Giselle

Adolphe Adam's 1841 romantic ballet is well-represented on video, with fine versions from La Scala, Covent Garden, and the Dutch National Ballet (see VL-11/06, VL-3/09, and VL-7/10, respectively), and this mounting from Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet is of equal quality. Svetlana Lunkina cuts an elegant (if hardly rustic) figure as the peasant girl who falls in love with disguised nobleman Albrecht (Dmitry Gudanov) but then dies of grief after his spiteful rival for her affection—local gamekeeper Hans (Vitaly Biktimirov)—reveals that Albrecht is already betrothed to another. Both suitors face consequences when vengeful Myrtha (Maria Allash), queen of the Wilis—the spirits of virgins who died before their weddings—compels them to dance ecstatically through the night until they collapse from exhaustion. While Hans succumbs to this decidedly ballet-friendly form of execution, Giselle saves Albrecht by prolonging their pas de deux until dawn, when Myrtha's powers evaporate. Lunkina and the three other principals dexterously execute the demands of choreographer Yuri Grigorovich, who incorporates elements from traditional versions by Coralli, Perrot, and Petipa. The Bolshoi corps nicely matches the leads, while Pavel Klinichev conducts the company orchestra with élan. Boasting attractive sets and costumes, Giselle is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)