Royal Ballet's Giselle - Autumn 2021

[serenade]

Wow amazing pictures Rob S- thank you for sharing.

[Candleque]

Just saw that Isabella Boylston, principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, was at the Wednesday night show. Gutted not to have spotted her (although I would never interrupt her evening out.) In her Instagram Story she thanks Marianela Nuñez for the tickets and shares that she got to take class with the Royal Ballet yesterday.

Reporting this simply to throw into the universe the hope that she might guest with the Royal someday and/or ABT come on tour over here. 

[bridiem]

7 hours ago, capybara said:

I'd like to echo the praise for Mayara Magri. One of the 'big moments' from the past for me was seeing Nina Ananiashvili bouree across the stage as a Bolshoi Myrthe. Magri's bourees were equally memorable tonight and her interpretation of the character felt real (unworldly real) too.

 

Yes, her bourrees were incredible last week too; they were so fast I was genuinely afraid she wouldn't be able to sustain them and she'd end up sprawled on the Opera House stage... but, that's why I'm me and she's Mayara Magri. Her jumps were also magnificent - soaring upwards and eating through the air.

 

I dreamt last night that I was in a house with a lot of other people and we were scattered round the house when a band of villains broke in; all I remember is seeing a figure shrouded in white being grabbed by one of them, and I ran into a room and cried out to the others there: 'They've got Giselle!!'.

 

I think this ballet is getting to me.

[JNC]

I think anything I say about last night will be repetitive! 
 

Osipova’s Giselle was a revelation. A sweet and pure peasant girl who utterly transforms into a haunting and tragic spirit. Her shock at realising Albretch’s duplicity was just truly heartbreaking and the best acting/emoting I’ve seen on the ROH stage. The whole of Act 2 she was magical, beautiful movement and emotion and she could be both soft and ethereal with Clarke but also strong in her jumps across the stage.

 

Simply put she WAS Giselle. 
 

Clarke played Albretch pretty unsympathetically in Act 1 (no bad thing he acted the part of the selfish playful man very well). In Act 2 his character had lost this playful carelessness, and his dancing was very clean and noble looking. I think he was able to get the character across stronger in Act 1, but the beauty of his dancing in Act 2 sold it. 
 

It is quite something to match Osipova’s stage presence - I’m not sure he quite managed it to be honest (but who could in this role?) but this isn’t a criticism as he’s new to the role so considering that there was lots of strong notes and he will only improve and develop over time. Technically he was lovely to watch and a wonderful supportive partner.
 

Corps were great as has otherwise been noted. Magri was an icy Myrthe and her jumps were brilliant. 
 

Other notables were Sissens in the pas de six (looking to my untechnical eye to being a very beautiful, elegant classical dancer in the making), Gaspirani in both the pas de six and as Zulme (?).
 

it’s the first time I’ve seen Giselle at ROH and I wondered if the music could have been louder (?) at parts - it reached a satisfying crescendo at the end but other times seemed a bit lacking in dramatic effect and I was unsure about the tempo in places. And this isn’t a comment on the score itself which I know has mixed reviews but I do quite like it and think it is/can be very affecting. 
 

Overall a lovely evening and what a fantastic set of dancers. I’m so glad I got to see Osipova’s Giselle as it was truly special. 

Edited November 13, 2021 by JNC
Spelling

[capybara]

6 hours ago, Candleque said:

Just saw that Isabella Boylston, principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, was at the Wednesday night show. Gutted not to have spotted her (although I would never interrupt her evening out.) In her Instagram Story she thanks Marianela Nuñez for the tickets and shares that she got to take class with the Royal Ballet yesterday.

Reporting this simply to throw into the universe the hope that she might guest with the Royal someday and/or ABT come on tour over here. 

 

Agree that it's lovely to have guests. HOWEVER, the RB now has so many Principals and First Soloists queueing up for roles and getting so few shows apiece, that I doubt it can happen.

Absolutely agree that it's high time ABT toured to the UK. We need to see other companies to help us keep grounded about own 'home teams' and better informed about the world of ballet.

[JohnS]

Another fabulous evening.
 

Natalia Osipova has such tremendous stage presence and demands our attention. She makes the most of absolutely everything. Is any other Giselle quite so taken with Bathilde’s dress? The exaggeration also suggests to me that her Giselle is teetering on the edge and her mad scene seems much more in character than some Giselles yet no less tragic. Her Act 2 simply astonishes.

 

I very much liked Reece Clarke’s Albrecht and found the extra jumps (compared to others) both fitting the music and convincing in depicting his dancing to death.

 

The Wilis were all impressive again and how good not to hear any applause for Myrtha’s entrance! I do hope Wednesday’s applause was a one off and will not feature on the relay.

 

I thought the PD6 better and a big shout for Isabella Gasparini as part of the 6 and Zulme.

 

No dropped clangers but Albrecht’s flower plucking was a bit too enthusiastic, fortunately leaving Giselle one petal or we’d have had a very short evening.

[Fonty]

With regard to the entrechat six topic, it reminded me of this, which always makes me laugh.  How I wish I could have seen Nerina do it, must have been sensational.  I wouldn't mind seeing a female dancer do them now.

her relationship with Nureyev was strained. At one point, while performing Giselle with Fonteyn, “he created a sensation by inserting 16 entrechats-six”—a move in which the dancer’s high jump is accompanied by a rapid crisscrossing of the legs back and forth in the air. “Nerina, feeling this was simply showing off and not artful, rebuked Nureyev when she danced Swan Lake and inserted 32 entrechats-six.” Nureyev, who was in the audience, stormed out in fury. 

[alison]

7 hours ago, Candleque said:

Reporting this simply to throw into the universe the hope that she might guest with the Royal someday and/or ABT come on tour over here. 

 

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Absolutely agree that it's high time ABT toured to the UK. We need to see other companies to help us keep grounded about own 'home teams' and better informed about the world of ballet.

 

Especially now Thomas Forster has finally made it to Principal  

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

No dropped clangers but Albrecht’s flower plucking was a bit too enthusiastic, fortunately leaving Giselle one petal or we’d have had a very short evening.

 

I blame the flower....it used up all its strength clinging to the soil in the plant pot it didn't have much left to hold on to its petals

Edited November 13, 2021 by Rob S

[LianneEva]

I also took a red velvet seat in the house last night and was truly blown away by what I witnessed. Seeing Osipova's Giselle has long been on my ballet wishlist, having watched Akane Takada's rendition twice previously (which was also spectacular)

 

Somebody else (perhaps a few pages back) commented that watching these performances was an excellent painkiller, and I would enthusiastically support that! I myself suffer from some chronic pain, and as soon as the lights went down and the overture started up, I felt waves of bliss as we were overcome with beauty. In numerous sections of this ballet (Giselle's hops solo / Myrtha's entrance etc) I felt full-body chills. I know there has been some light critique of the orchestra / score but I just loved it last night. 

 

Standouts for me were of course the incredible Osipova - she is just spectacular in both acts. I would agree with the sentiment that there is a slightly dangerous edge to her, which makes the 'madness' a little more plausible. All of her emotions are that bit more heightened and erratic, which makes her believably vulnerable. As others, I really adored Mayara as Myrtha - feather light and gorgeous, with an undercurrent of formidable power. 

I do love Reece - of course Osipova sets an incredible standard to live up to, but I thought he was excellent, and really has a regal aura. 

 

 I loved Yuhui, Joseph and Luca as others have mentioned. There was a particularly roaring applause / bravo moment for (I belive Luca's?) solo in the village scene. Isabella Gasparini's Zulme was lovely too. 

 

As superficial as this may seem, I found it quite aesthetically pleasing that Mayara and Natalia mirrored each other with their jet-black hair, Act II. Almost like an omen of Giselle's potential fate? As an aside - I've noticed that Osipova doesn't wear the Wili arm ruffles, unlike all the other principals (nor has she ever, from photos I've seen) does anyone have any idea why that might be?

 

I had managed to get myself pretty good seats (Amphi B, dead center) but my only regret is that I hadn't budgeted for the best seat in the house (wherever that may be!) I've watched RB's Giselle a number of times, but I always forget quite how spectacular it is to witness that second act in the house itself. True ethereal beauty.

[Sim]

I would also like to agree with those who have mentioned Isabella Gasparini.  She was busy last night;  one of the pd6, and then Zulme.  Beautiful, graceful and elegant in both roles that are so different;  that winning smile being flashed in the pd6, and then a look of abject sadness and sorrow in Act 2.  I can see her as a future Giselle.  

[Richard LH]

1 hour ago, LianneEva said:

Somebody else (perhaps a few pages back) commented that watching these performances was an excellent painkiller, and I would enthusiastically support that! I myself suffer from some chronic pain, and as soon as the lights went down and the overture started up, I felt waves of bliss as we were overcome with beauty. In numerous sections of this ballet (Giselle's hops solo / Myrtha's entrance etc) I felt full-body chills.

How wonderful !  

[Nogoat]

Last week's Giselle was bound to be special as it was my first 'classic' ballet in 20 months as well as the debut of the Osipova/Clarke pairing in it. I was prepared, then, for their second outing last night not to leave quite the same impression.

On balance, I felt last night's Act 1 had less of an impact on me compared to last week, but Act 2 had more.

 

Nothing obvious stands out as to why that should be - it was probably a combination of small things, plus and minus. Here are a few of them...

 

- Osipova can conjure up magic on stage but, like the sorcerer's apprentice, even she can't always avoid resistentialism (don't worry, I had to look it up too - it's the tendency of inanimate objects to cause mischief 🙂).

In Fille, the ribbons tried to tangle her feet (as they do for everyone at some point?); in her first outing as Sylvia, the bow and arrow behaved as if it was covered in glue. In Act 1 of Giselle last night, the 'love me/love me not' flower refused to be plucked from the pot and had to be yanked a second time. When it came to Clarke's turn to fiddle the petal count, the flower went to the other extreme and decided to shed all its petals rather than just the one - leaving neither an odd nor an even number behind, but an inconclusive nothing at all. When it was the sword's turn to be picked up by Giselle at the start of the mad scene it, too, resisted ever so slightly.

 

- Ospiova's Act 1 solo seemed to be more grounded in the reality of what she was doing - dancing for the assembled nobility - compared to last week where she seemed to be in the throes some sort of ecstatic reverie. 

 

- During the mad scene, Giselle rushes over to stage left to separate Bathilde and Albrecht, as if to destroy the evidence of their relationship. When she then held Albrecht's face in her hands, she didn't so much look him in the face to seek the truth as screw her eyes tightly shut to deny that truth. I hadn't noticed that before, and I found it very affecting - her desperation became palpable.

 

- For this second performance, I felt Clarke was much clearer in the way he communicated his feelings and, thereby, his 'story' through his facial expressions.

 

- If Magri's Myrtha was good last week, it was excellent last night! I remember the amazing Osipova/Golding/Nunez Giselle from a good few years ago: Giselle/Albrecht/Myrtha might be the 'correct' sequence of names in terms of casting, but in terms of the power-dynamic the narrative unleashes on stage, it's really Osipova/Nunez/////Golding. That clash of supernatural forces - one old, established, coldly powerful, and almost bureaucratic and possibly slightly jaded in the way it rules; the other new and still retaining the disruptive, rebellious power of love - demands two dancers of equal calibre for greatest effect. Well, on last night's performance I think Magri is heading, at pace, in that direction. Like Osipova, Magri has a commanding stage presence, and her acting and technique have come on in leaps and bounds over the last few years (I remember her amazing Firebird from a few years ago, and more recently I felt she was the equal of Osipova in 'woman with water').

 

- I hadn't looked at the cast sheet beforehand, so it took me a while to figure out who was dancing Zulme. The penny eventually dropped - here was the sombre, straight-faced Zulme being danced by Isabella Gasparini, who normally sports the broadest and most infectious smile of the whole company! No wonder I couldn't help but smile beneath my mask! And she did it beautifully; I was so happy for her.

 

- Those two static lifts by Clarke were perfect this week. The second one was held, completely still, for what seemed like ages (just about avoiding being inappropriately long, I felt). And on the subject of time, I'm quite happy with the changeable and sometimes very slow tempo in places. The normal rules of time and space are unlikely to apply in the netherworld (though admittedly I have no proof of that 🤔), and if she's trying to string things out until daybreak, then doing things slowly makes sense.

 

- During the curtain calls, Osipova gave the impression of being really pleased with her performance and with her partner - and I don't blame her!

 

- I'm definitely not a fan of clapping the corps while they are in the middle of what they are doing, no matter how well they are doing it - it just seems 'wrong'. I can't figure out why, because I'm perfectly happy to clap in the middle of a solo (maybe it depends on whether or not the person is performing beyond what one might expect? Also, in a solo the dancer is standing out, whereas for the corps it's all about conformity). For Clarke's entrechats, I counted 20 with arms by his side, and four more with them out. I agree it's not a competition, but when it goes beyond reasonable expectation, applause is warranted.

 

- But I definitely am a fan of the corps getting recognition at the curtain calls with a bouquet of flowers, as they did last night! Given the praise heaped on the corps within the forum, I guess someone from the forum might have been last night's Beautiful Bouquet Benefactor? 🤔

 

[Guest oncnp]

Didn't see this in the  links(too late?) ..apologies if duplicate 

 

Giselle review – the stuff of dreams from the Royal Ballet | Royal Ballet | The Guardian

[Sophie_B]

3 hours ago, oncnp said:

Didn't see this in the  links(too late?) ..apologies if duplicate 

 

Giselle review – the stuff of dreams from the Royal Ballet | Royal Ballet | The Guardian

Thanks for this! How weird to have two reviews of the same production within 10 days. Mind you, the original one (Osipova, 5 November) was a bit strange - it read like a rave review but awarded only 4 stars.

[Jan McNulty]

12 minutes ago, Sophie_B said:

Thanks for this! How weird to have two reviews of the same production within 10 days. Mind you, the original one (Osipova, 5 November) was a bit strange - it read like a rave review but awarded only 4 stars.

 

The Guardian and The Observer share the same website.  Lyndsey Winship is one of the Guardian's dance critics and Sarah Crompton is the Observer's.

 

Over my years of doing the links I have seen many of the same productions reviewed by both newspapers.  The also happens with The Times/Sunday Times.

[Sim]

14 minutes ago, Sophie_B said:

Thanks for this! How weird to have two reviews of the same production within 10 days. Mind you, the original one (Osipova, 5 November) was a bit strange - it read like a rave review but awarded only 4 stars.

Although this says it’s a Guardian review it’s actually the Observer, owned by the Guardian.  I am very happy to see a review of more than one cast in a long run. 

[Ian Macmillan]

That Observer link (yes, I know it has a Guardian URL) was, indeed, too late for inclusion today. - and I'd checked just before finishing to see if anything had appeared.  (There's also a book review, I see.)  It has become something of a habit in recent weeks for these Sunday articles not to appear online till a bit after 9 am.  I've no idea why it happens as many weekday Guardian items go online late in the day before being published.  Conversely, The Times is now occasionally putting material online some days before it reaches the print edition - ditto the New York Times.  

[Silke H]

a bit late but here are the links to the 2 performances I have seen so far

 

Instagram for 05-11-21 Cuthbertson, Bonelli, Buvoli

 

Instagram for 10-11-21 Naghdi, Ball, Nunez

 

Facebook for this Giselle run  (more photos to be added)

[redshoesgirl2]

On 12/11/2021 at 04:30, FionaE said:

A conductor ‘should’’ adapt to each dancer for these.   As they should for a ballerina doing fouettés.  They are so difficult to do … the dancer can’t complete them if the musical timing is not exactly with them.  
 

Based on one viewing of Giselle this run I was not impressed with the conductor.  His timing was all over the place, BUT he was ‘with’ Federico for his 32 entrechat six ✔️
 

One neat entrechat six in itself is not that difficult, multiple ones are …in order not to lose form and timing.  I’m guessing that’s one of the reasons why Nureyev introduced the 32 version.  

Here’s a video of many (many!) Albrecht entrechat six.  In some you can hear the conductor adapting to the dancer’s timing, in others not 🙈.  The audience (Russian and Italian) applause is amazing … they understand the training and many years of effort that it takes to produce these.  When the conductor gets with the dancer m, it can be magical. 
 

 

ah polunin. nobody quite like him in the old days.

 

[FionaM]

6 hours ago, redshoesgirl2 said:

ah polunin. nobody quite like him in the old days.

 

Not sure if by old days you mean RB which was 2007-2012.  
 

This is him in Russia and Italy, after that … 2013-2015.

[Lizbie1]

Can anyone say whether the timings have settled down? The first night overran by 5 minutes on the advertised time, which itself was 5 minutes longer than the previous run

[Rob S]

7 minutes ago, Lizbie1 said:

Can anyone say whether the timings have settled down? The first night overran by 5 minutes on the advertised time, which itself was 5 minutes longer than the previous run

 

They've settled down to be permanently late starting. All four of my trips have started late with the first of my curtain call pics being timed at 2152,2145,2146 & 2147

[Lizbie1]

1 minute ago, Rob S said:

 

They've settled down to be permanently late starting. All four of my trips have started late with the first of my curtain call pics being timed at 2152,2145,2146 & 2147

 

Thank you - that is the level of detail I like

[Guest oncnp]

Tonight's casting

 

Giselle		Marianela Nuñez
Albrecht		Vadim Muntagirov
Hilarion		Lukas B. Brændsrød
Wilfred		Tomas Mock
Berthe		Kristen McNally
The Duke of Courland		Christopher Saunders
Bathilde		Christina Arestis
Leader of the Hunt		Bennet Gartside
Pas de six		Melissa Hamilton, William Bracewell, Mariko Sasaki,
		David Donnelly, Leticia Dias, Harry Churches
Myrtha		Mayara Magri
Moyna		Olivia Cowley
Zulme		Gina Storm-Jensen
Peasants, Courtiers and Wilis		Artists of The Royal Ballet

Edited November 18, 2021 by oncnp

[Richard LH]

Tomorrow's casting

https://www.roh.org.uk/tickets-and-events/giselle-by-marius-petipa/cast-list/49072

[Dawnstar]

I wonder if the ROH were doing Nutcracker stage rehearsals earlier today? During Act 1 I saw what looked like a couple of snowflakes fall from the flies!

 

I'd never complain about seeing Hamilton & Bracewell on stage but seeing them as peasants is a bit like seeing a couple of racehorses disguised as hacks!

[JennyTaylor]

Ah, the joy of tonight's performance. Vadim and Marianela dancing perfection. Struggling to say anything that hasn't been said before about them. 

 

Ah, the joy of the Pas de Six with Will Bracewell and Melissa Hamilton leading. How does Will Bracewell manage to light up the entire stage just by entering from stage left and inviting Berthe and the corps on stage to dance? I don't know, but he does. 

 

This is the 3rd time I have seen this cast and they just grow and grow into roles.  Lucas BB once again shone as Hilarion and is extremely good value in Act 2 as he is danced to death. I have seen several Hilarion's whose steps move into the tiredness zone very quickly. But no, he keeps going right to the end. 

 

Finally, does the wooden bench on stage left win the prize for the most moved piece of furniture in a ballet?    

[Lizbie1]

A couple of brief thoughts on tonight:

 

I loved seeing Nunez and Muntagirov, who both danced beautifully, but I wasn't really moved except by the quality of their dancing. I think my main problem with Nunez as Giselle - and I could be in a minority of one here - is that I don't at all recognise her Act I Giselle in her Act II Giselle. They're both lovely, but might as well be in different ballets as far as I'm concerned.

 

The other main thought I had was how well Giselle suits the RB - as well as the dramatic possibilities, there's something about the romantic tutus and soft lines that fits the house style.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Lizbie1

[Dawnstar]

7 minutes ago, JennyTaylor said:

Finally, does the wooden bench on stage left win the prize for the most moved piece of furniture in a ballet?    

 

I found myself wondering that too this evening. Liam Boswell & Joseph Aumeer seemed to spend more time moving it than they did dancing!

[JennyTaylor]

I would add that the Corps de Ballet were again superb in Act 2 and received extremely well deserved applause and cheers. 

[Guest oncnp]

These lifts in Act 2 (sorry - don't know the proper name but here is Dancer's Diary's https://www.instagram.com/p/CWLWhTWgJWf/ lovely slow motion) were different tonight.  Is one or the other "right" or can the dancer's chose whichever they want? 

 

[alison]

15 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

Can anyone say whether the timings have settled down? The first night overran by 5 minutes on the advertised time, which itself was 5 minutes longer than the previous run

 

My cast sheets (remember those?) from the last run say the estimated end time was 9.50.  Is that actually any different?