Ballet Classic "Giselle" Performed at Met Opera House

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Friday, 07 July 2023 13:33

Written by Jack Angstreich

Giselle is set to a memorably tuneful score—excellently orchestrated by John Lanchbery and here expertly conducted by Charles Barker—by the distinguished nineteenth-century French composer, Adolphe Adam (who also wrote the Christmas carol known in English as “O Holy Night”). According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, 

The idea for the ballet Giselle originated with French poet and novelist Théophile Gautier, who took an interest in German poet Heinrich Heine’s retelling of a Slavic legend concerning the wilis, ghostly spirits of girls who have died before their wedding day. Gautier imagined a version in which a girl betrayed by her beloved dies of a broken heart but returns as a spirit to save him from retribution by the vengeful wilis. Her merciful act saves her from becoming a wili herself.

The remarkable choreography is after that of Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and that of the immortal Marius Petipa, in a solid staging by Kevin McKenzie, with attractive scenery by Gianni Quaranta, beautiful costumes by Anna Anni, and effective lighting by Jennifer Tipton. 

The performance featured an extraordinary cast led by Skylar Brandt in the title role—she was brilliant and is becoming one of the finest ballerinas in the company. Her partner, who is still in impeccable form as a dancer, was Herman Cornejo as Count Albrecht. Admirable too was Andrii Ishchuk as Hilarion, the Village Huntsman and outstanding among the primary cast was Chloe Misseldine—here replacing Zhong-Jing Fang—as Myrta. The secondary cast was also stellar: Zimmi Coker and Jake Roxander created an unusually strong impression in the Peasant Pas de Deux in Act I while the glorious Act II was magnificently adorned by Erica Lall as Moyna and Isadora Loyola as Zulma. The main non-dancing roles were played by Luis Ribagorda as Wilfred, the count’s squire; Susan Jones as Berthe, Giselle’s mother; Alexei Agoudine as the Prince of Courland; and Luciana Paris as Bathilde, the Prince’s daughter. The superb corps de ballet was frequently marvelous, if slightly under-rehearsed at some moments in the first act. 

The artists were rewarded with a very enthusiastic reception.

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