. I'm not a music expert but I did think the tempo was a bit off in the first act especially - one of the peasant dances sounded like it was meant for elephants thumping slowly across the stage rather than the RB's nimble footed dancers?

[Dawnstar]

3 hours ago, Sim said:

Ball's interpretation was excellent, but so was his dancing.  Strong and assured, and such beautifully pointed feet during the entrechats six, and such clean and quiet landings from those high jumps.

 

Did he do a dozen entrechats six? I know he did a dozen something but I'm not entirely certain I can corretly identify an entrechat six! If I was looking at the right set of jumps then I don't know how other Albrechts can fit 20 or 30 in because there didn't seem to be any spare time/music after Ball had done a dozen.

[capybara]

4 minutes ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Did he do a dozen entrechats six? I know he did a dozen something but I'm not entirely certain I can corretly identify an entrechat six! If I was looking at the right set of jumps then I don't know how other Albrechts can fit 20 or 30 in because there didn't seem to be any spare time/music after Ball had done a dozen.

 

I think that both Ball and Muntagirov did the Peter Wright version of Albrecht's 'death dance' with 10 entrechats six apiece before moving into the other sequences.

 

 

[FionaM]

@Sophie_Bthe IG person I mentioned is Alistair Macaulay… dance critic, writer and historian for the FT and NY Times for 25+ years.  Not that it matters what his ‘qualifications’ are  … I sometimes agree, though more often disagree with his reviews 😉

[Sophie_B]

5 minutes ago, FionaE said:

@Sophie_Bthe IG person I mentioned is Alistair Macaulay… dance critic, writer and historian for the FT and NY Times for 25+ years.  Not that it matters what his ‘qualifications’ are  … I sometimes agree, though more often disagree with his reviews 😉

Thank you for this information! I'll be honest, I was too lazy / distracted to scroll back and /or Google

[Jan McNulty]

Are entrechats six becoming the new 32 fouettés?  On the whole, I do not give a toss how many are done (or if something else entirely is done) as long as it is appropriate to the music and action (and for the record no-one has ever, for me, matched up to Chi Cao's with BRB).

[bangorballetboy]

2 hours ago, Dawnstar said:

 

Did he do a dozen entrechats six?   

 

No idea, but he did dance in line with the music.

[ninamargaret]

1 hour ago, Jan McNulty said:

Are entrechats six becoming the new 32 fouettés?  On the whole, I do not give a toss how many are done (or if something else entirely is done) as long as it is appropriate to the music and action (and for the record no-one has ever, for me, matched up to Chi Cao's with BRB).

Agree totally - I really don't want to spend my time counting how many entrechats or whatever they are are performed by A in comparison to B! Interestingly, I watched the DVD with Nunez and Muntagirov a few nights ago, and I cannot see how 12 jumps could be fitted into the music at that point.