Giselle

Created in 1841 at the Opéra de Paris, it brings together all the elements of the new aesthetical and philosophical trend that ran through the first half of the 19th century.

Like Dom Juan by Molière or Berenice by Racine in classical theatre, Giselle is the reference of romantic ballet. Created in 1841 at the Opéra de Paris, it brings together all the elements of the new aesthetical and philosophical trend that ran through the first half of the 19th century: at this time, dreams and fantasy abounded in literature, theatre, opera and dance contrasting the real world, which was too materialistic. And as earthly happiness turned out to be an inaccessible ideal, love – like art – had the power to transcend death.

So the poor Giselle, charmed by a grand seigneur, who was more thoughtless than nasty, died of heartache when she discovered the lies that he had told her. Now a supernatural spirit haunting the hereafter, she forgave and defended her Duke against all opposition and saved his life. The traditional choreography of Giselle still surprises as, through dance, it manages to express the psychological movements of its characters as if inner feelings guided their steps.

The Swedish choreographer Mats Ek, in his reworking of Giselle – in 1982 for the Cullberg Ballet, in Stockholm – had the nerve to push to the paroxysm a subject that was already latent. Keeping the original scenario (the booklet written by Théophile Gautier) and the music of Adolphe Adam, Mats Ek highlighted the drama of the situation, turning Giselle into the simpleton of the village, abused by a Don Juan from the town who had come to have a good time with his friends. Totally devastated, she lost her mind.

Josseline Le Bourhis

“What fascinated me most the first time I saw the classical ballet Giselle, was the contrasts: between the realism of the first act and the fantasizing of the second, between the castle and the cottage, the individual and the group… behind the fable lies a host of complex relationships of a social and spiritual nature: I wished to reproduce this with my own words”. Mats Ek

Source: Opéra de Lyon

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Arthaus Musik is a label for classical music on DVD and Blu-ray. The company belongs to Studio Halle GmbH and maintains the subsidiary Monarda Arts.
Arthaus Musik GmbH was founded in Munich in March 2000 and has been based in Halle (Saale) since 2007. The  label has been publishing records of operas, ballets, classical  concerts, jazz, theater productions and selected documentaries on music  and the arts for thirteen years. Since then, over 700 titles have been released on DVD and Blu-ray with up to 100 releases per year.
Among  the publications are recordings with artists such as Plácido Domingo,  Cecilia Bartoli, Luciano Pavarotti, Maria Callas, Jonas Kaufmann,  Burkard Schliessmann and conductors, such as Carlos Kleiber, Claudio  Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Lorin Maazel, Pierre Boulez and Zubin  Mehta. The  recordings come from opera houses such as La Scala, the Vienna State  Opera, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, the Opéra National de Paris  and the Zurich Opera House.

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