Customer Reviews

Adam - Giselle / Svetlana Zakharova, Roberto Bolle, Vittorio d'Amato, La Scala Ballet

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It has been quite a long time since the ballet world has been blessed with a ballet duo the likes of Zakharova and Bolle. Their ability to perform with technical excellence and emotional intensity is very rare--and breathtaking! We are blessed with some nice releases on dvd by them(Swan Lake and La Bayadere). Perhaps it is in Giselle that we can experience the most realistic portrayal of human emotion in ballet, and Zakharova and Bolle do not disappoint us! This version has the most sizzling emotional intensity of any I have seen, both in act one and act two. In act one Zakharova displays youthful warmth and innocence and in act two, intense love, pain, and grief. Bolle also gives a very appropriate portrayal, showing real intensity throughout. All the scenes are equally magnificent, as is the supporting cast. It is a complete Giselle with the peasant pas de deux and all the group dances, as well as extensive choreography for Myrtha and the other wilis. Finally, the music, costumes, and scenery are also of the highest standard. The image quality and sound are likewise superb. It is packaged with a booklet. Unfortunately, there is no bonus material on the dvd. This is definitely one of the finest Giselle performances on dvd.

Milan's La Scala continues to spoil ballet lovers with its exploration of the great classics, with yet another excellent "Giselle", filmed live in April 2005. Released some ten years after the "Giselle" with Alessandra Ferri and Massimo Murru, the current DVD features the Bolshoi's Svetlana Zakharova, now a frequent guest with the Milanese company, as Giselle, and La Scala's own Roberto Bolle as Albrecht. (Anyone yet possessing the older film with Ferri/Murru needn't hesitate to try out this new release as the Giselles couldn't possibly be more different.)

La Scala's "Giselle" has the asset of the sound choreographic text by Yvette Chauviré (the French Giselle par excellence of the 20th century), revived by Florence Clerc, and boasts eye-catching sets and costumes recreated by Angelo Sala and Cinzia Rosselli after Alexander Benois. It is as traditional a staging as you can get, and that's exactly what this ballet needs.

Russian star Svetlana Zakharova gives a fine dramatic reading of the main character. "Giselle" was one of Zakharova's first major roles when she started out with the Kirov now almost ten years ago. She has since then performed the ballet in at least five different productions around the world. Her sophistication is balanced by femininity and vulnerability, while her dancing has now acquired such fluidity and sense of purpose that she can get away with the sky-high extensions. In the last few years Zakharova developed a rewarding partnership with dream-prince Roberto Bolle. He is a noble and passionate Albrecht, his dancing clean, his partnering reliable. On the other hand, Marta Romagna's Myrtha is something of a letdown, hardly making any impact with either her presence or the quality of her dancing. La Scala's female corps de ballet proves excellent in the 2nd Act.

David Coleman conducts the Orchestra of La Scala in this new release which has first-rate filming, image quality and sound to boast.

On paper, this ought to be a great Giselle. Svetlana Zakharova is one of ballet's biggest superstars. She's a ballerina of considerable beauty and awe-inspiring technique. Roberto Bolle is one of the most handsome male danseurs. The performance, staged at La Scala, features a very pretty, traditional production. Yet, for some reason, I wasn't moved by the performance. Giselle is often called the Hamlet of ballets, and for good reason. To be a great Giselle or Albrechtm, it's not enough to have great technique. One must also live the part.

In June of this year, I went to a live performance of Giselle with Diana Vishneva. Vishneva is a more unconventional dancer, and she doesn't have the rock solid technique of Zakharova. But Vishneva's Giselle was unforgettable, a true force of nature. In the first act, her passion for both Albrecht and dancing was palpable. When she was betrayed, her fury as she ripped off Bathilde's necklace was shocking. In the second act, she was the most implacable of Giselles. When she first ascended from the grave and faced Myrtha, she turned with so much speed and fury that I truly believed she was possessed. Her elevation was incredible -- she could seemingly suspend herself in the air, and her grand jetes were so powerful I thought she'd jump into the orchestra pit. When morning came, and the Wilis departed, Vishneva's face, formerly so stern and determined, all of a sudden radiated peace and serenity. Giselle won. She saved Albrecht, and exorcised her own personal demons. I'll never forget it. Another comparison would be Alicia Alonso's Giselle. By the time that was filmed (1964) Alonso was nearly blind, and also past her best technically. Her developpes are so wobbly that the camera cuts away. Yet her Giselle has so much heart and a soul that the technical problems fade away. Her final gesture to Albrecht (a penchee arabesque, while holding out her hand for one last kiss) is unforgettable. Natalia Makarova is another Giselle whose intensity is frightening. (There's an old video of her dancing with Baryshnikov.)

In contrast, Zakharova doesn't infuse Giselle with much personality. I felt that Zakharova was a very pretty Giselle, and she danced very well, but there was something superficial about her performance. She has two expressions: a smile (happy!) and a furrowed brow (everything else). One could call her a bit aloof. This is ok for some ballets, but not for Giselle. Zakharova's shy and smiley in Act 1, but her mad scene seems to be a by-the-numbers show. The "Spessivtseva solo", with its famous hops on pointe across the stage is performed with nary a bobble, but Giselle should radiate joy and happiness, and Zakharova doesn't. She looks like she's having a good time showing off her pretty face and beautiful legs. Act 2 is a display of the purity and solidity of her classical technique, although her famous sky-high extensions seem a bit forced. She often seems to be forcing her leg to go just a little bit higher, and that breaks the flow and fluidity of her dancing. Vishneva was just as flexible, but her legs floated up in the air effortlessly. Another issue is Zakharova's height. She is one of the tallest ballerinas (over 5'8"), and being so tall and majestic, it was harder for her to maintain the illusion of ethereal weightlessness that is so important in Act II. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying Zakharova is a bad Giselle. But there is something antiseptic about her whole performance.

Roberto Bolle is another problem. The role Albrecht is perhaps even harder than Giselle. Is he a cad, or genuinely in love? Either way, he has to in the first act establish a relationship with Giselle that is believable enough that Giselle's descent into madness is convincing. In the second act, Albrecht has to convey so much: remorse, love, desperation. In this respect, Bolle fails. He is handsome and dances without many flaws, but there is no transformation and redemption. Although Bolle and Zakharova have danced together many times (there is a dvd of their Swan Lake performance, where both of them were IMO much more convincing) the relationship between Giselle and Albrecht was not very delineated. There wasn't much chemistry. I saw two very beautiful people dancing together, but I never felt love and passion between them. The famous Act 2 pas de deux, which begins with Giselle's developpe, was well-danced but, as I said, somewhat clinical. If you want to see how magical the Giselle/Albrecht pas de deux can be, watch Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev (this pdd is available on the latest, highly recommend documentary about Fonteyn). The tenderness and "one-ness" of their performance is spellbinding.

Marta Romagna's Myrtha is a real disappointment. Compared to Tatiana Terekhova (Kirov video) or Monica Mason (Royal Ballet video with Seymour and Nureyev) Romagna's deficiences become obvious. She makes no impact. She's neither scary nor authoritative as the Queen of the Wilis. She gets through the steps alright, but her jumps are unspectacular, and she really walks through the performance.

In other words, this is a well-danced, pretty Giselle, but it didn't move me.

Allow me to admit right up front that I am a fan of Svetlana Zakharova, so perhaps this leaves me a bit biased. Her dancing is, as usual, nearly flawless. But she's not the sort of Giselle that leaves you startled at her violent mood swings. She's a much more subtle creature in this. In some respects, this is disappointing. Like my fellow reviewer, I too saw Diana Vishneva perform Giselle and she blew me away with her emotional range and expressivity in the role. But in that performance, Giselle also came off as something of a manic-depressive all the way through; she perhaps shifted gears too much. Svetlana's Giselle flows more smoothly from who she was in life into who she became in death, and that has a certain beauty to it. No, the madness scene was not on par with the best. But I liked that it was a bit stilted, slow and internalized; more like true madness brought on by betrayal. And her Act II pas de deux is just beautiful.

Roberto Bolle, whom I generally like, I found to be a lacking Albrecht. He and Svetlana always dance beautifully together (and look gorgeous together to boot), but if Svetlana's Giselle was subtle...then Roberto's Albrecht was downright clinical. He only showed two expressions in Act I: arrogantly flirty and exaggeratedly sorrowful. But no depth of true love. I also agree with other reviewers, Marta Romagna's Myrtha was a major disappointment. She looked almost bored to be there, and her dancing revealed no power or commanding presence whatsoever. She made it difficult to believe that she could ever command Svetlana, and thus made Giselle's defiance to save Albrecht look too easy.

Some aspects of this performance: the technique of Svetlana and Roberto, the raw emotion in the eyes of Hilarion, the beautiful sets and costumes, the (as ever) lush musical performance by the orchestra, make this worthy of viewing. But don't expect the best Giselle you've ever seen.

Zakharova's technique is so stunning in this, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. The balances in the act two adage were so breath taking, it was like watching something from heaven. That said, I also adored Zakharova's beautiful footwork and extension, as well as her arms, in this production. However, as other reviewers have previously stated, her expression is different from that of most Giselles. Whether or not this is a good thing one can't be entirely sure, and I think it is partly a matter of personal opinion. Whereas the Giselle of, say, Lopatkina and Ferri is volatile, emotional, and bursting with every emotion under the sun, Zakharova's Giselle is quiet, not quite self-assured, and only a little weepy. There isn't much of a change in her between Act 1 and Act 2, which was a little disappointing. I do, however, think she portrayed a more apt Giselle in the second act, given her ethereally subdued nature--but I still would have liked to see something more. Part of the enjoyment in Giselle is seeing this little happy peasant girl be put through the emotional ringer on every level and seeing her response--without her volatility, the story weakens.

Roberto Bolle, of course, had very beautiful technique, just like Zakharova, and they danced beautifully together. The way he holds her in the pas de deux's of the second act was so heartbreakingly lovely! Unfortunately, just like Zakharova, he didn't bring his full emotion to Albrecht. On paper, Albrecht seems to be a little formulaic and not the most exciting person, but what other Albrechts have brought to the role transformed it to that of the grief-stricken, mournful, pleading man that is so far away from modern times that he is fascinating to watch. While Bolle's technique was virtually flawless, he portrayed Albrecht in a very "on paper" sort of way; that is, he went from being flirtatious and romantic to slightly depressed, which was not the range one would expect from this cornerstone of ballet repertoire.

Myrtha was decent, although I still prefer the Myrtha in the Lopatkina/Mariinsky version, as this one doesn't match up in terms of being quite so, well--scary. One would imagine Myrtha to be a very frightening, almost awe-inspiring creature, and in this version she comes across almost more queen-like than frightening. While the regal approach would certainly be something to add to Myrtha's character, without any other emotion to support it, it seemed a little dry.

Overall, if you are a fan of ballet or not, this version of Giselle has some stunning dancing. It is a fine example of technique at it's top with Zakharova. The costumes are stunning as well, and there is a nice ambiance on the stage throughout. If it's a tip top performance of Giselle you seek, there are better out there with more expression--Uliana Lopatkina is still my personal favorite, although Ferri is excellent as well. So if the money is worth spending to see the technique, go for it. If it's the whole package you want, this isn't the best.

I put off buying this DVD for quite some time because of some of the negative reviews, but I finally decided to chance it and see for myself. I'm glad I did. I can understand most of the complaints by some of the other reviewers, though I think in all instances they are too severe. This is now the favourite of my many Giselles. I could do with a few less close-ups than provided, though I am happy with the amount of time spent showing the dancers's whole body and the work of the corps. I was impressed by the lead and found her in no way antiseptic. Her peasant girl demeanour was charming, her mad scene was wonderful, her ability to be both spirit and humanly present was gently convincing. Bolle strikes me as someone who might be more at home in a more extrovert part, but that makes his performance all the more appreciated for what he actually gives us. I do find conversion for him at the end of Act 1 and throughout Act 2, but it's the conversion of this particular personality, not someone else's. The only real short-coming I found in his acting was for a few moments in Act 2 during which he ceases to be Albrecht and becomes an attentive support to his partner in their pas de deux. Before and after those few moments he is in character. I am perfectly capable of being disappointed by a Myrthe - and have been - but not here. In fact, I enjoyed this Myrthe very much - especially some lovely "swan-like" arm movements that softened the avenging fury aspect of the character. There were still a few traces of humanity left in this Myrthe and it was a gain overall. The choreography of this production had some carefully worked out touches that made sense of the story and helped the story make sense, in both acts, in a way which makes other productions just a little more forced or stilted. SO - will this be your favourite "Giselle"? I haven't a clue. All I can say is that this is, over-all, the most affecting of all the ones I own; and I think I will continue to have a soft spot in my heart for it for as long I manage to hold on. These things are so personal that, really, the only way to know what you'll feel for this production is either to rent it first or simply take the plunge and buy. But I repeat: I'm extremely glad I did buy it, and it is now my favourite. There are other performances in which various aspects might individually please me more, but this is the one that throughout, and in every way, gives me the most pleasure.

beautifully danced by the best ballerina in the world ,with an exellent partner. very enjoyable

First off, I don't know what is going on with the filming of ballet these days. Again, but this time it is not the Bolshoi rather La Scala, whose camera person is cutting off critical footwork performed by the artists. I just don't understand this new form of filmography that appears to be coming out of Europe and Russia, and that is why this performance only gets 3-stars. What is lacking in this ballet are two things: first, Myrtha by Marta Romagna is awful--she doesn't even appear to make an effort to exert any energy to extend her technical performance. Second, the score used by the orchestra is extremely lacking which undermined the effect of the on and off again brilliant performances by Zakharova and Bolle. Here, I must say that I was extremely impressed with Bolle's performances. But again, as with Romagna, there are moments where he appears unwilling to exert that extra bit of energy required to extend his performance to bring him within par range of Baryshnikov's peformance. But Bolle is a brilliant technician, that, there is no doubt. There are moments such as these also with Zakharova's performance, especially in the famous variation of Giselle in the second act, which was so underwhelming I almost didn't recognize it! But in general, I enjoyed the ballet, but with a great deal of disappoointment. I will return to my benchmark performance of Giselle by the American Ballet with Makharova and Baryshnikov. If only the latter were as vividly filmed as this one is and was available on DVD!!!

I've just begun collecting Ballets on DVD. And will look for more. I like Ivy Lin's reviews and will take her advice whenever possible. So far, my favorite Giselle is Karen Kain partnered with Frank Augustyn. She is just as beautiful as Svetlana Zakharova and young enough to carry off the roll of a young girl looking for a husband. I do not think Ivy LIN has reviewed Karen's version of Giselle and I really purchased it because it was offered with "The Sleeping Beauty" (Starring Rudolf Nureyev and Veronica Tennant) as a two ballet DVD. "Beauty" was a terrible disappointment, but "Giselle" was a gem, and now I am collecting Her too....Adam - Giselle / Karen Kain, Frank Augustyn, National Ballet of Canada...OR....Giselle The Sleeping Beauty

First impressions (Karen Kain) have such an impact on the mind that I might have been biased while viewing the La Scala version, as I too felt something was lacking. After reading reviews by Ivy Lin and others, I understand what was lacking. Chemistry and emotion must be presented on stage or on film in order that the viewer might shed a tear or two if he or she are not too ashamed to show emotion. I couldn't shed a tear for Svetlana, either at her death scene or in the end when she was returning to her grave, which was done very well with her being lowered seemingly into the earth. But, Karen made me cry.

The sets in this production were good, but again, not as good as in the Canadian production, where especially in the forrest, the set was spectacular with fog rolling in off the lake in the background and the trees were covered with something that looked like ice or snow and/or cobwebs. It was very eerie, going well with the theme of the Willis. The La Scala forrest was not eerie at all. But, being a live production they did not have the liberties that the Canadian filmers had. There was, by the way a hint of daybreak (I believe someone suggested there was none) when a glow of light was shown on the little church in the background and on the tombstone, which had the nice touch of having Giselle's name carved on it. I'm going to give this production a five star rating because I do not know enough about ballet to call any performance bad nor am I mean enough, as some folks seem to be.

A wonderful performance; beautiful Svetlana is a ballerina asoluta; she is perfect in every way and very, very, beautiful. Roberto Bolle is a great danceur. The recording, itself, was of very good quality.
Bernard