The Royal Ballet, Giselle 2014

[alison]

I realised, partway through Act II, that this must have been Acosta's final performance as Albrecht.

[Nina G.]

If I were on Twitter, I would doubtless have been tweeting something along the lines of "Congrats TeamRB on a superb performance" by now.  The company really did themselves proud tonight, and I have to pick out the peasant pas de six, and particularly the "bookends", for special praise.  It should make a stunning DVD, even if I have my usual cavils about some of the shot selections: there were a few places where close-ups blocked people making entrances and exits that needed to be included to make sense - Wilfrid bringing Albrecht's cape over to encourage him to make his getaway, rather than the cape almost magically appearing round Acosta's shoulders; the nobles approaching Albrecht from all sides rather went for nothing, as did one of Osipova's exits in Act II, when she suddenly comes back and you haven't even realised she's gone.  But it all looked pretty stunning on the big screen.

I agree the RB outperformed themselves last night.

 

"....and particulary the "bookends..."  you mean Marcelino Sambe/Yasmine Naghdi and Luca Acri/Francesca Hayward  

 

Yes, last night's performance of "Giselle" will be one to treasure forever on DVD.

[zxDaveM]

@ Alison: The Vue cinema was over half full - the first 5-6 rows in front of me were empty (the neck straining ones), but the rest of the house pretty much full up. So gutting missing the last moments though - at least the usher came in this time and was fetching the manager. Have a feeling there was going to be a queue for complaint/refund forms!!

And at least it was a freebie for me - i was using a voucher they sent me from the last time they cocked it up! Won't be going for a third go...

[Terpsichore]

 

This is my review of yesterday's live transmission of Giselle from Covent Garden that I have published elsewhere. Please note that this is a review of the transmission not of the ballet itself. I don't think you can review a ballet from 200 miles. If you are interested in what I thought of this production with almost exactly the same cast you will find my article on the performance of the 18 Jan somewhere on this forum. I think I have found out how to use HDTV to best advantage. See the production on stage and then watch the transmission in the cinema.

 

"In an article previewing yesterday's relay of Giselle I warned that "an HDTV transmission bears about as much resemblance to the theatrical experience as hamburger does to fillet steak".  The Royal Ballet's Giselle was the third transmission that I have seen this year and it was by far the best. I left the Huddersfield Odeon in a much better humour than I did in October when I watched Don Quixote. I think that is because I learned quite a lot about the ballet yesterday.

The reason I learned so much was that I had already seen this production with almost the same cast on 18 Jan 2014. Seeing the same work on a big screen is a bit like watching an action replay in sport.  You see the catch or try on the field but not quite how it happened.  The action replay enables spectators to see how the fielder positioned himself or how the ball passed to the forward who edged over the line.   In very much the same way the broadcast enabled me to appreciate some of the subtleties of the ballet such as the disappointment on Myrtha's face and the relief on Giselle's as the bell tolls 4 and Albrecht escapes.

In my review of the performance of the 18 Jan 2014 I commented on Acosta's presence and Ospiova's qualities as an actor as well as her virtuosity as a dancer. Those qualities shone through yesterday too. However, I had not realized just how strikingly beautiful Ospiova is until I saw the footage of her interview and rehearsals before the broadcast.  My admiration for her has soared even higher. I also paid more attention to the other dancers such as Thomas Whitehead who danced Hilarion with grace. Before the show I tweeted

 

  "Heads up for fellow Yorkshire person Thomas Whitehead who dances Hilarion in #ROHgiselle tonight. You lost the lass and died. Not fair!"

 

To my great surprise the House twitter feed "favorited" (sic) that tweet.

 

Now for the criticism. Although yesterday's was the best broadcast from Covent Garden so far it still fell short of the Bolshoi's. Their works are presented by Katerina Novikova, an accomplished presenter who is at home in three languages. Last night's ballet was introduced by Darcey Bussell who is a ballerina and not a presenter. While it was lovely to see her and hear her experience of dancing Giselle there were lots of missed opportunities. For instance, interviews with Sir Peter Wright and Kevin O'Hare were compressed into one question each from members of the public. One of those questions from Dave of the Dave Tries Ballet was very interesting. If only there had been time for Sir Peter to develop his answer.

 

Instead the focus was on the story of the second act and the wicked wilis who have it in for all men.  I really don't think it is necessary to tell the story because the choreography is sufficient in itself. The best way to appreciate the second act of Giselle is the same way as one enjoys Balanchine as pure abstract dance without a story.

 

A big difference between the Royal Ballet's transmissions and the Bolshoi's is the former's use of twitter. The Royal Ballet suggests a hash-tag and invites the public to tweet where they are from and what they think of the ballet. I am not sure why they do that. You can't say much about a ballet in 140 characters especially after you have identified your cinema so the result is gush.  Superlatives upon the superficial.  Too much attention is given to those voces populorum. That is probably why we did not hear from the conductor or designer at all and why so little time was given to Sir Peter.  Maybe a chance to explore the topic raised by Dave will arise when Sir Peter speaks to the London Ballet Circle on the 14 April.

 

But the main reason for coming to the cinema yesterday was to see the dancing and hear the music and they were as exquisite on camera as they were on stage.  I think I now know how to use HDTV  to best advantage: see the same production on the stage and in the cinema.  Having seen how well that worked for Giselle I will do the same for Christopher Wheeldon's Winter's Tale. As I said before, HDTV is to a live performance what hamburger is to fillet steak but yesterday's was like a very good hamburger, the sort we used to get at The Great American Disaster.  If you are too young to remember the GAD read Will Self's "A burger with a side order of smugness" 27 Jan 2011 The New Statesman." 

[Ellie]

I must echo all of the wonderful comments above ! I had never seen Osipova dance and was completely blown away (as was DH who usually has to be dragged along to watch ballet!) She is sublime, dancing, acting, musicality...I could go on and on (and her elevation !!!!!!)  Acosta was charming, moving in his performance and partnered beautifully, loved the pas de six and the corps were outstanding.......I am still floating on a lovely cloud of Giselle-ness ! The whole company certainly did a very, very fine job last night

[Pas de Quatre]

I'm so envious - I hope they do repeat it.  No way to get to the cinema yesterday without cancelling my last class.

[Terpsichore]

I'm so envious - I hope they do repeat it.  No way to get to the cinema yesterday without cancelling my last class.

 

Don't worry. I think some cinemas are showing Giselle again. The Huddersfield Odeon for one on the 3 Feb.

[MAB]

I think they are producing a DVD of this; wonderful news as Osipova's unique Giselle deserves to be recorded for posterity.

[mshovelt]

Tweet from @RoyalOperaHouse last night: "If you're enjoying #ROHgiselle and fancy watching again and again (and again), it'll be on DVD. Keep an eye on our feed for release dates"

 

DVD sounds certain. Can't wait!

[Coated]

And they're not kidding about the again and again (and again) either, that's exactly what is going to happen to my copy once I can get my hands on it.

[Pas de Quatre]

DVD for me then!

[Sim]

Yep....I know what's top of the list for my birthday or Christmas, whichever event is nearer to the DVD's release!!

[Amelia]

All three 'Giselles' with Natalia Osipova this month were excellent but what a stupendous performance I was privileged to see at the RON last night!

Natasha is growing into a great actress, not to mention her technique, which taken as a whole - her lightness, speed, jumps, spins, flexibility - is superior to anyone I have seen.

And the most appealing is her sincerity and generosity of her talent.

[capybara]

And the most appealing is her sincerity and generosity of her talent.

 

 

Which could contribute to making her and the similarly appealing Vadim Muntagirov an irresistible partnership.

[alison]

Something I forgot to mention from the cinema showing yesterday was that they did a feature on the corps de ballet work in the second act, following the RB's newest recruit, Annette Buvoli, as she learned the ropes.  I don't know if it's available on the website: they did say that some of the videos would be available on roh.org.uk/cinema.

[Jane S]

Alison, it's up on Annette Buvoli's page

Edited January 28, 2014 by Jane S

[John Mallinson]

Alison, it's up on Annette Buvoli's page

 

…and on the ROH's YouTube page

[jmhopton]

I too was completely blown away by last night's performance. It was so special it is difficult to find mere words to express the brilliance of Natalia's performance in particular. I think it was the most moving performance I have seen in my 30 years of ballet going and made very special  by the wonderful cinema relay. Like Terpsicore I too attended her performance on the 18th but I found the relay enhances not detracts from the actual performance as you can get wonderful close-ups of the dancer's expressions and see nuances of acting not visible from the amphitheatre. Yes, some of the camera angles weren't perfect, especially in the first act; (they nearly missed what Carlos did to the flower) and several times the close-ups were timed when you really needed to see the wider picture of what was going on, but the second act was just sublime. You really believed Natalia was a spirit so light and airy were her leaps, so wonderfully placed were her arm movements and so incredible was her acting. Every emotion was clearly visible in her expressive face; you really suffered with her. Can't wait for the dvd but I really want to see it at the cinema again on the big screen. I hope it's encored. It deserves to be shown every night! Interestingly my Preston Odeon was virtually sold out; something I've never seen before and I'm intrigued to know why. Was it to see Carlos? Have people read the reviews? it's brilliant to know there are ballet lovers over 200 miles from London who can enjoy such an amazing performance.  Thank you ROH for making it possible; just encore it soon, please. Joan

[patsomerset]

I agree  with everything Joan says (above) although I can't make the 'Quote' feature work at the moment.  My local Odeon showed it in two screens and was sold out.  I think Carlos Acosta is a big attraction even though the critics and others will persist I saying, rather unkindly, that he is past his best technically.  He has amazing 'presence', connects brilliantly with the audience and is a great partner.  I thought there were too many close ups and sometimes in the wrong places but on the whole it was an enthralling, totally absorbing evening of wonderful dancing, music and acting

 

I must pay tribute to my local cinema who have now really 'got' the live transmissions.  Last evening they accommodated everyone who wanted to come, provided us all with cast sheets and a synopsis of the plot, and a faultless transmission.  The audience were well behaved too!

 

I don't know whether anyone else has read the comments on the ROH website.  They are all pretty nice except for someone in Rome who couldn't find anything nice to say.  Most comment on the number of close ups and several commented on Myrtha's dancing and Darcey Bussell's interviewing skills or lack of the same!  There are some quite personal comments which of course we do not make here!

 

I hope they do 'encore' it.  I shall be there again for one

[Mummykool]

There are a few cinemas showing an Encore performance this Saturday (Feb 1st) Joan. I'm lucky that Bristol is one of them. Frustratingly the ROH website doesn't list them, but I think your nearest is probably Leeds!

We were at the cinema last night and at Covent Garden for the other two Osipova/Acosta performances. All were magnificent. Wednesday just shaded it for me but I think that was more down to the ambience of actually being there on Wednesday versus the irritation of the camera not being where I wanted it to be last night and the cinema screen greying out the colours. I'm so glad Coated said there was a standing ovation as that certainly wasn't shown in my cinema. It's a pity there weren't more flowers.

 

We are just so lucky to have the opportunity to see such a great artist in her prime. I haven't been able to concentrate all day.....Lord knows how we are all going to wait until the autumn for the promised dvd.

[LinMM]

I was at the ROH last night for the Giselle performance. I was lucky enough to have a good seat in the stalls(end of Row R) so had an excellent view. And what can I say? It was a truly momentous occasion and wonderful dancing from the whole company.....the corps in both acts but particularly the second act were really marvellous blending together as if one "spirit" of the forest. The pas de six was a real pleasure of dancing I couldn't single anyone out and their names have already been mentioned here.

And to Natalia Osipova and Carlos Acosta I owe the privilege of seeing one of the best Giselles I have seen in 40 years of attending at the ROH. There are not enough superlatives to describe Natalia's performance last night I just don't know how she achieves the height in her jumps while making it look all completely effortless. She uses her whole body beautifully though......and that is an understatement

Carlos was magnificent last night too I loved his interpretation and transformation of character in the role and surely he is the best partner any dancer could want or wish to have.

But it wasn't really about technique yesterday two wonderful artists coming together and producing something special beyond words.

I was so moved at the end I couldn't clap for a while I felt I was still lingering in the woods with Giselle and Albrecht feeling the anguish of each. But in fact later there was a standing ovation for the two of them harking back to Fonteyn and Nureyev days (for me).

To anyone who missed this performance or the film relay then don't hesitate to get the DVD especially for any student of Ballet as this is what I would call a yardstick performance.

On another thread here I was saying how when in my 20's after a performance by Fonteyn and Nureyev I was on such a high I walked all the way back to my bedsit near Gloucester Road tube.

Such was how I felt after the performance yesterday.....but I did take the bus this time....with the many wonderful and moving images of this Giselle with me all the way home.

[Odyssey]

I'm interested to know if the audience clapped at any of the cinema screenings. I noticed there was quite a lot of "air clapping" where I was, particularly following Osipova's outstanding solos, but I was so disappointed that we didn't all join in with the show of appreciation for such a wonderful performance.

I agree about the interview with Peter Wright & Kevin O'Hare being a wasted opportunity. I also found the situation distracting with folk taking pics on their phone - but hey, these are minor complaints in the face of so many good things.

[bloomsbury]

I was at ROH Monday 27th. Utterly blown away by everything. It felt a very very special occasion. I came away feeling I had seen some truly exceptional dance (almost as good as Rojo perhaps). I have not been convinced by Osipova previously (found her Juliet a little self conscious and thought her 'Rubies' unmemorable). I was so glad to persevere and see her Giselle. I too (like someone above) was a bit too stunned at the end to clap for a bit - I was struggling to process quite what I had seen. Truly a night I will remember for some time.    

[Terpsichore]

.......  It was a truly momentous occasion and wonderful dancing from the whole company.....the corps in both acts but particularly the second act were really marvellous blending together as if one "spirit" of the forest. ........................... 

And to Natalia Osipova and Carlos Acosta I owe the privilege of seeing one of the best Giselles I have seen in 40 years of attending at the ROH. .................

I was so moved at the end I couldn't clap for a while I felt I was still lingering in the woods with Giselle and Albrecht feeling the anguish of each. But in fact later there was a standing ovation for the two of them harking back to Fonteyn and Nureyev days (for me).

..............................................

On another thread here I was saying how when in my 20's after a performance by Fonteyn and Nureyev I was on such a high I walked all the way back to my bedsit near Gloucester Road tube.

Such was how I felt after the performance yesterday.....but I did take the bus this time....with the many wonderful and moving images of this Giselle with me all the way home.

 

What a lovely review!

 

I'm so glad that you were able to get to the House last night and that you have experienced such happiness.

 

There is indeed something indeed special about Acosta and Osipova. I will also remember the performance in which I saw them dance for a very long time.

Edited January 28, 2014 by terpsichore

[alison]

Interestingly my Preston Odeon was virtually sold out; something I've never seen before and I'm intrigued to know why. Was it to see Carlos? Have people read the reviews?

 

Well, my most local cinema was sold out before the run had even started, so no reviews.  I don't remember the publicity actually naming the cast, which is what surprises me.  The screen at the cinema I eventually went to was over halfway full by Friday evening, and had sold out by the time of the performance (I actually had to advance book and commit to a specific cinema, which I hate doing, given that once when I tried doing this I had huge problems with public transport and ended up arriving late).  My guess is that the Sunday papers may have made quite a lot of noise about it.  Plus it was a Monday, and I'd guess many people don't tend to book Monday nights up.

[SMballet]

Thank you for the lovely review Lin. I'm so glad you were able to watch it at the ROH, and I felt I was there thanks to your vivid review. But actually I can't really manage to imagine what it must have felt like to be there. I watched it on screen, and like all the other commenters here, was absolutely blown away. i can't add much new to what everyone has already said about Osipova and Acosta, but I did find myself thinking that I now finally understand why so many of the leading ballerinas of the world want to dance with Acosta: he's just so generous, by which I mean he lacks vanity completely: he was content to let his ballerina shine, whereas a lesser dancer might have tried to compete, in some way, for audience attention. He didn't. Truly a great. As for Osipova... what more can I say?  

[Terpsichore]

Preston Odeon was virtually sold out; something I've never seen before and I'm intrigued to know why. Was it to see Carlos? Have people read the reviews? it's brilliant to know there are ballet lovers over 200 miles from London who can enjoy such an amazing performance.  Thank you ROH for making it possible; just encore it soon, please. Joan

 

There were plenty of empty seats at the Odeon multiplex in Huddersfield. I would say that it was about half full,.  However, that is more than I have seen for previous Royal Ballet transmissions.  According to Wikipedia Huddersfield had an estimated population of 146,000 in 2001 and there was no other cinema showing the broadcast in the vicinity.

 

The National Media Museum in Bradford struggled to fill more than a few seats in the centre of the back two rows when it showed ballet. It does better for operas from New York and also gets quite a good turnout for the National Theatre.

 

There were also lots of empty seats in Wakefield for the Bolshoi's Spartacus and Jewels.   No cinema in Huddersfield showed those ballets so far as I am aware,.

 

I should be interested to know the composition of the audience at cinemas in other parts of the country.   The audience for Giselle in Huddersfield was predominately female and like me rather elderly.  I did not see any children at all and very few if any persons under 50. That is somewhat surprising as there are a lot of young people at the university  and they do turn out for concerts and other events.

 

In answer to someone's question about whether anyone claps in the cinema around here, I do so silently and also cheer sotto voce, I instinctively found myself clapping Odile's fouettes during a transmission of Swan Lake but stopped as soon as I realized that my companion and neighbours were glaring at me. The absence of interaction between audience and performers is one of the big differences between a performance on camera and one on stage.

Edited January 29, 2014 by terpsichore

[Mummykool]

At the Cribbs Causeway Vue cinema in Bristol only the very two front rows were empty so there must have been about 120 of us. Quite a few were men but I would say most were female and, with a few exceptions (my son's 21 year old girlfriend for one), we were all fairly old. The man next to her was clapping during the ballet itself as were a few others, but at the end I think stunned silence describes it best. People were only really coming to as we filed out and all I could hear were astonished comments and superlatives regarding Natalia Osipova.It is a real shame the broadcast didn't really show the appreciation they received in the theatre as I'm sure that would have added to our experience in the cinema.

Incidentally the adverts worked. The girlfriend now wants to see Sleeping Beauty, but actually at Covent Garden please and only if its Osipova dancing. I'm never going to have any money.....

[Beryl H]

As I had seen the previous 2 performances at the ROH it's probably unfair of me to say, but Natalia Osipova's speed is even more extraordinary than the camera was able to capture, even so that solo after her entrance in act two remains a thing of wonder!  What was fantastic though were the close ups, I actually felt in the middle of the action throughout, I just wished there were some higher up shots of the corps de ballet and general scenes, the Bolshoi recordings seem good at this. 

 

Wonderful dancing too from Valentino Zuchetti, these 3 performances were something special and I'm so pleased that a DVD will keep them alive , I think Osipova's Giselle is historic.

[Sunrise]

The Odeon in Oxford was about 3/4 full. (My partner and I were in fact bullied away from our allocated seats by two old ladies sitting in them who insisted on being on the aisle and that there were plenty of other seats we could sit in - grumpily we decided not to argue and sat in the front row which stayed empty.) There was some scattered clapping after the big solos and pdd, and most people stayed for the curtain calls. 

 

It was my first time at a cinema broadcast, and it was nice to see new things I hadn't noticed before in the ballet. Boyfriend though Whitehead's Hilarion was hilarious, particularly the time it takes him to put two and two together about Albrecht: sword crest ... + horn crest ... = ... ... ... *lightbulb!*. His death by Willis was fabulous too - even more exciting I thought than Albrecht's solos. And I loved Osipova, as much as I loved Cojocaru and Rojo - I've not seen a Giselle Act 2 as outwardly passionate and expressive with her upper body as she was.

Edited January 29, 2014 by Sunrise

[Terpsichore]

Some of you may have detected that I have very mixed feelings about Giselle. Not just Peter Wright's production but any Giselle. I shall probably be shunned for ever by my ballet going friends and cashiered from BalletcoForum for this blog post which I have modified by removing links to articles in my blog but, if so, too bad:

 

"The performances of Giselle with Carlos Acosta and Natalia Osipova that I saw at Covent Garden on the 18 Jan and in the cinema on the 27 Jan were outstanding and will take their place in my memory alongside magnificent performances that I saw over 40 years ago by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, Antoinette Sibley and Anthony Dowell and Carla Fracci and Erik Bruhn. However, I always feel uneasy after seeing Giselle - not just this performance but any. I hear my father's reproaches that time once lost can never be recovered,

The reason I have a problem with Giselle is the story. It is not that it is a silly story.  Compared to Swan Lake and The Nutcracker it makes perfect sense. An impressionable young girl who has a steady relationship with the village gamekeeper is seduced by a playboy aristocrat in disguise who is already engaged to another woman. She shows him off to her mother and her friends and she is crowned queen of the wine pageant.  The aristocrat's connections visit the village and he is exposed as a philanderer by the gamekeeper.  Betrayed and humiliated the girl loses her reason and goes into a frenzy in which she either dies or kills herself.  So far so good.  The story could have come out of The Archers and I would not be surprised if something like it has not been run at some stage over the last 60 years.

But then the plot loses me because Giselle is buried in unconsecrated ground where her spirit joins those of other women who have been seduced and die before their wedding day. They have it in for men and if any man is unfortunate enough to stray across their path as the gamekeeper did they kill him (though having said that I have seen one performance, though I cannot remember which company, where the gamekeeper survives and the curtain falls on his shaking hands with the playboy).  That is a pretty unpleasant as well as fantastic story and offends my sensibilities as a Quaker as well as an aesthete.

Interestingly I see from the programme notes that Peter Wright had similar reservations about the story when asked to stage Giselle by Cranko and it is only in the last day or so that I find that he was also brought up as a Quaker. You see the idea of burying in a forest a young woman who has died of a broken heart or even killed herself  appalls us and the idea of hateful and vengeful forest spirits is .... well let's not go there.  All this is of course a product of romanticism which produced great art but it also had a dark side which degenerated into nationalism, racism and, ultimately, fascism.

Of course all this was wonderful material for the Soviet authorities.  Look at what used to happen in older superstitious times and count yourselves lucky that you now live in a modern socialist state that has no place for the likes of Albrecht. No wonder Giselle remained in the the repertoires of both the Kirov and Bolshoi and was indeed developed by them.

Yet Adam's music is so beautiful and the choreography of the second act is so compelling that I can't keep away from Giselle. I am ashamed to say it but it is my favourite ballet.  And I leave the theatre after a good performance like the one on the 18 Jan damming the waves of tears. How do I sit through it despising myself for harbouring those emotions yet unable to walk away?  The solution - and it is one that partially works for me any may not for anyone else - is to put the story out of my mind.  To absorb the music and dancing as pure abstraction as though they were the work of Balanchine."

Edited January 29, 2014 by terpsichore

[Bruce Wall]

I have long thought, Terpsichore, that if the RB were looking for a balance to the dilemma you itemise in Giselle - one where those same women themselves get revenge - they might well consider staging Robbins' THE CAGE.  How brilliant Wendy Whelan was in that - as she has been in so, so much.  I can well imagine Osipova having (forgive the expression) a feast in this and certainly it might best suit/serve the current Royal Ballet (McGregor) style better than some of those works which celebrate the cherished RB styles from epochs past.    

Edited January 29, 2014 by Meunier

[zxDaveM]

 

...that I can't keep away from Giselle. I am ashamed to say it but it is my favourite ballet.  

 

Why would you be ashamed its your fave ballet? Its certainly one of mine, quite possibly my most favourite ballet of all. To my mind, its damn near perfect, in structure and choreography. Its the first ballet i saw at ROH (10 years ago now), and the one that got me hooked.