PONTUS LIDBERG has created his own new romantic Giselle in Geneva.

Review by Henning Høholt. Photos: Gregory Batardon

GENEVA: Following in the steps of Michel Fokine, Serge Lifar or indeed Mats Ek, the young Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidberg offers his version of Giselle.’ The world premiere of this exciting new production for the Grand Théâtre de Genève Ballet Company was 2nd October and will run until 7!th October 2102 at Geneva’s Grand Théâtre, with a musical accompaniment by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, conducted by Philippe Béran.

In Lidbergs version of Giselle, we are in an upstairs – downstairs situation, looking to be in a rich house in the 1950-60′ somewhere with a family with relations and a staff taking care of the housing. Giselle is coming an immigration family from East-Europe, Rich and pour, Upstairs and downstairs is illustrated with the only scenographic elements by Patrick Bogård, which are sliding pictures from the house interior where the history is going on. Lifted down and up again, in front of the back wall. Bogård is also light responsible
. Visual scenic effects by Zaria Forman

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Albrecht, the son from uppstairs has got in contact with the beautiful Giselle working in the house downstairs. It seems to be “love by first sight”, and Albrecht does all he can to be together with Giselle.

This gives Lidberg the posibility to create long pas de deu parts allready from the opening, which works well bestween the two splendid dancers, the light and very graciouse Sarawanee Tanatanit and her Albrecht the handsome, masculin Damiano Artale, they both has the sensitivity and musicality, whoch does it to a pleasure to enjoy their dancing movements.

 

Pontus Lidberg perceives a timeless story of unexpected and unrequited love in Giselle. In his reading of the Romantic fairy tale for the Grand Théâtre de Genève Ballet Company, class and ethnic background separate a contemporary Giselle and Albrecht, and the spirits of the Willis are the memories of people that haunt us for the rest of our lives.

In Lidbergs Giselle we dont find any of the “traditional” Giselle steps or details. But it is still based on the traditional Giselle history. He has created his own dancing language, a combination of contemporary and classical dance.

It work well, he knows his own dancing language, he is inspired by the music to give each detailed part its own expression, i had the feeling ofa difference between the downstairs simplified movements, and the grandiosity when upstairs, a grandiosity that Giselle is following up, through the impressions she has got from her contact with Albrecht, and through that Lidberg expresses these historytelling details in a beautiful way, the audiences hearts are touched. The dancing language is full of lifts, and close touchingmby hand and body, which underlines the wishing to be together between the beloved couple.

When Giselle understands the realite that Albrecht has already promised him self to Bertha, and still he loves Giselle, he has to follow the arrangements planed, her heart is brooken and she deside to kill her self, and does that by using Hilarions pistol from his Uniform outfit.

As usual the young lovers are being disturbed by Hilarion, who in this case is a soldier figure, which in the Lidberg version is giving much more dance than this role use to have. Hilarion is very well formed by the virtuose, tuff and strong Nathanael Marie.

The mother of Giselle, Madeline Wongis in this case a double role as she also is performing Myrtha i n the second part.  But in Lidbergs visiob of Giselle the second part is a ghost party, where it is like in a dream that ghost are participating, all of the participants from the first part, but now dressed in white.

Usually the Wilis wants to let Albrecht dance until he dies. Since this version not are having the same idea, and its isthe female and male ghost who dances, the second act is more a revival of  the events in first act, but still with solos for Myrtha/Giselles mother, it ends up with all thee corpz des ballets on stage in a good formed group dance. After that Albert and Giselle alone,nril a black wall is lovering from the roof, and slightly are splitting them from eachother, so Albrecht in the end is sitting alone, and only has left his memories from the last acts dreamin reunion with the dead Giselle.

However the beautiful music by Adolphe Adam, which is in the very best hands of the Orchestra de la Suisse Romande, who plays absolutely wonderful conducted with good musicality by Philippe Beran. Full of romantic feeling, power, beautiful details from all the orchestral groups and many great solo parts. With pleasure  i noted that the Giselle music had got a small add from the famouse opening music of the great finale from A Folk Tale to be used for three male dancers variation, gave this little jumping part an extra lift.

First the costumes looked a bit strange to me, but after a while i understod that the East-Europe imigration family downstairs still was close to their roots in their dressing inclusive scarfs, the idea of what the costume designer Rachel Quarmby-Spadiccini has in her mind, and when we came to the exact time, when Giselle is putting on the wedding dress, planed for the wedding between his fiancee Bathilde, then it gave me an echanting touch, which continued through all the performance.

Giselle is a dream come through, for the Geneva balletchief Philippe Cohen, that he wanted added to the ballet repertoire in Geneva, but in a new version. I also have the feeling that with Giselle are dear memories for Cohen, as he as young dancer, him self, was dancing in Giselle with the famouse italian ballerina Carla Fracci.

The enthusiastic audience payd their tribute to the company, the outstanding soloists, orchestra and all the production staff leaded by the choreographer Pontus Lidberg. – a success!

History:

Giselle (French: Giselle ou les Wilis) is aballet in two acts usually based on a by Jules-Henry Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier, music by Adolphe Adam, and choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot. The librettist took his inspiration from a poem by Heinrich Heine. The ballet tells the story of a peasant girl named Giselle whose ghost, after her premature death, protects her lover from the vengeance of a group of evil female spirits called Wilis (a type of Slavic fairy). Giselle was first presented in France on 28 June 1841. The choreography in modern productions generally derives from the revivals of Marius Petipa for the IMpåerial Russian Ballet (1884, 1899, 1903).