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SFB 2014 Giselle


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Can't do alink from my iPad, but check the SFB blog for casting. Edited to add link to the blog.

I've got tickets for 1/25 and both performances on 2/1, but I'm going to try to trade 2/1 at 8 for 1/29 (Froustey/helimets/Messmer), which means giving up Van Patten's performance...argghh, decisions, decisions.

Casting from January 25 February 2, 2014

*Denotes premiere in role
+premiere in Tomassons production

In the event of injury or illness, casting is subject to change

SATURDAY, JANUARY 258:00 PMOPENING NIGHT
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Martin West
Giselle: Yuan Yuan Tan
Albrecht: Davit Karapetyan
Hilarion: Ruben Martin Cintas
Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26 2:00PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Martin West
Giselle: Mathilde Froustey+
Albrecht: Tiit Helimets
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Simone Messmer+

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28 8:00PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Martin West
Giselle: Sarah Van Patten
Albrecht: Luke Ingham+
Hilarion: Alexander Reneff-Olson*
Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 7:30PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Martin West
Giselle: Mathilde Froustey
Albrecht: Tiit Helimets
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Simone Messmer

Changed to (20 Jan):

Giselle: Lorena Feijoo
Albrecht: Vitor Luiz
Hilarion:Ruben Martin Cintas
Myrtha: Simone Messmer

THURSDAY, JANUARY 30 8:00PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Ming Luke
Giselle: Lorena Feijoo
Albrecht: Vitor Luiz
Hilarion: Rubin Martin Cintas
Myrtha: Jennifer Stahl*

Changed to (20 Jan):

Giselle: Maria Kochetkova
Albrecht: Joan Boada
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Frances Chung

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31 8:00PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Ming Luke
Giselle: Maria Kochetkova
Albrecht: Joan Boada
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Frances Chung

Changed to (20 Jan):

Giselle: Mathilde Froustey
Albrecht: Tiit Helimets
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Simone Messmer

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 2:00PM

GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Martin West
Giselle: Yuan Yuan Tan
Albrecht: Davit Karapetyan
Hilarion: Ruben Martin Cintas
Myrtha: Simone Messmer changed to (Jan 20): Jennifer Stahl*

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1 8:00PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Martin West
Giselle: Vanessa Zahorian changed to (20 Jan) Maria Kochetkova
Albrecht: Taras Domitro
Hilarion: James Sofranko*
Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2 2:00PM
GISELLE
Choreographer: Helgi Tomasson
Conductor: Ming Luke
Giselle: Maria Kochetkova
Albrecht: Joan Boada
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Frances Chung

Changed to (20 Jan):

Giselle: Sarah Van Patten
Albrecht: Luke Ingham
Hilarion: Pascal Molat
Myrtha: Frances Chung

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Those are a lot of changes. For people on their phones where scrolling is labor-intensive, here's the blog link:

http://www.sfballetblog.org/2014/01/principal-casting-sf-ballets-giselle-program-1/

The first three performances remain the same (Sat 25 Jan, Sun 26 Jan, Tues 28 Jan).

Summary of changes:

Wednesday-Friday's casts rotate:

  • Wednesday 29 Jan: Feijoo/Luiz/Messmer in place of Froustey/Helimets/Messmer
  • Thursday 30 Jan: Kochetkova/Boada/Chung in place of Feijoo/Luiz/Messmer
  • Friday 31 Jan: Froustey/Helimets/Messmer in place of Kochetkova/Boada/Chung

One-off cast changes:

  • Saturday 1 Feb matinee: Stahl replaces Messmer as Myrtha
  • Saturday 2 Feb evening: Kochetkova replaces Zahorian as Giselle. (It was scheduled as her only performance.)

Closing Principal changes:

  • Sunday 3 Feb: Van Patten/Ingham replace Kochetkova/Boada as Giselle/Albrech

The way the schedule is written now, Kochetkova will dance with both Boada and Domitro.

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I just happened to post this news in the Froustey thread. From what I hear it takes 6 to 8 weeks to recover from this type of injury. Of course it depends on just how bad the fracture was. If there's anything 'good' about this I suppose Froustey and Messmer are likely to get more dancing in than maybe was planned. But Vanessa Zahorian has been a real go-to soloist in the past. It's a big bummer. And I have a feeling it may affect her husband Davit's dancing in the short term (psychologically speaking).

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.... And I have a feeling it may affect her husband Davit's dancing in the short term (psychologically speaking).

There was certainly no negative effect to his dancing on opening night; he was wonderful. I'd expect professionals to be able to deal with these things while they're on stage.

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I didn't see Lorena Feijoo's Giselle this year – though I did hear she was good – but I did see that of Mathilde Froustey and of Maria Kochetkova on succeeding nights (even though I wasn't going to go at all; I'm not really one of he faithful I keep telling myself). Maybe you could say one Giselle was French and the other was Russian – or the difference is like that between Braque's and Picasso's cubism – one painterly (Foustey) and the other sculptural. Kochetkova seemed always to be directly advancing her part, whereas Froustey was very light and open (I want to say like a lieder singer who happens to be in an opera) . For instance in the first act variation, the part on the diagonal on pointe, Kochetkova did it in one piece very nicely, while with Froustey it was taken in leisurely increments, a series of pauses and advances with all the time in the world to finish up.

Tiit Helimets’s Albrecht was big and calm and subtle, Taras Domitro’s was delicate and nervous, continuous reinflected, as if he were meticulously adjusting the angle of a kite. Simone Messmer’s Myrtha was dramatic, her profile like Athena’s on an archaic vase. But I thought Sofiane Sylve’s was more effective where she for a moment seems to be considering leniency for Albrecht, then quickly turns her head the other direction in a final “No!”... Lola de Avila is supposed to have had a hand in the excellence of this year’s production.

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I was fortunate to see Giselle on two consecutive days. The cast for Saturday evening was Yuan Yuan Tan as Giselle, Davit Karapetyan as Albrecht, and Ruben Martin Cintas as Hilarion. The next afternoon had Mathilde Froustey, Tiit Helimets as Albrecht, and Pascal Molat as Hilarion. It was an amazing experience. Both Tan and Froustey were marvelous, but the different approach of the gentlemen made it two entirely different ballets, for me.

Karapetyan seemed more like a "player" -- he knew from the outset that he was just dallying with Giselle and his future was with Bathilde, daughter to the Duke of Courland [oh, lovely borzois for the hunting party!] Martin Cintas seemed genuinely attached to Giselle and heartbroken over her fate. The next day, by comparison, Helimets seemed genuinely attached to Giselle and "hoping against hope" that somehow, somehow he could have a future with Giselle, while Molat left me feeling that he was just a spoiler with his nose out of joint because Giselle, whom he'd taken for granted, had shown a preference for a younger, more ardent swain.

It was a good thing for me that I had such a great experience in the first act of both performances, because the second act, calling for the supremely matched dancing of the corps, just fell short both times. For a company that prides itself on its high standing in the US, if not the world, to be unable to put 24 ballerinas on stage who could move in unison was embarrassing.

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