Customer Reviews

Giselle

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Revised review Dec 02/08. (see P.P.S.)

Let me start off by saying that Giselle is my favorite ballet; I love the story, the music and the dance.

This performance was recorded in 2006 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Gardens, London and stars Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobberg in the principal roles.

This is probably the best danced and finest interpretation of this magnificent ballet I've ever seen. I initially saw this at a movie theater with about 200+ people; you could have heard a pin drop during many of the pas de deux between Cojocaru and Kobberg, they were that stirring to watch.

There was so much to like about this performance...let me elaborate,

the Pros:

1.)The costumes for the peasants, the Royal hunting party and Wilis were sumptuous; the sets for both acts were nicely conceived to display the rustic theme for the village in Act I and then the marsh scene in Act II.

2.)The principal dancers, Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg gave the performance of a lifetime. Cojocaru has such skill and grace...an easy effortlessness that holds her audience spellbound. Kobberg attains such height with his leaps and jumps that it appears as if he can defy gravity.

3.) The emotion displayed, through facial expression and body language, by both leads was perfect for the situation; their dancing techniques and skills when together, were simply breath taking. Some of the famous lifts in the Act II were, without a doubt, the best I've ever seen in any performance of Giselle.

4.) The conductor, Boris Gruzin, interpretation of Adophe Adam's music was beautifully rendered, complimenting the tone and mood of this ballet that covered both ends of the emotional spectrum.

The Cons:

About the only concern (albeit minor) for this interpretation of Giselle was with regards to the Corps de ballet. Although the dancing through out the entire ballet was excellent, some of the timing of movement and dance steps was slightly off between some couples, particularly in Act I.

Conclusion:
Simply the loveliest Giselle I've ever seen; a Giselle that literally moved me to tears. The emotions shown and skills displayed by Cojocaru during this performance were as close to perfection as anyone could ask.
5 Stars.

Ray Nicholson

P.S.
Interestingly, the program accompanying the theater performance I saw stated, 'Legend has it that she (Cojocaru) was promoted to principal at the end of the first performance'. You'll understand why when you've seen this DVD.

P.P.S.
I must admit to a grievous error on my part with my initial review, in which I criticized some of the camera shots and angles. This initial review was based on my viewing of this performance in a movie theater. The home DVD video was much better visually than the performance seen in the movie theater; better because of a much sharper picture as well as less 'close-up' camera shots. I suspect the enlargement that took place to fill an entire movie screen caused some distortion in perception of size and movement, giving the movie house performance a less than perfect visual presentation.
My apologies go out to the producers and editors of this fine DVD for my initial review based on my movie theater experience.

Ray Nicholson

Ballet on video is like the fossil record: fascinating and informative, but frustratingly incomplete. Isadora Duncan, Vaslav Nijinsky were never filmed at all, and many artists were never filmed in their trademark roles (Lynn Seymour as Juliet, Erik Bruhn in Sylphide). Therefore it's always a delight when a portrayal as wonderful as Alina Cojocaru's Giselle is preserved on video. Alina Cojocaru, as I mentioned earlier in a review of her Sleeping Beauty, is not particularly glamorous looking, and her feet are wide and without much of an instep. But these aesthetic complaints are quickly forgotten the minute she starts dancing. In the first act, her Giselle is a shy but vivacious girl, and her fragile look adds a poignancy to her portrayal. One can believe that she does indeed have a weak heart. Her Spessivtseva solo, with its hops on pointe across the stage was not the smoothest I've seen, but her Mad Scene was heartbreaking.
In the second act, Cojocaru uses her beautifully airy jump and uniquely soft style to give the illusion of a true spirit. She is not technically perfect. When Giselle is first "initiated" as a Wili she is supposed to turn as if she were demented. Cojocaru's hopping turns don't have that feverish, demented energy that some Giselles can bring to the moment. They are somewhat slow and deliberate. (To see how it's done, watch Natalia Makarova, Diana Vishneva or even Carla Fracci.) But it's the overall beauty of movement that separates Cojocaru's Giselle from the "rest of the pack," as they would say. She is able to create a sense of a gentle, forgiving spirit. I particularly love the calm, effortless way she raises her leg in developpe. It seems to symbolize Giselle's sense of inner serenity.
As Albrecht, Cojocaru's offstage partner Johan Kobborg is not quite the dancer Cojocaru is. He goes the somewhat unconventional route and makes Albrecht an ardent and sincere young man from the start. I personally prefer Albrecht's to start off as cads, so their redemption is more dramatic and moving. He also is visibly extremely tired during Act 2. Unfortunately the close-ups expose the sweating. He and Cojocaru have a wonderful partnership -- you can see it in the gentle way he lifts her in the second act. Marianela Nunez is the Myrtha, and she seems to me an odd choice for Myrtha, other than being tallish and a strong technician. She's too inherently warm of a dancer to pull off Myrtha. She's not for a minute terrifying.
Peter Wright's production thankfully restores some mime passages that are often omitted in productions, such as when Giselle's mother tells the story of the Wilis. I found the sets overly fussy and thought they crowded the already-small Royal Ballet stage. I also disliked the dowdy brown dress Giselle wears in the first act. But these are minor complaints in an excellent video of my favorite ballet.

I think no one need fear buying this performance; overall, it is very fine and I think it deserves a top rating, even though I hesitated over a possible four. Technically and overall, a five; though it evokes only an emotional response of four from me. My chief disappointment is the Albrecht. His dancing is accomplished and he acts well, especially in close-up, though I find him slightly mannered at times. My main complaint, however, is that he doesn't seem really to connect to Giselle. He acts outwardly as though he does but, especially in the second act, I really don't believe him. My eyes tell me they care deeply for each other, but my heart remains stubbornly unconvinced. I noticed during the curtain calls that he didn't seem genuinely pleased by the hearty applause given him. A few smiles, yes; but mostly rather blank. Perhaps he's simply a rather cool personality? But Giselle needs the heights of passion and the depths of redemptive love, not committed reserve. Cojocaru on the other hand is an utter delight. I can't imagine anyone looking the part more. And she can certainly act. And she can most certainly dance! She has a luminous sweetness that transforms the stage. With more chemistry from her Albrecht, this might have been as close to definitive as one could hope for, because everyone else is first rate. The Myrthe is especially noteworthy: technically wonderful and dramatically full of menace without seeming to try. It comes from within. And poor Hilarion who, I always feel, gets the rawest of deals is here very sympathetic. Possibly even handsomer than Albrecht [I really did feel Giselle made a poor choice in this case!] - a kind of Eric Bana of dance. It's only a pity the role didn't supply him more chances to dance, because when he did he had all the presence that Albrecht lacked. Finally, if I could pull Nicholas Le Riche from the Paris Opera DVD of Giselle and put him in this production, I think I would be happier. [And, as long as I'm dreaming, let's have Tsiskaridze.] But I'm still glad that I have this production, despite my lack of abandon where Albrecht is concerned. And you really do need to see Cojocaru. The image of her Giselle lingers long in the mind.

Let me get to the punch line first. This is almost a "must buy" despite my 4-star rating which I'll explain below.

In the last several years, it's extremely difficult to keep up with the young ballerinas coming up the ranks. The Russian schools seem to have put out an unending stream of really talented and accomplished young female dancers whose names would require memory training to retain. Polina Semionova, Alina Somova, Maria Alexandrova, Alina Cojocaru, and one Osipova. Any more?

They are already principal dancers in the major houses - Bolshoi, Royal Ballet, Kirov, Berlin - and they all have "stories" attached to them if you read about them on Google. Semionova was specifically recruited by Berlin to partner Malakhov; Plisetskaya was so impressed by Somova that she took off her diamond ear rings and gave them to the awed young woman; Cojocaru turned down an offer of principal dancer by the Kiev Ballet and joined the Corps de Ballet at the Royal Ballet so she could improve more freely. I believe it. This is exciting stuff.

This Giselle was danced by Alina Cojocaru, a Romanian trained by the Kiev. She's fabulous. Every movement, turn, jump, and pose was precise and beautiful to look at. She also paid great attention to the story and acted very well. The ending of Act I might even be a bit over dramatic, but she was committed so I would not fault her. In Act II, the Corps was on stage 80% or more of the time and the ladies were magnificent. You wonder whether they tried extra hard to support their former colleague from their rank. It's one thing to do grand jete in ones, twos or even fours. But these women gave me the impression that they were FLYING in precision formation in the same split second as a squadron. I watched the second act three times in a row.

So why only 4 stars? Ah, great ballet has long reaches and memories. The one big shadow for me is the 1977 American Ballet Theatre Giselle with Markarova, Baryshnikov, and Martine van Hamel. Others may have theirs because there had been so many great Giselles over the years. Galina Ulanova, Alexandra Ferri, Carla Fracci just to recall a few. Don't forget several other Russian ladies whose names I can't spell anymore. Many of their performances had been preserved on film. Man, it's a tough crowd!

One also has to think about the Albrechts and Myrthas (we can forget the Hilarions for simplication of comparison.) In this Giselle, Marianela Nunez was wonderful, practically in the prima ballerina class in which I think she actually belongs. But Martine van Hamel was perfection, so good you could cry while watching her. How about Albrecht? Kobborg was good. However, he's no Erik Bruhn even though he's Danish. Baryshnikov was already a trademark in the late 70's for reasons other than looks and hype. He's one great dancer! It's almost not fair to compare.

Finally, there's the conducting. The Russian maestro Boris Gruzin must be a very considerate man. He gave the dancers all the slack they needed. As a result, his beat tended to follow especially the soloists, not lead them or urge them on. This had consequences. The music lost propulsivesness in several key scenes, especially when approaching crescendos and climaxes. The virtue on the other hand was that the dancers looked good on stage because they "finished" at the same time with the music. But I prefer the tension of the music over a perfect pose.

John Lanchbery conducting the Markarova version was never pushy. He just kept a tighter rein. In fact, his tempo in places were slower than Gruzin's. Markarova must have loved him because he let her move and let the music "surround" her movements, neither leading nor following. It took me many hours listening to Lanchbery's Swan Lake to realize what a great ballet conductor he was. He did not conduct as a symphony conductor, but as a ballet master.

So why is this Giselle a Best Buy? It's a modern rcording. HD quality and surround sound. Young Cojacaru was simply a delight! Technique, acting, and total dedication to the role. The Corps to me was women's beauty at its finest. Then look at the price. Unbeatable.

i can not think of any phrase that would sound impressive enough to describe how great this production is. not only is the dancing of all the performers superb, but the acting skill is equally on par.the sets and costumes mesh perfectly with the "feel" of this production. technically, the lighting is perfect. the picture is crisp and sharp. the editing is as close, i think to perfect as you can get. when a particular scene utilizes numerous personnel miming/dancing different things the camera will pan away to allow you to see the scene as a whole rather than just focusing on the main character(s). i have seen other productions of giselle but this one is special because it gave me a whole new appreciation for the story. i have heard it said that the devil is in the details and that is surely the case here. the attention to detail in everything is what pushes this production way ahead of just about every ballet i have on video. the character portrayal has a richness and depth that is among the best i have ever seen in any production, recorded or live. alina cojocoru is phenomenal as giselle. i'd heard much of her but have only seen her in the royal ballets the nutcracker which i liked but i knew was not the perfect vehicle to showcase her talents. from the moment she stepped out of the cottage in giselle i was mesmerized. she has such a fluid movement, a "way" about her that reminded me of baryshnikov. ( i know its a strange comparison but for some reason as i was watching her baryshnikov kept poping into my brain.) she translates so much emotion but in such a subtle way. as another reviewer said "she lingers long in the mind." johan kobborg as loys/albrecht was very, very impressive, cleary setting the bench mark for this role. the regal caddishness, the moment of romantic clarity, the remorse, the sorrow and repentance all portrayed just perfect. neither over or under acted. and i would have to say the same applies to martin harvey as hillarion. i liked that rugged macho attitude he brought to the role. his portrayal brought more attention to the role of hillarion then any other i'd ever seen. the second act had at moments, a genuine ghostlyness to it, even creepy in a way. marianela nunez as myrtha was perfect. she had that blank, see thru you stare down pat. and for what its worth this production has some of the best looking dancers ever assembled on a stage. the royal orchestra conducted by boris gruzin was perfectly in sync with the action on stage. the sound for this production is also excellent. in conclusion; this giselle gave me a renewed appreciation for this ballet. it is certainly one i will watch again and again. this is truly five stars without reservation.

I also love Giselle and have waited for a Royal Ballet production. This is worth waiting for.
I am not a ballet expert as are some who review but I love this DVD. The whole cast is outstanding and one of the things I really like is that the mime is really good. Giselle's mother tells us her worries about her daughter and what may happen to her. I also like the fact that after the introduction and dance of Myrtha in Act 2 she is not just left to stand there, look cold and direct her Wilis (as in almost every other production). Nunez is given a chance to dance her role when possible and she does it well.
I love Cojocaru in the role and think she is better in this than in Sleeping Beauty.
My favorite production of this is the ABT one with Makarova,Baryshnikov and Van Hammel but it's only on VHS and I dispair of it ever coming out on DVD (does anyone know why?).
Absolutely no regrets about buying this DVD

Alina Cojocaru es una Giselle soniada, como uno la imagina, con esa frescura de la juventud, tan eterea como las fantasticas Ghislaine Thesmar y Eva Evdokimova en sus momentos de plenitud.Johan Kobborg con impecable técnica, un poco frio en su actuacion. Detalles originales en la coreografía de Peter Wright. Buena version para coleccionar.

All the previous reviews are thorough and have no need for additions except for a single observation: Johan Kobborg seems to be one of those CORRECT dancers whose every gesture is a pose. This makes for wonderful statues but detracts from any human feeling. I have seen him only in this DVD and this might be unfair but I thought future buyers deserve a warning. Top notch dancing, but for a ballet that has so much opportunity for trully moving acting, the lead male disappoints.

Adolphe Adam wrote the music for this Romantic libretto (Saint-Georges and T.Gautier)and choreographers Perrot and Coralli created this 2 act ballet for Carlotta Grisi,in 1841.She had been his pupil,and having become his mistress, gave him a daughter,in 1837.They were never to marry.Later on,Coralli would say that he alone had choreographed it...!
One of the most celebrated ballets ,perhaps the best known and represented one,suffered various revisions - Marius Petipa,as in the present Giselle, (he was the elder brother to Lucien Petipa who had also been the first Albrecht),Nureyev,Grigorovich,etc., but never lost its luminous aura with the ingredients so dear to Romanticism(Death,the Night ,Fate ,doomed Love and Madness (Walter Scott,Goëthe,etc).
Every ballerina's dream(as in last year poignant documentary on a "corps de ballet" dancer - Véronique Doisneau),has been the glory of several dancers such as Essler, Chauviré, Karsavina, Spessivtseva, Fracci,Ulanova,Markova...
This said,romanian Alina Cojocaru,star of the Royal Ballet,brings it a new life.There are two Giselles in this 2 act ballet:In Act 1,Giselle is an innocent,"naïf" peasant girl ,full of joy ,who tragically finds a treacherous love and dies.In Act 2 she belongs to the world of the dead,integrating the legion of the Wilis( cruel,translucent virgins ),confined to the magic of the night,under Myrtha's command - their queen.
The gracefulness of this portrayed 17 year-old and moving Giselle is completely brought out by this lovely ,highly gifted ballerina.But it is in the complexity of Act 2 coreography that Cojocaru makes all the difference:Slow movements,an extremely beautiful "developpée" (Zakharova's is slightly more impressive ,at la Scala,but totally absorved in her refined technique,expressing in the face either a smile of joy or a rictus of grief throughout the whole performance,thus forgetting to bring out Giselle's inner feelings), her arms being a vehicle of expression as important as the leggs (Russian School).
She becomes aethereal ,the perfect illusion of bearing no weight as a spirit would,on "pointes" or when lifted by Kohborg.Her splendid techique,used with intelligence makes this Giselle deserving to be remembered along with the best ones.Kohborg is a wonderful Albrecht ( his variation beautifully executed) Marianela Nuñez a haughty ,convincing Myrtha and Marin Harvey a very good Hilarion.The "corps" bears the recognised quality of The Royal Ballet,live from Covent Garden,Boris Cruzin conducting with "panache".A most brilliant event.

Giselle is one of my favorite "Romantic" ballets. You probably already know that this version stars the perpetually young and very accomplished ballerina Alina Cojocaru as the beautiful Maiden/Wili "Giselle". Even the title of this ballet is beautiful, when pronounced the French way (zhee-zel).

Sir Peter Wright is in charge of the production of this version by the Royal Ballet. That, in itself, guarantees you of an authentic version of the ballet, since Peter Wright researches his productions to their very origins, to give you the product the authors meant for you to have. The original was apparently shot in Hi-Definition, but the DVD is NOT Hi-Def, although the DVD has exceptionally good quality resolution.

Giselle is a beautiful, but naive maiden whose mother has a wayside inn where passers-by may stop and refresh themselves. Hilarion, the local gamekeeper, is in love with Giselle, and considers her his future bride. However, his love is not returned by Giselle. Count Albrecht has seen Giselle and wants to romance her, but he is already engaged to Bathilde, a member of Royalty. Albrecht deceives Giselle by dressing himself as a peasant, and calling himself "Loy", buys a house close to hers. As the romance blossoms, Giselle is very happy and shows her happiness in her dancing. Because Giselle has a weak heart, she overexerts herself and becomes feint. On seeing this, her mother forbids her from dancing. Her mother, Berthe, has had a dream, in which she has seen her daughter die to become a "Wili", the ghost of a virgin who has died of a broken heart before her wedding, because of the treachery of an unfaithful lover.

Trouble begins when a Regal Party, including Bathilde, enters the village for refreshments. Hilarion, having discovered Albrecht's deceit, exposes him to everyone, and Giselle literally goes mad in her grief, and the most heart-wrenching "mad" scene in all of ballet or opera takes place on stage. Giselle, in her deranged state of mind picks up Albrecht's sword and stabs herself. She dies, and I cry.

Giselle is buried in a forest glade, with a simple wooden cross to mark her grave. Hilarion has come to her grave-site to mourn for her, but is scared out of his wits by ghostly apparitions, and runs off into the forest. The apparitions are Wilis who appear at midnight to haunt the forest. Their leader or Queen is Myrthe. She summons all the Wilis to the glade, and some of the most beautiful "white" dancing in all ballet takes place there, after which Giselle is summoned from her grave to join the Wilis. In the meantime, Albrecht enters looking for Giselle's grave, and while he is praying, she appears to him as a ghost.

The Wilis will kill any man they "catch" in the forest, by forcing him to dance himself to death. But, what do you do with a dead body on the stage?
So, they usually force him into a lake to drown. Hilarion is the first victim of the Wilis. Then they catch Albrecht and command him to dance himself to death, but Giselle, in defiance of her Queen, intervenes, and has Albrecht seek sanctuary at the cross on her grave. The Wili Queen daren't go near it because it is sacred. The Queen then commands Giselle to dance with Albrecht, and because of her undying love, she is able to support him until dawn, when the Wilis lose their power. In one last act of defiance, Giselle comes between Myrthe and Albrecht.

One wonders why Hilarion has to die when the real Cad, Albrecht lives. Seems unfair, doesn't it? Buy this ballet and see why it has such an appeal to the masses. Ballet masses, that is. Good viewing, Richard.