Giselle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giselle
Giselle, or The Wilis
(French: Giselle, ou Les Wilis) is a romantic ballet in two acts. Jules-Henri
Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier wrote the libretto. They took
their inspiration from a prose passage about the Wilis in De l'Allemagne by
Heinrich Heine, and from a poem about a girl who dies after an all-night ball
called "Fantômes" in Les Orientales by Victor Hugo. Adolphe Adam
composed the music; Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot composed the choreography. Carlotta
Grisi was the first to dance the role of Giselle.
GISELLE (Ulanova-Fadeyechev, Bolshoi 1956) - 1
of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBomZcDEuk
- Entrance of Loys
- Entrance of Giselle
- Giselle & Loys
Love Scene
- Giselle Variation
Galina Ulanova
(Giselle) & Nikolai Fadeyechev (Loys/Albrecht)
with Vladimir
Levaschev (Hilarion) & Erik Volodin (Wilfred)
GISELLE (Ulanova-Fadeyechev, Bolshoi 1956) - 2
of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2YFIQc9iKqQ
- Giselle & Loys
Pas de Deux
- Entrance of Bertha
- Arrival of the
Nobles
- Bathilde gives her
collar to Giselle
Galina Ulanova
(Giselle) & Nikolai Fadeyechev (Loys/Albrecht)
with Taisia Monakhova
(Bertha), Irina Makedonskaya (Bathilde) & Alexander Radunsky (Duke of
Courtland)
GISELLE (Ulanova-Fadeyechev, Bolshoi 1956) - 3
of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiepFSwIMZQ
- Gallop
- Hilarion uncovers
Loys as Albrecht
- Madness and death
of Giselle
Galina Ulanova
(Giselle) & Nikolai Fadeyechev (Loys/Albrecht)
with Taisia Monakhova
(Bertha) & Vladimir Levaschev (Hilarion)
II.
GISELLE (Ulanova-Fadeyechev, Bolshoi 1956) - 4
of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itguYpHARxo
- Entrance of Myrtha
and the Wilis
- Grand Pas des Wilis
Galina Ulanova
(Giselle) & Nikolai Fadeyechev (Loys/Albrecht)
with Rimma Karelskaya
(Myrtha), N. Fetisova (Monna) & Nina Chistova (Zyulma)
GISELLE (Ulanova-Fadeyechev, Bolshoi 1956) - 5
of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aOE6eXlfT8
- Death of Hilarion
- Grand Pas des Deux:
Adagio
Galina Ulanova
(Giselle) & Nikolai Fadeyechev (Loys/Albrecht)
with Rimma Karelskaya
(Myrtha) & Vladimir Levaschev (Hilarion)
GISELLE (Ulanova-Fadeyechev, Bolshoi 1956) - 6
of 6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vH6_tFRdpy4
Grand Pas des Deux:
Allegretto
- Albrecht &
Giselle Variations
- Coda & Finale
Galina Ulanova
(Giselle) & Nikolai Fadeyechev (Loys/Albrecht)
with Rimma Karelskaya
(Myrtha)
Music: Adolphe Adam
Coreography: Leonid
Lavrovsky after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot
Photos,Galina Ulanova
https://www.google.hr/search?q=giselle+galina+ulanova&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=E6PXUvvALMbByQPG44HwAg&ved=0CC0QsAQ&biw=1024&bih=639
Ballet Alert!
http://balletalert.invisionzone.com/index.php?/topic/33021-my-own-giselle-athon/
SIXTEEN GOING ON
IMMORTALITY: GALINA ULANOVA IN GISELLE
http://grandoldmovies.tumblr.com/post/13405386784/sixteen-going-on-immortality-galina-ulanova-in
Galina Ulanova
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0110.html
Revered in Russia from the moment she made her debut in Leningrad's Maryinsky Ballet in 1928, she riveted the
Western world in 1956 when she traveled with the Bolshoi Ballet to London's Royal Opera
House. There she astonished critics and fans alike with her performances as
Juliet and Giselle.
Galina Sergeyevna
Ulanova was born in 1910 in St. Petersburg -- the home of Fokine, Balanchine,
Petipa, Nijinsky and so many other legends of Russian dance. She was taught
there by her mother -- who also danced professionally -- before entering the
famous ballet school there.
She joined the
Maryinsky Theater in 1928, the same year she completed her classical dance
training, and she would live long enough to see it become the Kirov
and then revert, when the Soviet Union
dissolved, to its original name.
It was there that she
made her name in Mr. Lavrovsky's 'Romeo and Juliet,' as well as in such
classical staples as 'Swan
Lake' and 'Giselle.'
Miss Ulanova
performed most of the greatest roles in classical ballet, including the leads
in 'Giselle,' 'Swan
Lake,' 'Cinderella' and
'Sleeping Beauty.' Such was her power that when Mr. Martin criticized -- mildly
-- her performance in 'Swan Lake' during the 1959 New York tour,
Despite her star
status -- and the tension that can cause -- Miss Ulanova was highly popular,
eventually becoming a teacher to the greatest dancers -- including Yekaterina
Maksimova, Nina Timofeyeva and the Bolshoi director, Vladimir Vasilyev -- who
followed her.
'On many occasions
people tried to push us into conflict,' Maya Plesetskaya, who replaced her in
1960 as the Bolshoi's leading female dancer, wrote two years ago in her
memoirs. 'It could never happen.'
She was the greatest
ballerina of the 20th century.Her life and the art of dance to which she has
give her soul has become part of Russian and world culture. Ulanova has always
been the symbol of conscience, honor and dignity. She was a true artist.
Giselle
Act I
The ballet opens on
an autumnal day in the Rhineland during the
Middle Ages. The grape harvest is underway. Duke Albrecht of Silesia, a young
nobleman disguised as a peasant, is sowing his last wild oats before marriage
to the princess Bathilde. He has fallen in love with the shy and beautiful
village girl, Giselle. She knows nothing of his real life.
Hilarion, a
gamekeeper, is also in love with Giselle. He tries to convince her that
Albrecht cannot be trusted. Giselle ignores his warnings. Giselle's mother
Berthe is very protective of her daughter, as Giselle has a weak heart that
leaves her in delicate health. She discourages a relationship between Giselle
and Albrecht.
A party of noblemen
seeking refreshment following the rigors of the hunt arrives in the village.
Albrecht quickly hurries away, knowing he will be recognized by Bathilde, who
is in attendance. The villagers welcome the party, offer them refreshments, and
perform several dances. Bathilde is charmed with Giselle's sweet and demure
nature, not knowing of her fiance's relationship with her. Giselle is honored
when the beautiful stranger offers her a necklace as a gift.
Hilarion interrupts
the festivities. He has discovered Albrecht's sword, and presents it as proof
that the peasant lad is not who he pretends to be. All are shocked by the
revelation, but none more than Giselle, who becomes inconsolable when faced
with her lover's deception. Knowing that they can never be together, Giselle
flies into a mad fit of grief, causing her weak heart to give out at last. She
dies in Albrecht's arms.
Act II
A moonlit glade near
Giselle's grave. Hilarion mourns at Giselle's headstone, but is frightened away
by the arrival of the Wilis, the spirits of women jilted by their lovers at the
altar. The Wilis, led by their merciless queen, Myrtha, haunt the forest at
night to seek revenge on any man they encounter, forcing their victims to dance
until they die of exhaustion.
Myrtha and the Wilis
rouse Giselle's spirit from her grave and induct her into their clan, before
disappearing into the forest. Albrecht arrives to lay flowers on Giselle's
grave, and he weeps with guilt over her death. Giselle's spirit appears, and
Albrecht begs her forgiveness. Giselle, her love undiminished, gently forgives
him. She disappears to join the rest of the Wilis, and Albrecht desperately
follows her.
Meanwhile, the Wilis
have cornered Hilarion. They use their magic to force him to dance until he is
nearly dead, and then drown him in a nearby lake. They then turn on Albrecht,
sentencing him to death as well. He pleads to Myrtha for his life, but she
coldly refuses. Giselle's pleas are also dismissed, and Albrecht is forced to
dance until sunrise. However, the power of Giselle's love counters the Wilis'
magic and spares his life. The other spirits return to their graves at
daybreak, but Giselle has broken through the feelings of hatred and vengeance
that control the Wilis, and is thus released from their powers. She returns to
her grave to rest in peace, leaving Albrecht sorrowing and alone.