Paris Opera Ballet – Adolphe Adam’s Giselle. July 14, 2012.

David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center – Orchestra (Seat L102, $82).

Libretto by Theophile Gautier, Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint Georges

Music by Adolphe Adam

Choreography by Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot (1841)

Original Staging by Marius Petipa (1887); restaged by Patrice Bart, Eugene Polyakov (1991)

Origianl Set and Costume Design by Alexandre Benois (1924); Sets Realized by Silvano Mattei; Costumes Realized by Claudie Gastine

Story.  See prior blog.

Conductor – Koen Kessels; Giselle – Isabella Ciaravola, Count Albrecht – Karl Paquette, Hilarion – Audric Bezard, Berthe – Christine Peltzer, Peasants (Pas de Deux) – Heloise Bourdon & Axel Ibot, Myrta – Marie-Agnes Gillot, Two Wilis – Amandine Albisson, Sarah Kora Dayanova.

I do not understand ballet, I have seen this before, I didn’t plan on it (actually I literally flipped a coin), so why did I come see this again?  I am still trying to understand ballet; I also wonder how ABT compares with other ballet troupes; the tickets are on sale for a substantial discount; and with Anne away overseas I am by myself.  These were reasonably good reasons to go.  I decided not to get the supercheap fourth ring ticket and got a seat in the orchestra section instead.  Given the smallish size of Koch theater, I was seated quite close to the stage.  With the use of binoculars, I actually could see the expressions (and sweat) on the dancers’ face.

It is a bit ironic that you can’t see the orchestra while seated in the orchestra section.  And the slope of the seating section is too gentle so if you have a tall person in front of you, then you are out of luck.  Alas, that is the situation I found myself in.

When the music began, I found to my dismay that I didn’t remember it – I heard it in May 2011.  The orchestra – NYC Opera – played quite well.  I have the same opinion of the music as I did after the first hearing – sugary, oft-repeated, serves mostly as accompaniment – but to my surprise I found it to work quite well in this instance.  The sets are not elaborate, and I am sure some of that was just trees painted on fabric.  I do appreciate the simplicity, especially of the second act – just a simple cross over a tomb in the forest with a church in the background.

I have always wondered if the group dances at ABT can or should be more precise.  Well, I am not going to get the answer from this group, because they certainly didn't move with the precision of a marching band.  (Or perhaps that is not something to look for to begin with.)  In general I thought the dancing was very good.  The choreography for the group dances called for rather difficult moves on the individual dancer, to do that collectively would be quite an achievement, and the troupe did that on multiple occasions.  Some of the vignettes (segments? I don’t know what they are called) are a bit drawn out, but I suppose the intent is to give dancers the opportunity to show off their skills.  The beginning of Act II was quite convincing, the spirits first came out with veils on their faces, these veils were yanked off together by people off-stage, creating an interesting effect.  I actually caught myself thinking “this is giving me the willies!”

The individual dancers were impressive also.  When one sits up close, one can see some of the hesitation and mistakes (for example, not nailing a landing), but one also appreciates how difficult some of the movements are.  The foot movements look awfully difficult, and impressive, and boy, can Albrecht jump.  And it is amazing to see how Giselle transforms from a happy-go-lucky village lass to a somber ghost.

A few words about the Paris Opera Ballet.  It is the oldest national ballet in the world, dating back to the days of Louis XIV, and was formed under the name of the Royal Academy of Music.  It apparently draws most of its performers from the Paris Opera Ballet School.  Which makes me wonder if the dancers are mostly French, or the school enrolls a lot of foreign students.  They didn’t have a performance on during our few days in Paris in late May, and I wonder how they would look on their home turf.  (They will probably have an advantage over the Opera since there is no language barrier.)

Looking back at my writeup on the last time I saw this ballet, I discovered I was okay with it.  I am sure I enjoyed today's a lot more, since I don’t recall liking the music and appreciating the dancers’ virtuosity that much.  Maybe this is due to my proximity to the stage?  Maybe the ballet is the “oldest continually-performed ballet” for a reason?  Or maybe the Paris Opera Ballet is simply better at this then American Ballet Theater?  If it is the last reason, then – like my remark about some concert reviewers – perhaps I need to go out more.

The troupe will be at Lincoln Center for about a month, this was the second performance of this ballet during the troupe’s visit.  As of now (late evening, July 14) I have not found a review.

I found on 7/15 this New York Times review.  The reviewer succeeds in talking from both sides of his mouth and sounding sophisticated at the same time, praising and condemning the performance in alternate sentences.  He did make an interesting observation about the necks of the French dancers and alluded to the fact that they are mostly French without sounding too politically incorrect.  He also likes the music here more than ABT's; evidently they are different scores.  It's a pity that he didn't provide a head-to-head ABT and Paris Opera Ballet comparison, perhaps his courage does have a limit, afterall.