Customer Reviews

Adam: Giselle

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Giselle -- composed in 1841 -- was the first great ballet, and it is a marvel of charm and beauty. Later ballets by Delibes and Tchaikovsky are perhaps more sophisticated than Giselle, but they do not surpass it in beauty and appeal. Everyone who loves great ballet music -- or, indeed, beautiful music in any genre -- should get to know this enchanting masterpiece. Personally I've loved Giselle since I first heard excerpts from it on LP several decades ago, and I love the complete ballet, presented on this 2-CD set, even more. I suspect that Andrew Mogrelia shares my love for this very special masterpiece. If you're already a Giselle fan but don't yet have it on CD, please treat yourself to this bargain set. If you haven't yet heard this lovely work, but love beautiful music, please get Giselle now. Once you've heard it, I think that it will capture your heart as it has captured mine.

Giselle, Adolphe Adam's most famous work after O Holy Night, is pure delight from beginning to end. It's like a happier version of a Delibes ballet.

Andrew Mogrelia leads a complete performance with the traditional interpolations, including a long chunk of music of variable quality written by Friedrich Burgmüller (you know, the guy who wrote the Limpid Stream?). It's a welcome addition, but the best stuff is by Adam himself.

Mogrelia's tempi should satisfy even the most fastidious ballomane. They are never rushed, but always flow along smilingly. Like Richard Bonynge (Adolphe Adam: Giselle), Mogrelia managed to make this score dance. His orchestra, however, is slightly less excellent. The Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra plays more than competently -- professionally even in the easier passages -- but lacks a bit of polish during climaxes. In the opening bars, the wind instruments struggle slightly to keep up with the orchestra.

This deficiency, present in a number of Naxos' ballet recordings, is easy to overlook, but if forced to pick one recording of Giselle, I would go with Richard Bonynge's recording on Decca. The latter's direction of the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Coven Garden is just as distinctive as Mogrelia's. Bonynge's orchestra is excellently refined and produces a fair bit of excitement in the Act 1 Finale. The digital sound of both recordings is about equal. Both recordings are (as far as I can tell) equally complete, though Bonynge observes a few more repeats than Mogrelia. (Older editions of Bonynge's recording may be obtained for only a couple dollars more than this one.)

If you'd be satisfied with a single disc version -- without interpolations, many repeats, and a couple numbers -- recommendable accounts may be had from Sir Neville Marriner (Adam: Giselle) and Michael Tilson Thomas (Adolphe Adam: Music from Giselle).

My first choice is Decca's recording with Richard Bonynge, but this account from Naxos comes up as a close second. If only the orchestra had been slightly more rehearsed!

Armed with a Wikipedia history of French opera,this was my first purchase of classic French Opera.It will not disappoint.The album is clear and well recorded,organizationally,well laid out on 2 CDs.My used copy was inexpensive and excellent.By all means buy this item.