GISELLE

:''For other uses, see Giselle (disambiguation).''
'''Giselle''' is a ballet from the Romantic period. Its music was composed by the French ballet and opera composer Adolphe Adam (with additions by Friedrich Burgmüller and Ludwig Minkus). It was choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot (Giselle's dances). ''Giselle'' was first presented by the Ballet of the Académie Royale de Musique (today known as the Paris Opera Ballet) on June 28, 1841. It is one of the few ballets of that era which has survived.

Contents

Synopsis

Characters

A varied past

Trivia

Structure

Gallery

External links

Synopsis

In the first act, a young, innocent village maiden named Giselle is in love with a man she knows only as Loys. In reality, the man is Albrecht, a nobleman disguised as a peasant, and who is betrothed to Bathilde, daughter of the Duke. When Giselle discovers the deceit, she is inconsolable and goes mad, then dies of a broken heart. In the second act, her undying love for Albrecht saves him from the wicked magic of the wilis, vampiric ghosts of betrothed girls who have died before their wedding day. Though their leader, Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, forces Albrecht to dance again and again, Giselle intervenes long enough to spare his strength and allow him to survive until the dawn. At sunrise, the wilis must return to their grave; Giselle must return as well but not before showing Albrecht that she forgives him for his treachery. The two pledge their love to each other and she descends back into her grave, but will forever be separated. Giselle is now a wili for the rest of eternity.
The dramatists Théophile Gautier and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges are the authors of the ballet's libretto.

Characters

★ 'Giselle' - a young, pretty seamstress with a weak heart who falls in love with Albrecht.

★ 'Albrecht' - Giselle's love interest. A prince who is in love with Giselle but is engaged to Bathilde.

★ 'Hilarion' - the village gamekeeper who is in love with Giselle.

★ 'Berthe' - Giselle's mother.

★ 'Wilred' - Albrecht's squire.

★ 'Bathilde' - Albrecht's fiancée.

★ 'Myrtha' - the Queen of the Wilis.

A varied past

The version passed down to the present day was staged by Marius Petipa for the Imperial Ballet (today the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet). Petipa staged his definitive revival of ''Giselle'' in 1884 for the Ballerina Maria Gorshenkova, but made his final touches to the work for Anna Pavlova's debut in 1903. It is said that the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet still dance the ballet in Petipa's original design nearly unchanged. Petipa's final work on ''Giselle'' was notated in the Stepanov method of choreographic notation around the turn of the 20th century, and is today held as part of the famous Sergeyev Collection in the Harvard University Library Theatre Collection.
''Giselle'' passed out of the repertory of the old ''Paris Opéra'' in 1867, and did not return to the western stage until Petipa's definitive version was performed by the original Ballet Russe in 1910 at the Palais Garnier.
The role of Giselle is one of the most sought-after in ballet, as it demands both technical perfection and outstanding grace and lyricism, as well as great dramatic skill. In the first act Giselle has to convey the innocence and love of a country girl, the heartbreak of being betrayed. In the second act Giselle must seem otherworldly, yet loving. Some of the most accomplished dancers to perform this role include Carlotta Grisi (for whom Théophile Gautier created the role), Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, Olga Spesivtseva, Galina Ulanova, Alicia Markova, Alicia Alonso, Beryl Goldwyn, Antoinette Sibley, Karen Kain, Margot Fonteyn, Natalia Makarova, Gelsey Kirkland, Irina Kolpakova, Ekaterina Maximova, Carla Fracci, Altynai Asylmuratova, Alessandra Ferri, Diana Vishneva, and Alina Cojocaru. Famous Albrechts include Lucien Petipa (creator of the role), Vaslav Nijinsky, Rudolf Nureyev, Erik Bruhn, Vladimir Malakhov, Vladimir Muravlev.

Trivia

★ The ''Variation of Giselle'' in waltz rhythm from the second act ''Grand Pas de Deux'' was written by Léon Minkus in 1866 at the behest of Marius Petipa for the Ballerina Adèle Grantzow. Minkus fashioned the variation from Adam's leitmotif for Albrecht and Giselle (also known as the ''Love Theme'' or the ''He Loves me, He loves me not'' theme). Today this variation is performed in every production of ''Giselle''.

★ The famous ''Pas Seul'' or ''Variation of Giselle'' from the first act was also written by Léon Minkus at the behest of Petipa in 1887 for the Ballerina Emma Bessone. The variation was originally the property of Bessone and was not performed for many years (specially composed variations were often the legal property of the Ballerina they were created for in Imperial Russia). It was resurrected by the Ballerina Olga Spessivtseva in the early 1910s, and is included in every production of the ballet today.

★ The so-called ''Peasant Pas de Deux'' was interpolated into Act I of ''Giselle'' at the last minute right before the ballet's original premiere for the Ballerina Nathalie Fitzjames. As mistress of an influential patron of the Paris Opera, her request to participate in the production was granted, though due to another engagement Adolphe Adam was unable to compose the music for her desired number. Instead, an already existing suite of music known as ''Souvenirs de Ratisbonne'' by the composer Friedrich Burgmüller was used (''Souvenirs de Ratisbonne'' translates from french as ''Memories of Regensburg'', interestingly, this is where Burgmüller was born). Also for the original production, the ''Marche des Vignerons'' (a number which traditionally occurs before Giselle's famous variation in Act I) was interpolated from another work as well, also to the music of Burgmüller. Both interpolations have been included in every production of ''Giselle'' to the present day.

★ In 1884 Petipa revived ''Giselle'' especially for the ballerina Mariia Gorshenkova, and it is this version which is the definitive staging from which all versions of the ballet are now based. For this revival, Petipa commissioned Léon Minkus to score a supplemental ''Pas de Deux'' for Act I to be danced by Giselle and Albrecht. Though this ''Pas'' was retained in the St. Petersburg productions of ''Giselle'', it did not become part of the traditional score for the ballet and it is no longer performed, largely due to the fact that that the Ballet Russe's production did not include it (the Ballet Russe's production served as the foundation for nearly all western productions). Minkus' rather ravishing music for this ''Pas'' can be heard on the Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra's recording of ''Giselle'', conducted by Algis Zhuraitis. (This recording was only released onto LP in 1967 and was never re-released. See Melodiya SRB4118 1967, 2 LPs.)

★ For Petipa's 1884 revival Minkus reorchestrated and re-edited much of Adolphe Adam's score. This version of the music is still in use by Russian companies, most notably the Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. The Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra recorded this version twice. (See Melodiya, SRB4118, 1967, 2 LPs, conducted by Algis Zhuraitis) and (Pilz, 441003-2 and 441004-2 1989, also conducted by Algis Zhuraitis. This recording is also available in the 6 CD boxed-set of famous ballet music titled ''Original Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra''.)

★ In 1978, the choreographer Gerald Arpino used Minkus's rarely heard Act I ''Pas de Deux'' for his ballet ''L'air d'spirit'' staged for the Joffrey Ballet.

★ The famous conductor Richard Bonynge recorded Adolphe Adam's complete, unedited 1841 score for ''Giselle'' in 1987 with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. (See 2 CDs, Decca 425 185-2.)

★ The ballet ''Giselle'' was one of the main focuses of ''Angel'' during the episode "Waiting in the Wings".

Structure

'''Act I'''

★ no.1 ''Introduction''

★ no.2 ''Scène première''

★ no.3 ''Entrée d'Albrecht''

★ no.4 ''Entrée de Giselle''

★ no.5 ''Scène de l'amour de Giselle et Albrecht''

★ interpolation - ''Pas de deux pour Mlle. Maria Gorshenkova'' (Ludwig Minkus; 1884)

★ no.6 ''Scène d'Hilarion''

★ no.7 ''Entrée de la vendageurs''

★ no.8 ''Valse''

★ no.9 ''Scène dansante''

★ no.10 ''Le récit de Berthe''

★ no.11 ''Le chasse royale et scène''

★ no.12 ''Scène d'Hilarion''

★ no.13 ''Marche des vignerons''

★ interpolation - ''Variaton pour Mme. Emma Bessone'' (aka ''Pas seul'') (Ludwig Minkus; 1887)

★ interpolation - ''Pas de deux pour Mlle. Nathalie Fitzjames'' (aka ''The Peasant pas de deux'') (Friedrich Burgmüller; 1841) —
::a. ''Entrée''
::b. ''Andante''
::c. ''Variation''
::d. ''Variation''
::interpolation - ''Variation'' (in the Mariinsky Theatre staging) (music by Alexander Friedman; taken from the ballet ''Cupid's Prank''; 1890.)
::e. ''Variation''
::f. ''Coda''

★ no.14 ''Galop générale

★ no.15 ''Scène de folie de Giselle''
'''Act II'''

★ no.16 ''Introduction et scène''

★ no.17 ''Entrée et danse de Myrthe''

★ no.18 ''Entrée des Wilis''

★ no.19 ''Grand pas des Wilis''

★ no.20 ''Entrée de Giselle''

★ no.21 ''Entrée d'Albrecht''

★ no.22 ''L'apparition de Giselle''

★ no.23 ''La mort d'Hilarion''

★ no.24 ''Scène des Wilis''

★ no.25 ''Grand pas d'action'' —
::a. ''Grand adage''
::b. ''Variation de Giselle''
::c. ''Variation d'Albrecht''
::interpolation - ''Variation pour Mlle. Adèle Grantzow'' (Ludwig Minkus; 1867)
::d. ''Coda''

★ no.26 ''Scène et finale''

Gallery

External links

★ ''The Earliest Russian Giselles'' - discusses the first interpretors of the role of Giselle in Imperial Russia

★ Some dance history of ''Giselle'' by Suzanne McCarthy for the Royal Ballet

★ Giselle Rudolf Nureyev dancing Albrecht in Giselle
'Video':

★ Short video of excerpts from the Act II pas de deux of ''Giselle''

★ ''Giselle'', Act II - Myrtha and the wilis (Kirov/Mariinsky Ballet, 2001)

★ (Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis - Act II variation from ''Giselle'' (Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal)