Which "Giselle" DVD should I buy?

[Phaedra392]

I get so confused when I look at the selection of performances available on DVD. First I want this one, then that one, then the first one again.

Can someone advise me? Naturally, I'm interested in high-quality dancing and production values, but I'm afraid of buying a DVD that has a wild, restless camera that won't let you actually watch the dancers. I'm open to any company, any cast -- I just want to know which is best.

Any thoughts, you experts out there?

Thanks!

[FauxPas]

Can someone advise me? Naturally, I'm interested in high-quality dancing and production values, but I'm afraid of buying a DVD that has a wild, restless camera that won't let you actually watch the dancers. I'm open to any company, any cast -- I just want to know which is best.

Any thoughts, you experts out there?

Thanks!

Then one you can definitely cross off your list is the Carla Fracci/Erik Bruhn DVD from Universal despite a fine pair of historic leads and nice color. They often cut away from dancers (particularly badly during the Peasant Pas) to "reaction" shots by extras. Sometimes feet are cut off for "dramatic" close-ups. Weird inserted images and repeated sequences showing the "internal" mindscape of the characters in the second act. I like it but it won't be your first choice given your priorities. I am happy to have it just to see them then and in general it is a good if self-conscious effort at cinematization.

I was told that the Zakharova "Swan Lake" from La Scala suffered from hyperactive multiple camera work and that may be happening again in her "Giselle" with Roberto Bolle.

My recommendation would be the older La Scala "Giselle" with Alessandra Ferri and Massimo Murru. Ferri has a face that speaks volumes to the camera, is still in lovely form and the production is superb. Nice Romantic flavor in Patrice Bart's version (Bournonville influenced new choreography for the Peasant Pas with Bolle) and the sets are reproductions of Alexandre Benois' scenery. I think it may be currently out of print but copies are out there on Amazon (link above) and elsewhere.

Faux Pas

[canbelto]

Agree with FP that the Ferri, Murru Giselle is the best overall video. It's OOP but used copies can be found on Amazon. Also, it's available at www.berkshirerecordoutlet. Search "dvd" and "Giselle" and you'll see a copy.

As for the other Giselle videos, I'll give a run-down:

1. Mezentseva, Zaklinsky, and Terekhova (Kirov). Terekhova is a wonderful Myrtha. Mezentseva is horribly miscast as Giselle. She dances well enough but she's a tall stringbean, ancient-looking, overly affected and calculated.

2. Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle - new from La Scala. A very pretty production, but Zakharova has two expressions (happy = smile, everything else = furrowed brow), and overall I found her cold and not even that technically impressive.

3. Lynn Seymour and Rudolf Nureyev. Nureyev is the standard Albrecht by which all others are judged (IMO), but Seymour is out of shape and technically rather weak. Monica Mason makes for an awesome Myrtha though.

4. Erik Bruhn and Carla Fracci. Exactly as Faux Pas described: great dancing, AWFUL camerawork. Particularly in the second act, when we don't actually see Fracci dancing, we mostly see her reflection in the water.

5. OOP and not on dvd: Makarova and Baryshnikov, ABT. Makarova was a legendary Giselle and she deserves every bit of that legendary status.

6. Bessmertnova and Lavrovsky - N.B. is a wonderful Giselle, but the video quality is absolutely wretched, to the point of being unwatchable.

7. Only available in Japan (boo!): Vishneva and Malakhov. I've seen both of these artists live: Vishneva's Giselle is a tour-de-force, as is Malakhov's Albrecht. I imagine you could get it on Japanese websites though.

8. Also OOP, but can be found in Amazon used: Alonso and Plisetsky. Alonso was/is technically shaky (they cut away from her developpes in Act2) but you can really see glimpses of why her Giselle was so legendary. Her final gesture (a deep penchee while allowing Albrecht to kiss her hand) is absolutely beautiful.

Finally, in November the BBC will be telecasting the Giselle with Cojocaru and Kobborg. It might make its way to dvd.

[dirac]

Then one you can definitely cross off your list is the Carla Fracci/Erik Bruhn DVD from Universal despite a fine pair of historic leads and nice color. They often cut away from dancers (particularly badly during the Peasant Pas) to "reaction" shots by extras. Sometimes feet are cut off for "dramatic" close-ups. Weird inserted images and repeated sequences showing the "internal" mindscape of the characters in the second act. I like it but it won't be your first choice given your priorities. I am happy to have it just to see them then and in general it is a good if self-conscious effort at cinematization.

I agree, but I hesitate to say ‘forget about it’ – it probably isn’t the ‘Giselle’ to begin with, but when the camerawork permits, you can see Bruhn and Toni Lander doing some beautiful stuff.

[bart]

6. Bessmertnova and Lavrovsky - N.B. is a wonderful Giselle, but the video quality is absolutely wretched, to the point of being unwatchable.

I agree about the video quality on this older filming. However, Bessmertnova also did a later Bolshoi performance around 1990 -- with Yuri Vasykuchenko and with Maria Bylova as Myrtha -- a clip of which I caught on Classical Arts Showcase.

I was mesmerized by the much older Bessmertova, long black hair, white pancake makeup that made me think, when I first glanced up at the screen, that this must have been something with Alonso very late in her dancing life. Or something tragic from an early Kurasowa film like Rashomon. Despite its strangeness, the performance was the most powerful and moving interpretation I've ever seen. It's put out by TDK, but apparently is not available in the US.

(So why was it on a US show, Classiscal Arts Showcase?)

Has anyone else seen this performance?

[Paquita]

Is it possible to order DVD's from Japan? Are they in the same region code as North America?

[carbro]

(So why was it on a US show, Classiscal Arts Showcase?)

One of the great virtues of Classic Arts Showcase, IMO, is the chance it gives us those tidbits that are otherwise unavailable to US balletos, including historical clips that never hit the video market. But it can be very, very frustrating to get a taste and not be able to savor the rest.

[jllaney]

Is it possible to order DVD's from Japan? Are they in the same region code as North America?

North America is region 1 DVD while Japan is region 2. You may order them but your DVD player.assuming you bought it in North America, more than likely will not play them.

[Phaedra392]

Thank you so much for all your detailed opinions! I feel like a total babe in the woods, and it's wonderful to have this site to go to for advice from real connoisseurs. And I'm thrilled to know that we may have a Cojocaru Giselle to look forward to. I've never seen her perform, but from her photographs, she looks exquisite, and I've certainly heard that she is extraordinary. And I'd kill for the Vishneva DVD. I was devastated to hear that she won't be doing "Rubies" on the upcoming Kirov "Jewels."

Thank you everyone! I'll keep watching in case anyone else cares to chime in.....

[canbelto]

There are ways around the regions (and even NTSC and PAL). Computer programs for instance can dub a dvd into basically any region or format. Nero does PAL to NTSC conversions and vice versa, and programs like DVDShrink can basically rip the VOBs of the dvd onto your HD.

[Herman Stevens]

I would add Semenyaka to the list, and put it fairly high on the list (Anisimov as Albert, and Grachyova as Mirta).

It's on a "VideoLand Klassik" Bolshoi DVD. It also features some dopy footage of Semenyaka and her little son. Don't ask me how and where to get it, but it does exist.

The Bessmertnova is a classic, especially the mother-of-pearl back drop is delicious; however the camera has this uncanny habit of looking away when we want to look. I shudder to think what a 1990ish Bessmertnova would have looked like.

[Andre Yew]

I've been watching the Zakharova/Bolle Giselle again recently, and am coming around to it. She is a bit cold in Act 1, but I think she (and the chemistry with Bolle) really comes into her own in Act 2, especially the closing scenes which are just achingly beautiful. Bolle's technique is just incredible: the cleanliness and ease of his dancing (check out those 36 entrechat sixes, along with his pirouettes which were just on that day and how he closes into fifth from so many positions) is pretty amazing. The playing of the orchestra is also very good, and more expressive than I would expect from a ballet orchestra.

The downside of this performance is that the two principals' performances are just head and shoulders above everyone else: the corps are messy, Myrtha is earthbound, and the soloists a bit stiff.

--Andre

[Marc Haegeman]

Phaedra392, please bear in mind that some of the advice given here is based on purely subjective matters, meaning it may be valid to one person but not to another. If the camera work is below par or the video is poorly transferred to DVD then these are facts that will concern most of us, but if someone finds ballerina A or dancer B wonderful (or appalling) in this or that role, then that’s still largely a personal experience and taste which isn’t necessarily shared by others. To completely rule out the Kirov Giselle because one considers the ballerina in the title role "miscast" for instance would be a shame, because there is so much else which still makes this a performance of Giselle worth seeing on DVD. Even in the preceding posts there are already differences of opinion. Bart was mesmerized by the older Bessmertnova, while Herman shudders to think what she must have looked like (but probably never saw it… )

Anyway, there is no such thing as the “best” ballet DVD, unfortunately. There’s always a better performance, a favourite dancer who isn’t filmed, a camera angle which doesn’t show you what you want, yet we still have to do with what is released and eventually the choice is still yours. There are plenty of Giselles around, so go ahead and discover for yourself. The one turned down by the connoisseurs might still turn out to be your favourite .

[richard53dog]

I've been watching the Zakharova/Bolle Giselle again recently, and am coming around to it. She is a bit cold in Act 1, but I think she (and the chemistry with Bolle) really comes into her own in Act 2, especially the closing scenes which are just achingly beautiful. The playing of the orchestra is also very good, and more expressive than I would expect from a ballet orchestra.

The downside of this performance is that the two principals' performances are just head and shoulders above everyone else: the corps are messy, Myrtha is earthbound, and the soloists a bit stiff.

--Andre

Well, when I saw this I thought Zakharova started off pretty chilly and she never really did engage me. Too bad because I did think Bolle turned in a fine performance.

I don't know this for sure but as far as the orchestra, it may be the same one that La Scala Opera uses, which for a long time was under Riccardo Muti's leadership. If this is correct , it would explain the orchestral

playing. La Scala Orchestra is pretty world class.

For myself, I regretted that Vishneva's Giselle wasn't filmed rather than Zakharova, but again, that just personal preference

[bart]

This has turned into a very interesting discussion. As I think about it, it seems that people use these videos for different purposes and come to them with different sets of expectations.

My own feeling is that ballet videos are essentially tools that give us access to performances and dancers we could not see in live performance. They help us to remember something we have already seen. They allow us to stop, re-wind, repeat sections that we want to fix more deeply into our memories. And they give us a basis of comparison with the work of other dancers, directors, stage designers, etc..

With such expectations, I tend to look for a good historical record of the performance (well lighted, sensitive camera work, ideally with extra material to help me understand what went into the production). I have played (and re-played) some superb ballet videos. But, when it comes to the kind of involvement a great work of art produces, I am one who would rather see a high-level (even if not extraordinary) performance of Giselle on stage than any video I can imagine.

[canbelto]

I forgot to add, if you can get a copy of a used VHS of "Portrait of Giselle" grab it! There are interviews (as well as dancing clips) with Fracci, Markova, Alonso, Karsavina, Makarova, Ulanova, Spessivtseva, and Chauvire. It's incredible to hear Tamara Karsavina talk about dancing Giselle with Nijinsky. Spessivtseva believe it or not looks almost exactly the same as she did when she was young. She even still wore the "ballerina bun." Even though she's not the most articulate, she does come out with some gems, like the fact that she remembered seeing a young Galina Ulanova with her mother at the Mariinsky. There's also a clip of Spessivtseva dancing Giselle in the first act.

The video might help you get an idea of what kind of Giselle you prefer.

As for Zakharova's Giselle, in Act 2, the effortless flow of her dancing is unfortunately punctuated with a visible effort to push her leg closer to her ear. I don't even mind her hyperflexibility, but it kind of broke the float that is so much a part of Giselle's Act 2 ... And the filming was annoying. Way too many closeups, often at crucial moments.

[Paul Parish]

I agree with Marc, you need to look for yourself and make up your own mind, which is a great experience, you owe it to yourself -- Giselle, like Hamlet is one of htose things that you measure yourself against over the years, and you live and learn -- after decades you may come round to thinking Seymour was great DESPITE being out of shape (Arlene Croce had great things to say about that performance, because she liked the way Seymour was a believable peasant girl).

I've seen probably a dozen videos of Giselle, and none compare to a great performance seen in hte opera house -- but my own favorites at this stage in my life include Bessmertnova's (the first one is great, too, and hte filming didn't bother me that much, they're just trying to make ity look like the light comes from inside hte characters), Alonzo's, Seymour's -- the fragments of Fracci's floating toe-hops, and of Fonteyn's intensely clear classicism, in rehearsal clothes with Nureyev can be seen on other compilations and are WELL worth seeking out, as is the INCREDIBLE grand pas of Maximova and Vasiliev -- and DOlin's "Portrait of Giselle has wonderful material on it.

But for right now, for an American, maybe hte best overall version is Baryshnikov/Makarova, since his Albrecht is so passionate -- he never breaks character, though the applause after his last act solos goes on for oh five minutes.. also has a great peasant pas and a great Myrthe.

I'd give anything to see Vishneva and malakhov.

[Phaedra392]

Well, I decided to buy the Ferri Giselle. It was an excruciating decision, as your posts made me want to see every one, but I went with Ferri because I know I like her dancing and her acting. I also can imagine that she'd be a great Giselle because of her wonderful lightness and her beautiful feet.

It's on its way to me, and I can't wait! (But one of these days I'll have to check out Terekhova's Myrtha. I think she is amazing.)

[Saltarello]

Well, I decided to buy the Ferri Giselle. It was an excruciating decision, as your posts made me want to see every one, but I went with Ferri because I know I like her dancing and her acting. I also can imagine that she'd be a great Giselle because of her wonderful lightness and her beautiful feet.

It's on its way to me, and I can't wait! (But one of these days I'll have to check out Terekhova's Myrtha. I think she is amazing.)

If you like Nureyev and Fracci there is also this DVD, which has been registered 'live' in 1980 at Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album....album_id=104354

I love it very much.

If you decide to buy the Ferri Giselle you'll see a young Roberto Bolle aged 20 in the Pas de paysans.

Fracci and Ferri are surely my favourite Giselle.

[EvilNinjaX]

There are ways around the regions (and even NTSC and PAL). Computer programs for instance can dub a dvd into basically any region or format. Nero does PAL to NTSC conversions and vice versa, and programs like DVDShrink can basically rip the VOBs of the dvd onto your HD.

Do be aware of PAL's 4% speedup; I'm not sure that Nero will allow pitch-correction.

The alternative is to buy a remote-control hackable $40 DVD player.

-goro-

[chrisk217]

goro,

there is a 4% speedup when one goes from film (24 frames per second) to PAL video (25fps), but where would one find ballet related film?

Most ballet videos were originally shot in Europe and are made for tv hence they were originally photographed at 25fps (either PAL or SECAM). Only with old archival film or theatrical releases could a pitch problem come up.

That said, Nero gives a so-so solution to the issue of NTSC's and PAL's different frame sampling rates:

It does not do a regular 3:2 pulldown - instead to go from PAL (25fps) to NTSC (29.97fps) it just duplicates every 5th frame.

The results are not optimal especially for dance that is very slow (which may appear ever so slightly jerkier) or very fast (which may appear somewhat smoother) But overall, it does an ok job.

Despite that, in general, the less one tampers with dance dvds the better. If someone plans to watch more than a few PAL dvds it makes sense to get the player that can do the job.

chris

ps. apologies for being so completely off-topic. To return the conversation my vote goes to the Mezentseva Giselle. A very good Giselle, the Kirov corps and Tatiana Terekhova, arguably the best Myrtha on video.

[Azulynn]

In a year or so you'll also have a new POB Giselle DVD to add to the list. There are few recent videos and I think this one, which will be recorded in December, might turn out to be very good (the Laetitia Pujol-Nicolas Le Riche-Marie-Agnès Gillot cast has been chosen) - that's if you think of it again in 2008 !

I also mention it because I don't have a favorite Giselle DVD right now - I don't like the Mezentseva one (I also think she's awfully miscast), Zakharova is no true Giselle (she's a terrific dancer, but really the roles from the Romantic era are not her natural emploi). I haven't seen Ferri though.

[canbelto]

That's great news! Although I'd love to see Dupont or Osta in the role. Anyone know if the Royal Ballet Giselle has been telecast?

[volcanohunter]

Although I'd love to see Dupont or Osta in the role.

I wonder if there aren't some theatrical politics involved here. Both Dupont and Osta are well represented on video, but prior to Emeralds, I believe Pujol was seen only as the White Cat in Sleeping Beauty.

On the other hand, this reasoning doesn't make sense from the male perspective, as Nicolas Le Riche has been filmed more often than the other male etoiles, though not in classical roles. I'm worried that Pujol will look puny next to him. Why not pair her with Benjamin Pech instead, as he only has a Bluebird to his video credit?

Personally, I would have liked to see Delphine Moussin as Giselle, but as she's injured, that's a moot point.

[Azulynn]

Canbelto, I think the Royal Ballet Giselle is to be telecast this December in the UK. I hope a DVD follows...

About Laetitia Pujol - she's been greatly praised for her Giselle during the last run. The role seems to fit her like a glove (there's a tiny excerpt of her dancing it on the POB website - see Giselle, then Présentation de la saison, and it's at the end of the video). I'm looking forward to seeing how she fares.