Alexei Ratmansky's Giselle

[Roberta]

Hello. Do any of our Russia-based (or other) friends have any news on Ratmansky's Giselle? Will this be another reconstruction?

This production is set to premiere in November, with a live cinemascast on 26 January (at 12:55PM in the eastern USA). Several DC-area theaters are already announcing it.

https://www.fathomevents.com/events/bolshoi1920-giselle

Edited November 25, 2019 by Roberta
removed "updates?" from the title, as the premiere happened

[cubanmiamiboy]

Hi Roberta. I really hope there are updates on this, as it is quite a monumental task to touch this important work. If the muses would behave , then they would work to inspire Ratmansky to reconstruct two scenes. One being the "Fugue des Willis", which I have always visualized, and then the very ending "Lever du soleil et arrivee de la cour (Sunrise and the Arrival of the Court)", in which a totally different dramatic turn would had to be employed, with Giselle pardoning Albrecht in front of everyone, including Bathilde, and sort of releasing him to go with her before ascending to the heavens. Bathilde would then be a completely different animal than the short lived imperious princess we all came to know. According to the written sources, in this scene she's seen weeping and trembling, while Abrecht is supposed to get at peace with his fiancee. 

Cool, right....?

Edited October 6, 2019 by cubanmiamiboy

[Helene]

In the PNB version, Bathilde seeks out the mourning Albrecht in the woods at the end of the ballet.

I always think of this as the Forgiveness Sandwich.   Depending on the person in the middle, not always an easy place to spend your days.

[cubanmiamiboy]

3 hours ago, Helene said:

In the PNB version, Bathilde seeks out the mourning Albrecht in the woods at the end of the ballet.

I always think of this as the Forgiveness Sandwich.   Depending on the person in the middle, not always an easy place to spend your days.

How interesting. 

 

[Deflope]

Judging by world Ballet Day rehearsals, it looks like it will be Krysanova-Motta Soares, Ovcharenko-Denisova and Vinogradova-Podubnyak in the lead roles. 

[MadameP]

1 hour ago, Deflope said:

Judging by world Ballet Day rehearsals, it looks like it will be Krysanova-Motta Soares, Ovcharenko-Denisova and Vinogradova-Podubnyak in the lead roles. 

Olga Smirnova also said she is to be dancing, although she was not rehearsing because of having a light day before Raymonda...

[annaewgn]

Casting is up. 

Giselle will be danced by Smirnova on the 21st and 23rd with Belyakov as Albrecht. Krysanova and Ovcharenko on the 22nd & 24th. Nikulina and Tissi on the matinee on the 23rd. 

The men dancing Hans are: Biktimirov, Dorokhov, Savichev. 

Bathilde: Meskova, Kobakhidze, Balukova. 

Two Wilis: Denisova & Zhiganshina, Turazashvili & Vlashinets, Bochkova & Skvortsova. 

Myrthas are casted, however the dates they're performing have not been assigned: Shipulina, Kovalyova, Fyodorova, and Vlashinets.   With only five shows, and four Myrthas, based on the cast trends of Giselle/Albrecht, Hans, Bathilde, and the Willis (two of the casts getting two shows, one cast getting only one show), I am going to guess Shipulina and Kovalyova get two shows, and either Fyodorova or Vlashinets gets the other. Or maybe I'm wrong entirely. 

The Peasant Pas: Khokhlova & Putintsev, Bochkova & Mkrtchyan, Postnova & Kemenov, Mishina & Poddubnyak, Kokorova & Gusev. 

[Roberta]

Casting has been updated to show who's dancing Myrtha. Vlashinets dances at the premiere on Wednesday; Schipulina at the 2nd cast and Kovalyova the 3rd.

Ratmansky's Facebook shows photos of the two sets. Designer Perdziola is basically following the Benois designs to a T. Very traditional look, in other words.

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Roberta

[Roberta]

On ‎10‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 4:23 PM, cubanmiamiboy said:

Hi Roberta. I really hope there are updates on this, as it is quite a monumental task to touch this important work. If the muses would behave , then they would work to inspire Ratmansky to reconstruct two scenes. One being the "Fugue des Willis", which I have always visualized, and then the very ending "Lever du soleil et arrivee de la cour (Sunrise and the Arrival of the Court)", in which a totally different dramatic turn would had to be employed, with Giselle pardoning Albrecht in front of everyone, including Bathilde, and sort of releasing him to go with her before ascending to the heavens. Bathilde would then be a completely different animal than the short lived imperious princess we all came to know. According to the written sources, in this scene she's seen weeping and trembling, while Abrecht is supposed to get at peace with his fiancee. 

Cool, right....?

Cubanmiamiboy, according to this Nov 15 interview in Kommersant, it appears as if your wishes will come true, such as seeing the original ending of Giselle, in which Giselle points to Bathilde and the court entourage, directing Albrecht to go back to his fiancée. He'll do so and give her flowers - forgiveness all around!  https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4149723

This new-old Bolshoi version should be a real treat, in which Ratmansky has consulted all known 19th-C and early-20th-C sources on Giselle, not just the Petipa-era Harvard Stepanov notes but also sources that Doug Fullington and Marian Smith used to stage their version of the ballet in Seattle a few years ago (for ex., Paris repetiteur Titus' notes on Adam's score, Henri Justamant's 1860s manuscript describing the Paris version, even drawings by Imperial Ballet First Soloist Pavel Gerdt detailing the Act III pdd-adagio).

The Seattle version included lost bits, such as the Fugue des Willis, so I'm hoping that we'll see that at the Bolshoi, although Ratmansky does not specifically mention it in the Kommersant interview. (He does specifically mention the new-old final scene with Albrecht returning to Bathilde. Ratmansky also seems to chuckle that he's pretty sure that Russian audiences will be surprised!)

How lucky for all of us to be seeing this version in cinemas, come January 26!

Edited November 19, 2019 by Roberta

[cubanmiamiboy]

3 hours ago, Roberta said:

Cubanmiamiboy, according to this Nov 15 interview in Kommersant, it appears as if your wishes will come true, such as seeing the original ending of Giselle, in which Giselle points to Bathilde and the court entourage, directing Albrecht to go back to his fiancée. He'll do so and give her flowers - forgiveness all around!  https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4149723

This new-old Bolshoi version should be a real treat, in which Ratmansky has consulted all known 19th-C and early-20th-C sources on Giselle, not just the Petipa-era Harvard Stepanov notes but also sources that Doug Fullington and Marian Smith used to stage their version of the ballet in Seattle a few years ago (for ex., Paris repetiteur Titus' notes on Adam's score, Henri Justamant's 1860s manuscript describing the Paris version, even drawings by Imperial Ballet First Soloist Pavel Gerdt detailing the Act III pdd-adagio).

The Seattle version included lost bits, such as the Fugue des Willis, so I'm hoping that we'll see that at the Bolshoi, although Ratmansky does not specifically mention it in the Kommersant interview. (He does specifically mention the new-old final scene with Albrecht returning to Bathilde. Ratmansky also seems to chuckle that he's pretty sure that Russian audiences will be surprised!)

How lucky for all of us to be seeing this version in cinemas, come January 26!

Such wonderful news! I'm a hardcore supporter of ballet libretti faithfulness. We need to see the story as it was intended, just as operas. I need to go see this. Thanks, Roberta, for the heads-up! 

[sandik]

It sounds like it shares several elements with the Pacific Northwest Ballet production, which Doug Fullington and Marion Smith contributed to.  The production ends with a forgiveness scene, as Helene mentions earlier in this thread, and restores some of the additional byplay (including a comic scene towards the beginning of act II where the village men find themselves in the forest after midnight.)  The company will be performing it in the spring (April 9-19), which gives the opportunity for some compare and contrast fun.  There's also a couple of educational events planned, including a symposium, during the second weekend -- if you're in the vicinity, it should be well worth the visit.

[Roberta]

This is all very tempting for a trip in April, Sandik. Thank you!

 

Cubanmiamiboy, having carefully re-read the Ratmansky interview in Kommersant, I can confirm that his version of Giselle for the Bolshoi will include the rare "Fugue of the Willis" repeat near the end, when the Willis try to ensnare Albrecht. Ratmansky mentions this, in the context of the importance of Giselle's tombstone in the form of a cross...the Willis become angry and form a circle around Albrecht, trying to  pull him to his death, when they see the rays of sunlight making a shadow in the form of the Christian cross. Very interesting stuff.

I also love that Ratmansky pointed out, in answer to Kommersant's Qs about possible resistance to changes, that the Bolshoi dancers were all very positive and did not resist the changes to their existing version(s) of Giselle. Ratmansky also noted, near the end of the interview, that the idea to create a new-old Giselle based on historically-informed sources, was that of Bolshoi Ballet A.D. Vaziev.  Ratmansky himself had not even thought about tackling Giselle until Vaziev's invitation. He could not resist.

[California]

14 hours ago, sandik said:

It sounds like it shares several elements with the Pacific Northwest Ballet production, which Doug Fullington and Marion Smith contributed to.  The production ends with a forgiveness scene, as Helene mentions earlier in this thread, and restores some of the additional byplay (including a comic scene towards the beginning of act II where the village men find themselves in the forest after midnight.)  The company will be performing it in the spring (April 9-19), which gives the opportunity for some compare and contrast fun.  There's also a couple of educational events planned, including a symposium, during the second weekend -- if you're in the vicinity, it should be well worth the visit.

I will be very interested in learning how the Ratmansky version compares with the historic reconstruction for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Will the Bolshoi version be shown on film or released on DVD? I hope so. Most unfortunately, due to some other unavoidable commitments, I will once again miss the PNB version, alas!

[Helene]

For us in Seattle, it will be interesting to see if there are any changes/adjustments in the upcoming run, like they did between the premiere and second time PNB performed it. (The new, company-owned sets and costumes were added for the second run.)

It will also be interesting to see casting, given the retirements and changes in rank since even that second run, and also to compare how Ratmansky casts his version compared to the types of dancers who have been cast in Seattle.

[sandik]

2 hours ago, California said:

I will be very interested in learning how the Ratmansky version compares with the historic reconstruction for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Will the Bolshoi version be shown on film or released on DVD? I hope so. Most unfortunately, due to some other unavoidable commitments, I will once again miss the PNB version, alas!

It looks like the Fathom Events screening of Giselle in January will be of the new Ratmansky production.  I don't know if they have a DVD in mind -- sometimes these screenings result in a DVD, and sometimes they don't.

[Roberta]

2 hours ago, California said:

I will be very interested in learning how the Ratmansky version compares with the historic reconstruction for Pacific Northwest Ballet. Will the Bolshoi version be shown on film or released on DVD? I hope so. Most unfortunately, due to some other unavoidable commitments, I will once again miss the PNB version, alas!

The new-old Bolshoi version will be cinemascast live on 26 January. The presenter in N. Am. is Fathom Events. You can search for a theatre near you via this website: https://www.fathomevents.com/events/bolshoi1920-giselle

As for a commercial DVD being issued, we don't know yet. Some of the Bolshoi Ballet screenings, such as the recent Coppelia starring Margarita Schreiner, make it onto DVD/Bluray. We'll just have to wait.

I wouldn't be surprised if there's an unofficial link between the two productions. Although not specifically mentioned in the Kommersant interview, I wouldn't be surprised if Ratmansky is aware of the details of the PNB production. Ratmansky has collaborated in the past with Doug Fullington (Munich Paquita and, to a lesser degree, the ABT Sleeping Beauty). A friendly meeting of minds!

[California]

After reading the Suclas review (linked elsewhere on this site: ), I really, really hope Bolshoi brings this production of Giselle to North America next year -- Kennedy Center? Lincoln Center? California? I'll find a way to get there. Sounds like a real treat. Still wishing I could figure out  how to get to Seattle to see that version.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/arts/dance/giselle-bolshoi-review.html

[Roberta]

This GISELLE sounds like a winner. Two more excellent reviews in English, with lovely photos:

Catherine Pawlick, for Vaganova Today:

http://www.vaganovatoday.com/giselle-restored-ratmanskys-revival-at-the-bolshoi-november-2019

Marina Harss for Dance Tabs:

https://dancetabs.com/2019/11/bolshoi-ballet-giselle-ratmansky-premiere-moscow/ 

Lastly, folks with access to Instagram will be able to see chilling photos of the Willis' famous formation of the Christian Cross:

 

[sandik]

On 11/24/2019 at 7:18 AM, California said:

After reading the Suclas review (linked elsewhere on this site: ), I really, really hope Bolshoi brings this production of Giselle to North America next year -- Kennedy Center? Lincoln Center? California? I'll find a way to get there. Sounds like a real treat. Still wishing I could figure out  how to get to Seattle to see that version.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/22/arts/dance/giselle-bolshoi-review.html

I'll report back.

[Buddy]

I’ve read about ten reviews and comments. I’d be interested to see it. This Instagram clip of Olga Smirnova (especially) and Artemy Belyakov looks rather impressive. She has the  ability to adapt admirably to most anything. What I can't tell from this clip is to what extent she creates her own remarkable identity, which is a key to a certain kind of greatness that I think that she possesses.

(Once you click on the video and move the arrow to the upper left, two opposite arrows appear and clicking on them will make the image full screen size)

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5JA6OCg15U/

(posted by Artemy Belyakov)

Edited November 28, 2019 by Buddy

[California]

Two things of  interest on YouTube about this production:

A documentary made by the Bolshoi (no English subtitles, alas):

Rehearsal shots with Ratmansky (and English captioning): 

 

[Olga]

Thanks for posting, California. 

[sandik]

Big fun, both videos!

[DD6948]

Casting is up for the cinema broadcast on Sunday, Jan 26:

CAST
Giselle: Olga Smirnova
Count Albrecht: Artemy Belyakov
Berthe, Giselle’s Mother: Anna Antropova
Hans, The Gamekeeper: Denis Savin
Giselle’s Friends: Xenia Averina, Bruna Cantanhede Galianone, Anonina Chapkina,
Olga Kishnyova, Elizabeta Kruteleva, Yulia Skvortsova, Tatiana Tiliguzova, Alexandra Trikoz
Peasant Pas de Deux: Daria Khokhlova, Alexei Putintsev
Bathilde: Nelli Kobakhidze
Myrtha: Angelina Vlashinets
Moina: Xenia Zhiganshina
Zulma: Anastasia Denisova

 

 

[sandik]

Looking forward to seeing this at the end of the month.