In 1840, Adan, already a famous composer, returned to Paris from St. Petersburg, where he followed Maria Taglioni, the famous French dancer who performed in Russia from 1837 to 1842. Having written the ballet “The Sea Robber” for Taglioni in St. Petersburg, in Paris he began working on the next ballet, “Giselle”. The script has been created French poet Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) according to an ancient legend recorded by Heinrich Heine - about the Wilis - girls who died from unhappy love, who, having turned into magical creatures, dance to death the young people they meet at night, taking revenge on them for their ruined lives. To give the action a non-specific character, Gautier deliberately mixed countries and titles: placing the scene in Thuringia, he made Albert the Duke of Silesia (he is called a count in later versions of the libretto), and the bride's father a prince (in later versions he is a duke) of Courland. The famous librettist, the skilled author of many libretti, Jules Saint-Georges (1799-1875) and Jean Coralli (1779-1854), participated in the work on the script. Coralli (real name Peraccini) worked for many years at La Scala in Milan, and then at theaters in Lisbon and Marseille. In 1825 he came to Paris and from 1831 became choreographer of the Grand Opera, then called the Royal Academy of Music and Dance. Several of his ballets were performed here. Thirty-year-old Jules Joseph Perrault (1810-1892) also took an active part in the production of the ballet. An extremely talented dancer, a student of the famous Vestris, he was extremely ugly, and therefore his ballet career was not successful. Conflicting information remains about his life. It is known that he spent several years in Italy, where he met the very young Carlotta Grisi, who, thanks to her classes with him, became an outstanding ballerina. For Carlotta, who soon became his wife, Perrault created the role of Giselle.
The ballet premiered June 28, 1841 year on the stage of the Paris Grand Opera. The choreographic composition was borrowed by the choreographers from La Sylphide, staged by F. Taglioni nine years earlier and which presented the romantic concept of ballet to the public for the first time. As in “La Sylphide,” which became a new word in art, in “Giselle” the cantilence of plasticity appeared, the adagio form was improved, dance became the main means of expression and received poetic spirituality. The solo “fantastic” parts included various flights, creating the impression of airiness of the characters. The dances of the corps de ballet were also decided in the same vein. In “earthly”, non-fantastic images, the dance acquired national character and increased emotionality. The heroines stood up on pointe shoes, their dance in virtuosity began to resemble the work of virtuoso instrumentalists of that time. It was in “Giselle” that ballet romanticism was finally established and the symphonization of music and ballet began.
A year later, in 1842, “Giselle” was staged on the stage of the St. Petersburg Bolshoi Theater by the French choreographer Antoine Titus Dochi, better known as Titus. This production largely reproduced the Parisian performance, with the exception of some modifications in the dances. Six years later, Perrault and Grisi, who came to St. Petersburg, brought new colors to the performance. The next edition of the ballet for the Mariinsky Theater was carried out in 1884 by the famous choreographer Marius Petipa (1818-1910). Later, Soviet choreographers resumed the previous productions in various theaters. The published clavier (Moscow, 1985) states: “Choreographic text by J. Perrot, J. Coralli, M. Petipa, revised by L. Lavrovsky.”
Libretto of the ballet
Fantastic ballet in two acts
Libretto by J.-A.-V. Saint-Georges and T. Gautier. Choreographers J. Coralli and J. Perrault.
First performance: Paris, « Grand Opera ", 28 June 1841
Characters
Duke Albert of Silesia, dressed as a peasant. Prince of Courland. Wilfried, the Duke's squire. Hilarion the forester. Old peasant. Bathilda, the Duke's bride. Giselle, peasant woman. Bertha, Giselle's mother. Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis. Zulma. Monna.
The legend underlying the ballet « Giselle, or Wilis ».
In Slavic countries there is a legend about night dancers called “Wilis”. Wilis - brides who died on the eve of the wedding; these unfortunate young creatures cannot rest in the grave. In their faded hearts, the love for dance, which they did not have time to enjoy in life, did not extinguish. At midnight they rise from their graves and gather along the roads; and woe to the young man who met them: he must dance with them until he falls dead.
In wedding dresses, with wreaths on their heads, with rings on their hands, in the light of the moon, like elves, the Wilis dance; their faces, whiter than snow, still sparkle with the beauty of youth. They laugh cheerfully and insidiously, beckoning seductively; their whole appearance is full of such sweet promises that these deceased bacchantes are irresistible.
Ballet in 2 acts.
Duration: 1 hour 50 minutes, with one intermission.
Composer: Adolf Adam
Libretto: Théophile Gautier and Henry Saint-Georges
Choreography: Georges Coralli, Jules Perrot, Marius Petipa, edited by L. Titova.
Production designer - Yuri Samodurov
Lighting designer- Nikolay Lobov
Costume designer— Olga Titova
About ballet
“Giselle” is one of the best creations of French romanticism, incredibly beautiful and sad, playing on the strings of the soul. Idyll and tragedy, selfless love and cruel deception, revenge and selflessness, the real and fantastic world - everything is intertwined in this performance, encouraging the viewer to empathize with the characters.
The premiere of the ballet “Giselle” took place on June 28, 1841 at the Le Peletier theater in Paris. In December 1842, this performance was staged for the first time in Russia. Since then, the choreography of Georges Coralli and Jules Perrault has undergone many changes, but the deadly dance of the Willis in the ancient cemetery is just as airy and beautiful, and in the duet of Count Albert and the ghost dead girl Giselle still sounds remorse and forgiveness, despair and reassurance. The bewitching music of A. Adam, the play of light and shadow, the flight of white slippers in the night fog creates a mystical atmosphere, the illusion of contact with a fantastic afterlife.
True love lives beyond the line of death - this is the main message of “Giselle”.
Libretto
Act I
Quiet mountain village in the south of France. Bertha lives with her daughter Giselle in a small house. The neighboring hut is rented by Albert, Giselle's lover. Dawn came, the peasants went to work. Meanwhile, the forester Hans, in love with Giselle, watches her meeting with Albert from a secluded place, and is tormented by jealousy. Seeing the passionate hugs and kisses of the lovers, he runs up to them and condemns the girl for such behavior. Albert sends him away. Hans vows revenge. Soon Giselle's friends appear, and she dances with them. Bertha tries to prevent the fun, noticing that her daughter has a weak heart, fatigue and excitement are dangerous to her life, but the girl does not listen to her.
The sounds of hunting are heard. Albert is afraid of being recognized and runs away. The forester appears, tormented by the stranger's secret. Hearing the approaching hunt, Hans penetrates the window of Albert's hut.
A magnificent procession appears, led by the Duke, Albert’s father. Giselle and her mother warmly welcome the guests, including Bathilde, Albert’s fiancée. Seeing how delighted Giselle is with her dress, Bathilda wonders what the girl is doing and whether she is in love. Giselle's modesty and shyness endear her to nobles. Bathilda gives the girl a precious necklace for her wedding day. The Duke retires with Bathilda to rest in Giselle’s house and leaves his horn to blow if necessary. Everyone leaves. An alarmed Hans appears. Now he knows the stranger’s secret: in his hands is Albert’s stolen sword with the family coat of arms.
Young people gather. The peasants are dancing. Giselle and Albert join in the general fun. Everyone joyfully greets the happy young couple. Outraged by Albert's deception and Giselle's trusting love for him, Hans interrupts the dancing and shows everyone his sword. Giselle does not believe Hans, she begs Albert to say that this is a lie. Then Hans blows the horn left by the Duke.
Noble guests appear, accompanied by courtiers. Everyone recognizes their young count in Albert in disguise. Convinced of the deception, Giselle realizes that Bathilda is Albert’s fiancée. In despair, Giselle tears off the necklace and throws it at Bathilde's feet. Her consciousness becomes clouded. Exhausted by grief, she falls unconscious. The mother rushes to her daughter, but Giselle does not recognize her. She's gone crazy. Scenes of fortune telling, vows, and a gentle dance with Albert flash by.
Accidentally bumping into a sword, Giselle takes it in her hands and begins to spin around unconsciously. The sword, like an iron snake, pursues her and is ready to plunge into the chest of the unfortunate girl. Hans pulls out the sword, but Giselle’s sick heart can’t stand it and she dies. Albert, distraught with grief, tries to kill himself, but is not allowed to do so.
Act II
At night among the graves of the village cemetery in moonlight Ghostly Willis appear - brides who died before the wedding. The Willies notice the forester. Tormented by remorse, he came to Giselle’s grave. By order of their inexorable mistress Myrta, the Willis circle him in a ghostly round dance until he falls dead.
But Albert cannot forget the deceased Giselle. In the dead of night he also comes to her grave. The Willies immediately surround the young man. Albert also faces the terrible fate of the forester. But the shadow of Giselle that appears, preserving love, protects and saves the young man from the wrath of the Willis. Giselle is just an elusive shadow, but responding to Albert’s pleas, she allows herself to be touched.
With the first rays rising sun and with the sound of a bell the jeeps disappear. Giselle says goodbye to her lover forever, but she will remain in Albert's memory as an eternal regret for his lost love.
Wandered around Europe, collecting the then fashionable folk legends, legends, fairy tales Heinrich Heine. One of the legends recorded by the poet told about the Vilis girls. And it ended with these words: “In their faded hearts, in their dead legs, the love of dance remained, which they did not manage to satisfy during their lives, and at midnight they rise, gather in round dances at high road, and woe to the young man who meets them! He will have to dance with them until he falls dead..." Almost simultaneously with Heine's travel notes, Victor Hugo also published a cycle of new poems, the main character of which was a fifteen-year-old Spanish girl named Giselle. More than anything in the world, she loved to dance. Death overtook the girl in doors of the ballroom, where she, not knowing fatigue, danced all night. The works of two romantic poets - German and French, full of mysterious beauty, obscure visions and spirits, seemed specially created for the ballet "Life - Dance - Death" - such. seductive for choreography literary material appears once every hundred years. And Théophile Gautier, the most famous ballet lebrettist of the 19th century, could not resist the temptation. Very soon the first version of the script for the ballet about the Wilis came out of his pen. It seemed to have everything that was needed theater performance of that time - the pale light of the moon, and the ballroom with an enchanted floor, and dancing ghosts. But as Gautier believed, something essential, very important was missing from the libretto. Devoid of sick pride, Gautier invited the well-known playwright and screenwriter Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges as a co-author. This is how the script for one of the saddest and most beautiful ballets, Giselle, was born. Its plot told about the love of a peasant girl for Count Albert. Fascinated by this romantic story, composer Adolf Adam wrote the music for the play in ten days.
Soon Jules Perrot began staging Giselle at the Grand Opera. In his fate, human and creative, this ballet played a strange, fatal role. He brought true immortality to Perrault the choreographer, but destroyed his life, depriving him of happiness and love. The woman of his life was Carlotta Grisi. Perrault was born in France in the city of Leon, where he received his ballet education.
In 1825 he came to Paris, dreaming of dancing on the stage of the Opera. There was no money to live on, and to earn it, the young man performed in the evenings at the Port Saint-Martin theater, portraying a monkey. During the day he attended Auguste Vestris's advanced training class. His performances on the stage of the Grand Opera together with Taglioni were a huge success. Perrault's dance, technically impeccable, courageous and energetic, had nothing in common with the sugary affectation that was then in fashion among Opera artists. But the all-powerful Maria Taglioni, who had unlimited power in the theater, did not want to share her glory with anyone. The management immediately satisfied the whim of the “star, or etoile”. And twenty-four-year-old Perrault, without explanation, immediately found himself on the street. He wandered around Europe for a long time until he ended up in Naples, where he met two lovely girls - the Grisi sisters. Perrault fell in love with 14-year-old Carlotta at first sight.
Senorita Grisi was not new to the theater. From the age of seven she studied dance in Milan, and at ten she was already a soloist in the children's corps de ballet of La Scala. Carlotta had a wonderful voice. Many predicted a brilliant career for her opera singer. But she chose ballet. Spending many hours in the rehearsal class, she achieved enormous success in dance with the help of smart advice from Perrault, who was ready to do anything for the sake of his Italian Galatea. They got married when the girl reached adulthood. We danced together in Vienna. But cherished dream both had the stage of the Grand Opera. Arriving in Paris, they waited a long time for news from the Opera. Finally the invitation came, but, alas, only for Grisi. The doors of the theater were closed forever for Perrault the dancer.
Dancer Jules Perrot has died. But he was replaced by another Perrault-genius choreographer, the author of “Giselle”. The appearance of this performance was supposed to reveal to the spoiled Parisian spectator new star, not inferior to Taglioni - Carlotta Grisi. Perrault worked like a man possessed. A whirlwind romance Grisi with Théophile Gautier was no longer a secret to anyone. Perrault was the last to know about this. Fury and despair seized him, and, leaving the ballet unfinished, he fled from Paris.
Fatal love triangle, which connected until his death the lives of J. Perrot, C. Grisi and T. Gautier
On June 28, 1841, the premiere of “Giselle, or the Wilis” took place at the Opera with Carlotta Grisi and Lucien Petipa (the brother of Marius Petipa) in the lead roles. The choreographer was Georges Coralli, who completed the production. Perrault's name was not even mentioned in the poster....
Act one
A village in the south of France. Giselle lives in a small house with her old mother. The young Count Albert appears and hastily hides in a nearby hut. Having changed into a peasant dress, Albert leaves the house, accompanied by a squire. He loves Giselle dearly and rejects the squire’s persuasion not to seduce the girl. Albert angrily orders the squire to leave and knocks on the door of Giselle's house. Albert and Giselle are frolicking like children. Their dance is interrupted by the appearance of the forester Hans. He also loves Giselle and warns the girl about Albert's bad intentions. An angry Albert drives Hans away.
Giselle's friends appear, and together with her they spin in a cheerful dance. Giselle's mother, worried about her daughter's health, stops dancing. She is afraid that Giselle will die so early from dancing and turn into a jeep - an evil spirit that lures passers-by at night into its destructive round dance.
The sounds of hunting are heard. Albert is afraid of being recognized and runs away. The forester appears, tormented by the stranger's secret. Hearing the approaching hunt, Hans penetrates the window of the hut where Albert is hiding.
A magnificent hunt appears, led by the Duke, Albert’s father, and Albert’s bride, Bathilda. Giselle and her mother warmly welcome the guests. Bathilde, seeing how Giselle admires her dress, wonders what the girl does and whether she loves. Giselle's modesty and shyness attracts the sympathy of the Duke and Bathilde, the latter gives the girl a precious necklace for her wedding day. The Duke retires with Bathilda to rest in Giselle’s house and leaves his hunting horn to blow if necessary. Everyone leaves. An alarmed Hans appears. Now he knows the stranger’s secret: he has the ducal sword in his hands! So who is deceiving the poor girl! Hans vows revenge on Albert.
Young people gather. Giselle and Albert join in the general fun. Everyone joyfully greets the young couple celebrating their marriage.
Outraged by Albert's deception and Giselle's trusting love for him, Hans interrupts the fun and exposes Albert, showing everyone the ducal sword. Giselle does not believe Hans, she begs Albert to say that this is a lie. Then Hans blows the horn left by Albert's father.
The alarmed Duke and Bathilda appear, accompanied by courtiers. Everyone recognizes their young count in Albert in disguise. Convinced of the deception, Giselle realizes that Bathilda is Albert’s fiancée.
In despair, Giselle rips off her necklace and throws it at the feet of the bride. Her consciousness becomes clouded. Exhausted by grief, she falls unconscious. The mother rushes to her daughter, but Giselle does not recognize her. She's gone crazy. Scenes of fortune telling, vows, and a gentle dance with Albert flash by.
Suddenly, encountering a sword, she takes it in her hands and begins to spin around unconsciously. The sword, like an iron snake, pursues her and is ready to plunge into the chest of the unfortunate girl. Hans pulls out the sword, but it’s too late - Giselle is dead.
Act two
Night. Cemetery. The forester Hans comes to Giselle's grave. He mourns his loss and his guilt.
Midnight strikes. Illuminated by the moon, the mistress of the Willis, Myrta, appears. She calls her friends. At a sign from Myrtha, the frozen figure of Giselle rises from the grave. An commanding gesture - and Giselle begins to spin in the rapid whirlpool of the dance.
Albert enters, accompanied by his squire. He came to Giselle's grave.
Confused Hans runs in, pursued by the jeeps. The Willis are dancing to Hans, who dared to appear here. Exhausted, he falls to the ground unconscious and dies. The same fate awaits Albert; he begs Mirta for mercy. Giselle comes to the aid of her beloved. An angry Myrta orders Giselle to dance. The mournful lyrical dance turns into a dramatic duet.
The Willies are merciless, they dance Albert, he rushes about, falls, rises, and dances again - he is doomed. Suddenly the bell rings and it’s dawn. The Willis lose their power and disappear. Giselle also leaves, whom Albert vainly begs to stay, mourning the disappearing dream.
A new bright day is born.
The production of “Giselle” appeared on stage ballet theater during the heyday of romanticism. Her role in the formation of this direction in art is very significant. T. Gautier, J. Coralli and J. Saint-Georges are the creators of the libretto of the ballet “Giselle”, summary which we will look at in this article. The production demonstrates the authors' appeal to a favorite romantic theme - mysticism. Adolphe-Charles Adam - French composer. He is also one of the creators of the romantic ballet.
Exhibition of images
The article will present a brief summary of the ballet “Giselle”. The plot is based on the events taking place in the village. It is located among the mountains, surrounded by forests and vineyards. Peasants gather to harvest grapes. They pass by the house where the peasant woman Bertha lives, and her friends greet her daughter Giselle. Prince Albert and his squire Wilfried appear. They head to the hunting lodge and hide there for a while. From there the prince comes out already in peasant clothes. The unnoticed forester Hans witnesses this scene.
Love affair
Albert heads to Berthe's house. The squire tries in vain to dissuade his master from some intentions. The prince dismisses the servant and knocks on the door, then hides. Giselle, having come out to the knock and not finding anyone, dances, then gets ready to leave. Albert appears, but the girl, as if not noticing him, walks towards the house. The prince touches her hand and hugs her tenderly. Their subsequent dance turns into a love scene. Albert confesses his love, but Giselle, jokingly, expresses her doubts about it. She tells fortunes on the petals of a flower. As a result, when she receives the answer “she doesn’t like”, she is very upset. Then Albert tells fortunes on another flower. The fortune telling ends with the answer “loves”. The girl is calm and happy. They dance enthusiastically again.
Next, briefly retelling the content of the ballet “Giselle”, we will mention the forester Hans. He appears unexpectedly, asks the girl not to trust Albert’s words and assures her of his devotion. Hans has no doubt that Albert will only bring her grief and disappointment.
Albert is furious. He drives the forester away. The girl justifies Hans's action with jealousy. Then, even more tenderly and passionately, she continues her dance with Albert.
The next scene begins with the return of Giselle's friends from the vineyards. General fun and dancing ensues. Albert watches the girl in admiration. Flattered by his attention, she invites him to take part in this fun, which he does with pleasure.
Bertha comes out of the house and reminds her daughter that she has a heart condition. Therefore, it is not healthy for her to dance so much. The fun is over.
Noble guests
The sounds of hunting can be heard in the distance. The appearance of new characters makes the action more intense. Smartly dressed ladies and gentlemen appear. Among them are the Duke of Courland with his daughter Bathilda, Albert’s fiancée. The hunt has made everyone hot and tired, and they dream of rest and food. The Duke chooses Giselle's house for relaxation. Bertha and her daughter came out to meet the guests. Bathilda is fascinated by beauty and spontaneity main character. She, in turn, admires the guest’s elegant toilets. A dialogue takes place between them, in which Bathilda asks the girl about her favorite pastime. She replies that she loves to dance. As a sign of her sympathy, Bathilda gives the simpleton a gift. This is a luxurious gold chain. Giselle is very happy, but this makes her confused. The noble guests disperse to rest. Bathilda's father also went to Bertha's house.
Exposure
Giselle and her friends persuade Berthe to let them dance. Bertha reluctantly agrees. Giselle is happy. She performs her most best dance. Albert joins her. Suddenly the forester Hans appears. Roughly pushing them aside, he accuses Albert of dishonesty and deceit. Everyone around is perplexed, they are outraged by the forester’s action. Then, as proof of his accusations, Hans shows everyone Albert’s weapon, which he found in the hunting lodge. It is decorated with jewels, which testifies to his noble origin. This shocked Giselle. She demands an explanation from her new acquaintance. The prince tries to calm the girl down, and then snatches the sword from Hans’s hands and rushes at him. Wilfried arrived in time and prevented his master from committing the murder. Forester Hans begins to blow the hunting horn. Alarmed by the signal, noble guests leave Bertha's house. Among them is the Duke and his daughter Bathilda. Dressed up as peasant clothes Albert leaves them bewildered. He, in turn, tries to justify his action.
Tragic ending
Giselle sees how respectfully noble guests greet Albert, and how respectful the Duke’s servants are with him. She has no doubt that she was deceived. The prince then turns to Bathilda, kissing her hand. Giselle runs up to her rival with the words that Albert swore allegiance to her in his love. Bathilda is outraged. She shows Giselle her wedding ring, indicating that she is the prince's real bride. Giselle is in despair. She tears off and throws away the gold chain given by Bathilda. Sobbing, she falls into her mother's arms. Not only her friends, but also noble guests sympathize with her.
Albert tries to calm Giselle down. He says something to her. However, the girl does not listen to him, her mind is clouded with grief. She remembers his vows, promises, fortune telling, dancing. Seeing Albert's sword, she tries to kill herself. But Hans takes the weapon from her hands.
Her last memory is fortune telling with daisies. Giselle dies.
Instead of an epilogue
We continue our acquaintance with the content of the ballet “Giselle”. Next, the action takes place on rural cemetery. Hans came here, but, frightened by mysterious sounds, he ran away.
Willis - brides who died before the wedding, lead their own round dance. At a sign from their mistress Myrtha, they surround Giselle’s grave, from which her ghostly figure appears. With a wave of Myrta's hand, she gained strength.
Albert appears at the cemetery, accompanied by his squire. He is looking for where the girl is buried. Suddenly he saw her figure and rushed after her. Several times this vision appeared and disappeared, as if melting into thin air.
Meanwhile, the Willis are chasing Hans and, having overtaken them, vengefully push him into the lake.
Albert should be their next victim. He unsuccessfully begs the ruthless Myrtha for mercy. Giselle appears. She intends to protect her lover and save him from certain death. Together they dance their last dance. Then the ghost of the girl disappears into her grave, and the round dance of the Willis surrounds Albert. The ringing of the clock signals the end of the night. At dawn the jeeps disappeared. The prince's retinue appears, sent to search for their master. The ghost of Giselle appears in last time. Albert's return to real world completes the ballet "Giselle".
"Giselle" in Russia
The premiere of this ballet in Russia took place in 1842. It was staged on the stage of the Mariinsky Theater in 1884. The production of the ballet “Giselle” at the Mariinsky Theater, the content of which makes everyone empathize, was a huge success.
The main meaning of the plot is the idea eternal love which is stronger than death.
These days huge amount spectators visit Russian theaters, including the Mariinsky, and the content of the ballet “Giselle” arouses interest among people of different generations.