Description
Giselle /
- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- MPAA rating: Unrated (Not Rated)
- Product Dimensions: 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.5 Ounces
- Director: Ross MacGibbon
- Media Format: Multiple Formats, Classical, NTSC
- Run time: 2 hours and 3 minutes
- Release date: September 30, 2014
- Actors: Natalia Osipova, Carlos Acosta, Thomas Whitehead, Deidre Chapman, Hikaru Kobayashi
- Studio: Opus Arte
- Number of discs: 1
Summary
The quintessential Romantic ballet, Giselle has remained a cornerstone of the classical repertory and captivated audiences all over the world since its premiere in 1841. Peter Wright's landmark production does full justice to this work's great emotional power: making the characters psychologically convincing and emphasizing the contrast between the realism of Act I and the other- worldly in Act II. Making her debut as a member of The Royal Ballet in the title role, Natalia Osipova was hailed as 'technically and artistically supreme... ethereal and desperately moving' (Daily Telegraph). As Albrecht, Carlos Acosta 'partners her with devoted care, and responds to her dazzling dancing with renewed sharpness and attack of his own' (Independent). Filmed in High Definition and recorded in true Surround Sound.
"Natalia Osipova, making her debut with the Royal, is, yet again, a revelation. Through the quality of her dancing and dramatic imagination she manages to hold two conflicting forces in play, Giselle as a drama of the gothic supernatural and Giselle as a human love story. The ending is as tragic as any Giselle I've seen." (The Guardian ★★★★★)
"A Giselle even better than anticipated, which – given [Natalia Osipova's] performance in the same role with the Mikhailovsky ballet last year – was no mean feat.
Heroically partnered by Carlos Acosta as the duplicitous-then-remorseful Count Albrecht, Osipova in Act I floats on air and spins in reckless ecstasy, in an interpretation both technically and artistically supreme.
... Her ballon and elevation are unique: she appears virtually to be able to will herself into mid-air, to hang there unsupported. I have never seen a Giselle either so ethereal or ... so eloquently imploring or forgiving, every supernaturally weightless hop and flicker of those long arms magically moulded into an expression of love. By the time Osipova's Giselle makes her desperately moving departure – retreating into the morning mist with such delicacy that she genuinely seems to dissolve into it – you know you have been in the presence of greatness.
[...] Peter Wright and John Macfarlane's production is the most beautiful there is, and this was truly a night to remember" (The Telegraph)
"Natalia Osipova's Giselle is the most radical I’ve ever seen. Not because she takes any liberties with this Romantic classic – she dances with pure line, superb technique and feeling for the ballet's style – but because her dramatic intelligence brings it to such fresh, burning life. The Royal Ballet looks energised by its new star, with a strong company performance around her. Acosta partners her with devoted care, and responds to her dazzling dancing with renewed sharpness and attack of his own. " (The Independent ★★★★★)
