Customer Reviews

Adam: Giselle [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This DVD preserves a performance by the Dutch National Ballet that took place in February 2009. Their Giselle was then a new production by Rachel Beaujean und Riccardo Bustamante (and considering that such productions usually stay in the repertory for a long time, it is still very new). The beautiful designs by Toer van Schayk look like 19th century paintings with their careful choice of colour and use of light. The painted backdrop for the first act shows the Rhine (in particular, the region between Bonn and Koblenz where there are hills and castles on both sides), a river that was a source of inspiration for romantic poets and travelers.
Although the stage designs are quite detailed (Giselle's hut has a gate), the Amsterdam stage itself is so spacious it never looks cluttered. The two sides of the Romantic era are conveyed exemplarily as the first act looks warm, sunny and folksy whereas the second act is closer to the dark, gothic atmosphere of some of Heinrich Heine's poetry. I especially liked the first entrance of the wilis and the way they form a circle around Myrtha like a sinister sisterhood, supported by very effective positioning of the camera somewhere high up. The wilis here also keep on their veils longer, which adds to the ghostly, spectral atmosphere.
If you have seen other performances of this ballet you will probably notice that in the first act there is a peasant pas de quatre and not a pas de deux like they have in Paris and Milan, or a pas de six (Royal Ballet). It gives more than two dancers the chance to shine and supports the idea of the village being a community, thus plausibly dealing with the problem that I always thought comes up when there is a Peasant Pas de Deux: who are these people and why do they dance this divertissement. (The Peasant Pas de Deux with music by Friedrich Burgmüller was interpolated into the first act before the ballet's original premiere for a ballerina who was the mistress of an influential patron of the Paris Opéra.) I love the "flute" variation danced by the second female dancer in the pas de quatre and would have liked to know if that piece is also by Burgmüller.
Another important piece of additional choreography is the new solo for Albrecht towards the end of the first act, which he dances immediately before Giselle's own variation. The music for Albrecht's solo is taken from another ballet by Adolphe Adam, Le Diable à Quatre.
Hilarion in this production is a young man close in age to Giselle who is passionately in love with her - when Albrecht attacks him after Giselle has died, he doesn't try to defend himself. He reminds me of the protagonist in Schubert's "Die Schöne Müllerin" or the Romantic rural figures in the works of Joseph Eichendorff, whereas Albrecht with his split identity maybe is a more modern character.
The DVD has an Extra consisting of interviews with the lead dancers Anna Tsygankova (Giselle), Jozef Varga (Albrecht), Igone de Jongh (Myrtha) and Jan Zerer (Hilarion) as well as with Rachel Beaujean and Riccardo Bustamante. They tell us their opinions about their respective characters in the ballet. Is Albrecht a cad? Jozef Varga thinks he isn't. He plays him as being genuinely in love with Giselle, but also as someone who as an aristocrat "never had to do anything like work, never had to lift a bench" and therefore is a stranger in the village community who watches people and their customs from a certain distance. I wish ballet conventions would leave more room to develop such things.

I own many performances of "Giselle" but this is, by far, my favorite. It's possible to find a DVD performance with a more stellar touch here or there; but, overall, this performance is as close to perfection in all aspects of production as one is likely to find. High praise, I know, but I think it's merited.

There is an overall "ensemble" feel to this performance. Everyone seems to be operating at the same level of excellence and commitment and on the same "wave" as to interpretation. The synchronization of the corps - whether manifested by a single couple, several couples together or the whole company - is exceptional. Quite honestly, I have seen productions by world-famous companies (no names mentioned) which fall far, far below the standards exhibited by this company. If they dance like this all the time, they should be at the top of anyone's list!

Not only are they together as a group, but there is a singular grace and ease to their dancing that one doesn't always see. They are, in fact, so unified in style and execution that one can easily overlook just how wonderful they are. They make it seem so easy and normative that one forgets how exceptional what they do really is. I wish I knew more about the different national "schools"; but there is something about this performance as a whole and in the individual style of each dancer which reminds me of Russia. There isn't a moment of stiffness in anything they do, no matter how complicated; easeful, fluid grace is the best I can do as a description, and they seem to enjoy what they're doing. If the steps are racking them with pain, there is not the slightest indication of it for the audience.

If you want a minus, then I single out the boorish behaviour of the audience, especially in Act 2, for special note. Seldom have I heard such disrespect from an audience for its fellows or for the artists as this one manifests. What do I mean? Coughing. My god, you'd think the whole performance had been filmed in a tubercular ward. But even with that the performance is so magical that one can forget such behavioural interruptions.

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that, once I've watched a DVD of Giselle, I normally skip over all but the beginning and ending of Act 1 and go straight to the real glory, Act 2. BUT...in the case of this performance, I have found myself watching the whole of Act 1 because it was just so very lovely, graceful and joyful to watch. What more can I say? I suppose you might not like this performance, so individual is preference; but I find it hard to believe in this case that anyone will be disappointed in owning such a "Giselle".

Highest marks. Really, it's special. Buy it!

I've read elsewhere that this is an 'old-fashioned' version of the much loved classic and the first act is certainly what you would expect.Jolly villagers cavort in a bucolic setting in the usual way and the betrayal of Giselle is expertly played out by Tsygankova and Varga who are beautiful to watch.The mad scene is heart-wrenching and although some camerawork is too far from the action conversely there are fewer close-ups of perspiring dancers (thank goodness) so it all works as a well-produced piece.Having several versions of the work I thought this one was developing well,until the second act which confirmed my reasons for buying the dvd after seeing it streamed on a website.Finally there was a Myrtha (Igone de Jongh) who not only looks the part but plays it as the icy cold Queen of the Wilis she is meant to be.No matronly leader of lost girls here- for although impressive grand jetes floated her across the stage,even better was the intensity she put into the characterisation of the role.This was a Myrtha totally implacable and inflexible which made the appeals by Giselle even more despairing and moving as she attempts to save Albrecht.So the drama is played out with the background corps de ballet moving well and being given loud applause by an appreciative audience.Anna Tsygankova and Jozef Varga are flawless,Hilarion again catches our sympathy and dies well to round out an exceptional second act which is enough in itself to buy this version.The additions and changes to music and choreography didn't interfere thankfully while the 5.1 surround sound is what we've come to expect so if you want to see how the second act should be done, this is the version to have.And as a bonus- how interesting it is to see interviews of the principals compared to their stage personas !

The other reviewers in rating this production as 5 Star, as I have, have commented about this classic ballet up, down, backwards and sideways. In short this beautiful ballet, as an example of the art of ballet, has been fully explored. To a viewer, seeking reasons why he/she should buy or pass on this ballet performance gains nothing by my adding another dollop to a full plate of praise. Instead, I focus on the Ballerina: the raison d'etre - the primary reason why you and I buy a ballet recording .

Ballet is a unique intellectual, artistic confection. It is an art form which tells a gripping story to the viewer (if successfully done) within a highly confining artistic format: the ballerina, and all the performers, must participate in the telling of a story WITHOUT UTTERING A WORD! Current Emotions, and Anticipatory Emotions must be expressed (a) through an understanding of the art of mime, (b) the ability to perform effectively in this unique art form (c)in concert with the underlying music, and (d) all coordinated within a pattern of intricate dance steps and physical movements, - some requiring a large order of physical strength (e)a memory for detail and (f) an exquisite sense of timing, namely to understand, and obey the choreographer's work product. For it is the choreographer who takes all these disparate elements, and, if successful, melds them into an eye catching, heart warming whole. All this expository material said, I turn to my reason for writing this review. I've fsllen in love with Anna Tsygankova, a Queen among the of Giselles! I knew nothing of Anna until a few days earlier. I had seen her for the first time in this same Dutch Ballet Company's version of Don Quichot. I marveled at her dancing skills, and enjoyed her effervescent personality. However her role as Kitri was a comic role, which Ms. Tsygankova carried off very well. It wasn't until I viewed her in this DVD of Giselle that I saw the full range of her artistry. Her dancing and miming in Don Quichot were superb. But in this performance of Giselle the interrelationship of her dancing and her miming were exquisite! And essential, were the ballet's love story to be effectively told. Each art form, dancing and miming, as done by Anna, buttressed the other, creating a beautiful, heart rending, indelible performance of an old, but ever young romantic ballet. Bravo Anna, Star Ballerina! Anna Tsygankova you have brought me much pleasure! Thank you!. King Arthur. Arthur Stanley Katz, May 7, 2011

Giselle is one of the most beautiful ballets ever written and created on stage. The Dutch National Ballet Company recreates it beautifully. The Blu-Ray version together with the great sound completes a magnificent and very enjoyable picture.

This is probably the Xth Giselle that I have watched on the screen for years....

This is also one of the most satisfying Giselles that I have ever watched, and not for the reasons that are usually attributed to a 5 star performance....

Tsygankova? No.. not anywhere as convincing as Cojocaru, not because of her dancing, but her attitude towards Giselle. She has to take a leaf out of Cojocaru insofar as acting is concerned, although her technique and dancing seem absolutely flawless... Tsygankova seems to be more in the Zakharova mold, which requires shedding of a few pounds of ego.
The Mad scene is nowhere as good as Cojocaru's in the ROH production.

But Myrta? Jongh can give the best of the best a run for the money. She is one of the best ever Myrthas that I have seen, Marianella Nunez notwithstanding.
Yes, as some critics have pointed out that the second act seems devoid of overt emotions as Nunez is so successful in bringing out, but Jongh comes through without having to exert herself in observable expressions to bring out the cold blooded intents.

The conductor has done a great job with the music, and the recording, unlike in the ROH version, is far far better. The choreographers have worked overtime to present some dances different from the other productions, without losing any artistic stuff. Thank them for it. The corps de ballet seems to be extremely well utilized, and dance beautifully, without being mechanical in the first act dances. They seem to be having fun as peasants, without inhibitions and dance thus.....

NOTE:- If one has a complete version of the Giselle on a CD audio, one will immediately notice that this version has many more beautiful numbers committed to dance, that almost ALL other productions of it neglect, especially in the Act 1 in the pas de quatre and towards the end. The treatment of music is very beautiful, elaborate bordering on the ornate..... rare, I would say....

All in all, a perfect companion to the ROH production, which ironically, I have given one star less than this, for very different reasons. But this is far better than the Paris Opera production, according to me....

BUY IT...

First, I wish to thank other reviewers for having recommended this so highly. Based on those reviews, I purchased and watched, and glad that I did.

I was initially hesitant to buy this because a couple of other reviewers mentioned some disturbing, rude coughing audible during the second act. But, I heard no coughing whatsoever. I have a pretty high-end sound system and watched at full room volume, so feel I would have noticed the coughing, if it had been present. I was listening using the 5.1 surround mode. Don't know if there might be a difference if I had used stereo. Is it possible that the engineers who produced this were able to re-mix and eliminate the problem? Don't know. All I know is that the disc I received had no problems.

Special note should also be given to the dancing of Jozef Vargo. There is a tendency to focus on the dancing of Giselle herself, to the exclusion of Albrecht. Tsygankova's Giselle is superb in interpretation, with a light, weightless, delicacy of dancing that is wonderful to watch. But don't ignore Vargo. He also exhibits a weightless, delicacy of dancing to match Gidelle's with a caring, gentle, supportive demeanor that I found very appealing. In summary, this new blu-ray version with Tsygankova and Varga at the Dutch National Opera is a step above other performances I've seen, a true masterpiece of chemistry, artistic sensitivity and technical virtuosity. Superb, just about perfect filming and editing as well. Thanks to all who recommended!

I currently have five performances of Giselle on DVD and BD, and have seen it in live performance at the Royal Ballet,(with Marianella Nuñez in the title role) Covent Garden and the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle. This is absolutly my favorite performance on disc. The weak spot is Anna Tsygankova's performance in the first act as the live (?) Giselle. She does great in the second act, however. The standout of this performance is Igone de Jongh as Myrtha. Besides flawless dancing, her acting projected a tinge of fear, sending shivers down my back. Overall, the second act is incomparable. The extras on this disc, cast interviews with video of practice sessions mixed with performance, are very good.

It seems that Ricardo Bustamante and other Ballet Master did an incredible research and put together a performance that is technically precise. The selection of dancers to each part seems to embody their characters and this production comes alive. It would be near impossible to have a production better than this one. Congratulations on this inspiring, well-thought out version of Giselle. It is graceful, touching and timeless. This sets the bar very high. I used to be a classical ballerina and Giselle was my 1st ballet in 1991--and over the years I have seen many versions of this Ballet but nothing ever compared to this version here. This ballet is perfect (and we don't use this word often). The dancers are incredible.