PeggyR Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Casts for Giselle; no Myrtha for some reason. I’m thrilled that my subscription means I’ll be there for Chung’s debut, plus I just bought a ticket for Feijoo’s Giselle, which I’ve never seen and don't want to miss. Note that if you use the View All Casting link on the website, the sorting is a little eccentric, plus all programs are smooshed together; I've tried to fix it here. GISELLE Choreographer: Helgi TomassonComposer: Adolphe Adam, with additional music, orchestrations and arrangements by Friedrich Burgmuller, Ludwig Minkus, and Emil de Cou Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 8pm - Opening Night Giselle: Maria Kochetkova Albrecht: Vitor Luiz Saturday, January 31, 2015 - 2pm Giselle: Frances Chung* Albrecht: Luke Ingham Saturday, January 31, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Mathilde Froustey Albrecht: Tiit Helimets Tuesday, February 03, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Vanessa Zahorian Albrecht: Taras Domitro Wednesday, February 04, 2015 - 7:30pm Giselle: Sarah Van Patten Albrecht: Carlos Quenedit* Friday, February 06, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Yuan Yuan Tan Albrecht: Davit Karapetyan t Sunday, February 08, 2015 - 2pm Giselle: Maria Kochetkova Albrecht: Vitor Luiz Tuesday, February 10, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Lorena Feijoo Albrecht: Tiit Helimets Top Link to comment
cubanmiamiboy Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 Oh, wow....I see Feijoo is still dancing the role..! Good for her..!! She's been dancing it , I would say easily, for some 20 years now... Link to comment
Josette Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 The SFB Giselle casting has been updated with Hilarion and Myrtha, showing that Dores Andre is dancing Myrtha at the Chung performance. I am seeing Tan-Karapetyan-Sylve. They have posted only the initial two performances of the first mixed bill. I hope that someone will post their thoughts about the Gala tomorrow night. Link to comment
PeggyR Posted January 22, 2015 Author Share Posted January 22, 2015 Here are the updated Giselle casts. I'm really happy to be seeing debuts by Chung and Andre (Giselle and Myrtha) on 1/31. Program 2: GISELLE Choreography: Helgi Tomasson Composer: Adolphe Adam, with additional music, orchestration and arrangements by Friedrich Burgmuller, Ludwig Minkus, and Emil de Cou Thursday, January 29, 2015 - 8pm - Opening Night Giselle: Maria Kochetkova Albrecht: Vitor Luiz Hilarion: Pascal Molat Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve Saturday, January 31, 2015 - 2pm Giselle: Frances Chung^ Albrecht: Luke Ingham Hilarion: James Sofranko Myrtha: Dores Andre^ ^new to role Back to Top Saturday, January 31, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Mathilde Froustey Albrecht: Tiit Helimets Hilarion: Ruben Martin Cintas Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve Back to Top Tuesday, February 03, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Vanessa Zahorian Albrecht: Taras Domitro Hilarion: Pascal Molat Myrtha: Jennifer Stahl Back to Top Wednesday, February 04, 2015 - 7:30pm Giselle: Sarah Van Patten Albrecht: Carlos Quenedit# Hilarion: Alexander Reneff-Olson Myrtha: Sasha De Sola #new to this production Friday, February 06, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Yuan Yuan Tan Albrecht: Davit Karapetyan Hilarion: Ruben Martin Cintas Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve Back to Top Sunday, February 08, 2015 - 2pm Giselle: Maria Kochetkova Albrecht: Vitor Luiz Hilarion: Pascal Molat Myrtha: Jennifer Stahl Back to Top Giselle - Tuesday, February 10, 2015 - 8pm Giselle: Lorena Feijoo Albrecht: Tiit Helimets Hilarion: Sean Orza^ Myrtha: Sofiane Sylve Link to comment
miliosr Posted January 24, 2015 Share Posted January 24, 2015 Interesting that Ruben Martin, in his principal character actor capacity, is performing two Hilarions. Link to comment
pherank Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 I saw the following Twitter report - "Standing ovation for @lapetitefrench_ (Frosutey) she was TOTALLY freaking amazing as Giselle tonite!!" Anyone see her 2015 Giselle debut performance? It looks like I'll be seeing Kochetkova instead, but I was interested in seeing Froustey in this role. Link to comment
Quiggin Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hey pherank, I saw Mathilde Froustey in Giselle last year, not the first one where she ripped through a skirt with the sword, but the second time out which a friend who saw both said was even better. It was very, very good, warmer and more nuanced than Kochetkova's I thought. Froustey seemed to take her time nicely with everything – not rush anything forward. Do check out Allan Ulrich's review in the Chronicle of a week ago, he saw the same cast you'll see ... Let us know what you think. Link to comment
PeggyR Posted February 3, 2015 Author Share Posted February 3, 2015 I was lucky enough to see Frances Chung's luminous debut Giselle on Saturday. When I saw her cast in the role, my immediate thought was that she would be superb in Act I; maybe less to in the second act. Not exactly the opposite was true, but the performance was very different from what I expected from this dancer who is so athletic and feisty in contemporary works. Her Act I Giselle was very low key: young, gently warm, and very vulnerable. The mad scene was refreshingly devoid of histrionics, although maybe just one histrionic would have been a good idea, something to create a little more contrast. Interesting approach, though. When she discovered Albrecht's deceit, she didn't exactly go mad; she just wilted, like all the water had been poured out of her vase. Chung really came into her own in Act II. Having mostly seen her in more modern ballets, I had no idea she has such an exquisite classical line, feather light and beautifully capturing the romantic style with seamless phrasing (and her pointe shoes were silent). What I really liked (and this was true of Froustey's debut last year, too), was that she carried the character of her Act I Giselle through into the second act. Sometimes it seems as if the second act is treated almost as an abstract ballet without much relation to what went on before. Chung kept her character's sweet gentleness intact in the white scenes, which made Albrecht seem like even more of a cad. It's encouraging to see Chung do so well since she's a dancer who has moved up the ranks at SFB, from corps, to soloist to principal. While I think Tomasson has made wise choices in the prinicpal dancers he as brought in, Chung (among others, of course) is an excellent example of how well developing from within can pay off. I've seen comments elsewhere that she is underestimated, and that's probably true, but this performance should rectify that mistake. Link to comment
Josette Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Thanks for your report, PeggyR. It's wonderful to hear how Frances Chung continues to develop as an artist. Link to comment
pherank Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Hey pherank, I saw Mathilde Froustey in Giselle last year, not the first one where she ripped through a skirt with the sword, but the second time out which a friend who saw both said was even better. It was very, very good, warmer and more nuanced than Kochetkova's I thought. Froustey seemed to take her time nicely with everything – not rush anything forward. Do check out Allan Ulrich's review in the Chronicle of a week ago, he saw the same cast you'll see ... Let us know what you think. FYI: SFB posted some images of her preparing for the performance - she just looks dead serious, and completely focused within. http://instagram.com/sfballet/ She also posted a nice blog article - Being Giselle (Google Translate can be used to produce a fairly readable English version): http://mathildefroustey.me/2015/01/31/being-giselle/ And here with the family, together in SF: http://instagram.com/p/yofv-8HrWi/?modal=true Link to comment
Globetrotter Posted February 5, 2015 Share Posted February 5, 2015 It seems every Giselle cast is good. I saw Sarah Van Patten's Giselle last night and she was spectacular. Everyone knows she can act. So it was her level of dancing that impressed me. She and Carlos are becoming excellent partners. Can't wait for their Romeo & Juliet. Link to comment
Josette Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 On the SFB casting, Mathilde Froustey is now shown as dancing Giselle instead of Lorena Feijoo on Tuesday, Feb. 10.. Link to comment
Josette Posted February 6, 2015 Share Posted February 6, 2015 In fact, Lorena is not listed as dancing in Serenade or Lambarena anymore. Shannon Rugani will be dancing one of the Lambarena performances. Link to comment
PeggyR Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 I bought a ticket for Tuesday just to see Feijoo, so I'm terribly disappointed she won't be dancing, but can't say I have any problems with Froustey as a substitute: she was glorious when I saw her last season. Really too bad about Feijoo, though. I hope she's OK. Link to comment
pherank Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I bought a ticket for Tuesday just to see Feijoo, so I'm terribly disappointed she won't be dancing, but can't say I have any problems with Froustey as a substitute: she was glorious when I saw her last season. Really too bad about Feijoo, though. I hope she's OK. I think you are very lucky, in any case. ;) I wish I could see Froustey's Giselle. Link to comment
Quiggin Posted February 9, 2015 Share Posted February 9, 2015 I saw last Tuesday's with Zahorian/Domitro/Molat/Stahl ... great cast all over. Mime was especially good, Molat's on target, great presence on stage, Domitro's so clear and clean and bright, really a standard. Katita Waldo's acting was very fine grained; she looked just as a Dutch period painting of Berthe would. And Clara Blanco's dancing in the first act was perfection – so light and articulate! Link to comment
pherank Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Giselle (Sunday Feb. 8 matinee)Giselle: Maria KochetkovaAlbrecht: Vitor LuizHilarion: Pascal MolatMyrtha: Jennifer StahlI'm not as much a fan of the old warhorse ballets as some - I should admit that - and wanted to see Froustey's take on this ballet, or nothing. But, I knew Masha was especially good with this type of role, and so I went (I had bought the season ticket months before). And Masha was in fact operating on a very high level - her mime acting was believable and nuanced, and her technical command of the steps within the Giselle choreography was astonishing that day. Her performance was "all of a piece", which is quite an accomplishment given the range of emotions that the lead dancer must pass through over the course of the ballet. Stahl danced well as Myrtha, and the audience was appreciative, and the Corps did very well as The Wilis - they received big applause (kudos to the audience for recognizing them so voiciferusly).Vitor Luiz was also dancing very well, though I wasn't as taken with his Albrecht, as I was with Kochetkova's Giselle. Pascal Molat was once again firing on all cylinders in his character role as Hilarion. I want to echo this review comment:"Many dancers play Hilarion as a brutish dolt whose greatest achievement will be dragging Giselle back to his cave. Pascal Molat presented a gentler, more intelligent character who is sincerely fond of Giselle and concerned for her well-being, though as heedless as Albrecht of unintended consequences." —Claudia Bauerhttp://dancetabs.com/2015/01/san-francisco-ballet-giselle-san-francisco-2/I'm already sad that Molat is retiring, so soon after Damian Smith, too. He's still doing some of his best work, right now, so make an effort to see him this season. Link to comment
Josette Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 I went to the February 6th performance of Giselle with Yuan Yuan Tan and David Karapetyan as the leads, Sofiane Sylve as Myrtha, and Ruben Martin Cintas as Hilarion. Though I enjoyed the performance by the company as a whole, I did not find Yuan Yuan Tan's performance moving. I say this with some regret, because I think she a uniquely gifted and beautiful dancer/actress. However, for me, there was no characterization (or projection) in the first act to make Giselle a real person, and the second act lacked the power of Giselle's deep, unconditional love and forgiveness that sustains and then redeems Albrecht. She certainly danced the second solo in the first act's Tomasson pas de deux with stunning musicality and beauty, but the heart of Giselle did not make it to the stage. I found myself watching Shannon Rugani as Bathilde (excellent characterization) instead of watching Giselle, because I could see what Bathilde was thinking, which made her interesting. Albrecht, David Karapetyan, danced superbly, as always, and was fully there for his Giselle. It is always an occasion to see Sofiane Sylve on stage, she danced brilliantly and with depth. I have to mention three of the dancers in the first act pas de cinq who were a delight for their dancing and stage presence: Esteban Hernandez, Mingxuan Wang, and Norika Matsuyama. Ms. Matsuyama was a revelation - she danced beyond technique with a plush grace. Link to comment
pherank Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Though I enjoyed the performance by the company as a whole, I did not find Yuan Yuan Tan's performance moving. Thanks for the write-up, Josette - I was wondering about the Tan/Karapetyan performance. I've heard more than once that Tan struggles with the Giselle role (and I think she has mentioned it herself). It's just not a character that she can easily relate to. Which brings up a point: I don't think Feijoo and Sylve have bothered to do the role in a long while (tell me if I'm wrong). So she probably could drop out of it if she really felt it wasn't working (especially with Chung now dancing the role too), but I suppose Tan doesn't give up easily. ;) I agree that Shannon Rugani is looking very good right now. Link to comment
pherank Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 For those looking forward to more story ballets, and Program 5: Don Quixote...Froustey as Kitri and Dulcinea https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNn9h-kFXNw Link to comment
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