The history of Giselle’s creation and the many hands that assisted it on its way before and since its opening success in 1841 takes some telling and name-dropping. Romantic poet Théophile Gautier sort of set the ball rolling. He, in turn, was influenced by Victor Hugo and Heinrich Heine. And so it goes.
Skipping quickly to the twentieth century, many famous Russian dancers, such as Pavlova, Karsavina and more, brought it to Europe. Skeaping (1902–1984) was influenced by Pavlova, in whose ballet company she danced briefly in 1925. Karsavina taught Mary Skeaping the mime sequences. As a trained musician, she then set to fixing and finding the original score.
In 1971, Skeaping was commissioned by ENB’s then artistic director, Dame Beryl Grey, to create a new production to celebrate the company’s 21st birthday, and now here it is celebrating its 75th, brought back swiftly after its success exactly a year go, to which one has little to add. It is enthralling.
Skeaping’s restoration makes for a very gentle production: no pyrotechnics, just a life blighted for being too trusting, and it touches the heart. Like Giselle, one trusts Albrecht—he doesn't seem a dastardly aristocrat out for a bit on the side. And neither is Bathilde (Stina Quagebeur), Albrecht’s fiancée, a nasty piece of work. She is kind to Giselle.
It is the rough-hewed woodcutter Hilarion who sees through the young man’s modesty, finds his noble man’s sword and turns on him, causing fragile Giselle to lose her mind and life. Jealous Hilarion (Fabian Reimair) destroys himself in the process. The Wilis see to that, making short work of his protests. Sadly, he destroys innocent Giselle, who manages to save Albrecht. Now that's true love. She keeps him dancing till the red sky and church bells herald the dawn.
I pay more attention to the music this time and notice how it presages what will come. The drama is all there, and the English National Ballet Philharmonic is on fine form conducted by the ever-reliable Gavin Sutherland. A special spine-tingling musical moment is when Albrecht, in billowing velvet cloak, appears looking for the grave in the forest, lilies in his hand.
Giselle is stronger than any of them think. In the other life, she takes on the Wilis, ghosts of jilted girls, and their bitter queen Myrtha (a commanding Precious Adams), who in this version dominates the stage for quite some time. Delicate Giselle wins, protecting Albrecht from their vengeance. How will he live with his guilt and grief, one wonders… will he mope like Hamlet?
From a bucolic, russet autumn wine harvest celebrating (the Peasant pas de deux from Ivan Bueno and Noam Durand is lovely) small village setting (design David Walker) to the ghostly night when spirits roam and frighten gamekeepers, we have two stories in one. The anticipation, the foreboding of the first act, keeps us on the edge of our seats for the second.
It is always the second act that has the most demanding choreography, though Skeaping shows us how the leads maintain their first act style in the second, just raising it up a few notches. Towards the end of the first act when she loses her mind, Giselle runs unseeing past Albrecht, exactly as they will run past each other in the second until love makes them see. She scatters petals over him in absolution or benediction before she fades away. Petals play a part in predicting whether their love will last in the first act.
Only six performances this time, two (first night and a sold-out last night) danced by lead principal Erina Takahashi as Giselle with Francesco Gabriele Frola as her Albrecht. Takahashi is retiring from dancing with this her valedictory Giselle (she was also a Giselle in Akram Khan’s version). She will remain with the company as Repetiteur, but it must be a melancholy occasion, which one feels she can pour into the role of a trusting young girl traduced by two men.
Takahashi said, “these will be very special performances for me as I say goodbye and thank you to English National Ballet’s audiences that have watched me dance over the years. I want to dedicate my last few shows to every person that has helped me so far on my journey—I will be forever grateful for your support, thank you for giving me the chance to do what I love. After over 29 years performing, I’m now excited to embark on my next chapter with the Company as Repetiteur where I’ll be able to pass on my knowledge to the next generation of dancers.”