Giselle

The cast is highlighted by National Ballet of Canada stars Karen Kain and Frank Augustyn: both in their prime.

There were highs and lows, in my view, associated with this Giselle.... To mention a few

The pros

- Separately, both Kain and Augustyn are excellent dancers; (see some of Mr. Ausgustyn's solos in the 2nd act). The emotional interpretations required in this ballet were generally well done by both principal dancers.

-The sets were detailed and attractive for both the village and forest scenes. The costumes were colorful for the main dancers as well as the corps de ballet, however the attire for the nobles in the latter part of the 1st scene was simply sumptuous.

-The camera work and film edit is, without doubt, the best of all the Giselles I've seen: the cameras tended to move in and out with the dancers on stage, so that there is not a lift or jump that is not viewed from the best vantage point.

The cons...

-The lack of spontaneity and enthusiastic response from a live audience in hard to measure and describe, but it definitely noticeable and sorely missed in this production.

-The audio is mono: maybe not a big point, but I must admit the having gotten used to listening to almost everything in Dolby Stereo, I now find mono really dull and lifeless.

-and last, I found that some of the lifts and glides from the pas de deux in the 2nd act were somewhat stiff and well... almost forced...even rushed. This is hard to understand in a movie version of a ballet: a dance segment could be repeated over and over until the perfect one was captured on film and edited into the final cut. Such is, unfortunately, not the case. Then again, maybe it was the choreographer who intended these maneuvers to be presented in this fashion. To me, the finale of this ballet is what Giselle is all about; Adam's haunting melodies accompanying those fabulous, smooth, unhurried lifts and glides that just leave me breathless and in awe of such unbelievable talent and skills. It just didn't happen in this Giselle.

All in all, this is a solid, well done performance (and you will probably never see a better filmed and edit production of Giselle), but the less than satisfying dancing interpretation shown in the pas de deux of the 2nd act has resulted in a Giselle that has been left wanting and me a little disappointed.

This Giselle is unusual because it has the the complete variaton of Myrtha at the start of the second act as well as a complete peasant pas de deux (actually using the a pas de six). The annoyingly directed Fracci/Bruhn ABT performance cuts out chunks of both variations.

I prefer the studio recording. Dancer take more risks in a studio and the result is bolder steps and higher leaps - also helped by the fact that the loud sound of shoes impacting the ground can be silences in a studio.

Strongly recommend it