materiały organizatora
On Saturday, 13 October (6 pm), the Baltic Opera in Gdańsk (al. Zwycięstwa 15) will host the premiere of the Romantic ballet Giselle, choreographed by Emil Wesołowski (Act I), and Izabela Sokołowska-Boulton and Wojciech Warszawski (Act II). The piece refers to the present, among others by transposing the setting to a contemporary seaside resort while retaining all of the original Romantic premises. Repeat presentations will take place on 14 October (5 pm) and 16 October (7 pm).
About the piece:
Set to Adolphe Adam?s music, Giselle is a classical ballet that continues to amaze audiences around the world. Tchaikovsky himself, a great symphonist and author of ballet music, described the piece as a ?poetic, musical, and choreographic gem.? First presented in Paris on 28 June 1841 at the Royal Academy of Music (Paris Opera), Giselle is inspired by the traditional theme of love which transcends death, dating back to the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. A story that interweaves two mutually balancing loves: that to a man, and that to dance symbolized by the figure of the vila, Giselle splendidly encapsulates the spirit of Romanticism. Its appeal is reflected by the incessant interest in Giselle and its world of the Slavic vilas.
I strove to present an entire range of emotional nuance. The stage design will be minimalistic, highlighting the interplay of light, colours, and movement. I admit it was a difficult task ? it was challenging to break free from the firmly established clichés. Set in the body and the mind alike, this music is of course linked to a specific type of movement, says Emil Wesołowski, who choreographed Act I.
Giselle the waitress succumbs to the charm of the handsome Albrecht, who came to the seaside to have some fun. When the girl discovers her boy is engaged to a Warsaw-based celebrity, she feels cheated and abused, and thrusts herself into the depths of the sea, adds Wojciech Warszawski, the director of the Baltic Ballet, who choreographed Act II.
When it comes to the tension between the protagonists, and the entire cause and effect chain, they comply with the original libretto by and large. What we have changed is the setting of the story, transposing it to the contemporary Polish seaside. We developed Act II based on the original choreography of Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, adding contemporary aesthetics, says Izabela Sokołowska- Boulton, ballet mistress and choreographer of Act II.
Premiere: 13 October 2018, Baltic Opera, Gdańsk
Act I choreography: Emil Wesołowski
Act II choreography: Izabela Sokołowska-Boulton, Wojciech Warszawski
Musical director: Tomasz Tokarczyk
Stage design, lighting design: Olga Skumiał
costumes: Marta Fiedler
assistant music director: Jacek Brzoznowski
assistant stage designer: Michał Stenzel
coaching of the Gdańsk Ballet School students:Beata Giza-Palutkiewicz
multimedia development: Michał Lewandowski
stage managers: Piotr Borowy, Magdalena Szlawska
Cast:
Giselle: Maria Kielan / Gwenllian Davies
Albrecht: Gento Yoshimoto / Ruaidhri Maguire
Hilarion: Filip Michalak / Michał Zelent
Wilfred: Bartosz Kondracki / Asher Rosenheim
Berthe: Beata Giza / Sayaka Haruna-Kondracka
Bathilde: Natalia Cedrowicz / Elżbieta Czajkowska-Kłos
Myrtha: Beata Giza / Natalia Cedrowicz / Clelia Averna
More information: operabaltycka.pl/pl/repertuar/giselle
