 Libretto by Theophile Gautier on a theme by Heinrich Heine Choreography after Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot and Marius Petipa Staged by Kevin McKenzie Music by Adolphe Adam, orchestrated by John Lanchbery Scenery by Gianni Quaranta Costumes by Anna Anni Lighting by Jennifer Tipton  World Premiere: Theatre de l'Academie Royale de Musique, Paris, choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, 6/28/1841 Original Cast: Carlotta Grisi (Giselle), Lucien Petipa (Albrecht), Adele Dumilatre (Myrtha) ABT Premiere: The Center Theatre, New York, 1/12/40 Music orchestrated by Harold Byrns Restaged by Anton Dolin, after the original choreography by Jean Coralli Scenery and costumes by Lucinda Ballard Lighting by Feder Cast: Annabelle Lyon, Anton Dolin, Harold Haskin, Nina Stroganova 
Act I: The ballet is set in the vineyard
country bordering the Rhine. Hilarion, the village
huntsman and a gamekeeper to the court, returns
from his early morning chores and pauses before
a neighboring cottage, the home of Giselle, with
whom he is in love. Villagers pass by on their
way to the vineyards, where they will harvest the
last of the grapes before the Wine
Festival.
Count Albrecht arrives with his squire and enters
a cottage opposite Giselle's. He emerges dressed
as a peasant, submits his disguise to the squire's
inspection, and dismisses him. Hilarion has
witnessed this exchange and is puzzled that the
squire should show such deference to this youth,
who is known to the villagers as a fellow peasant
named Loys. Loys excuses himself from joining
the grape-pickers so that he can be alone with
Giselle. He swears eternal love, and she makes
the traditional test with a daisy--"he loves me, he
loves me not..." When it appears the answer will
be "not," she throws the flower away; but Loys
retrieves it and, by surreptitiously discarding a
petal, comes up with the answer "he loves me."
Hilarion interrupts, protesting that he, not Loys,
truly loves Giselle. A quarrel ensues, and
Hilarion's suspicions are deepened as Loys
instinctively reaches for the sword which, as a
nobleman, he is accustomed to
wearing.
The villagers return, and Giselle invites them to
join in a dance to celebrate the harvest. Her
mother, Berthe, interrupts and warns her that her
life may be endangered if she over-exerts herself
by dancing. She is struck by a momentary
hallucination of her daughter in death. She sees
her as a Wili, a restless spirit who has died with
her love
unrequited.
A horn sounds in the distance, and Loys
recognizes it as coming from the hunting party of
the Prince of Courland. As he hastily departs,
Hilarion breaks into his cottage. Refreshments
are served to the hunters, and the Prince's
daughter, Bathilde, gives Giselle a gold necklace
when she learns they are both engaged to be
married. After the royal party has returned to the
hunt, Hilarion emerges from Loys' cottage with a
hunting horn and sword, further evidence that
the supposed peasant is, in fact, a
nobleman.
The villagers return and proclaim Giselle the
Queen of the Wine Festival. Hilarion interrupts
to denounce Loys as an imposter. When Loys
denies the charges and threatens the gamekeeper
with the sword, Hilarion blows the hunting horn,
a signal for the Prince to return. Loys is exposed
as an imposter when Bathilde reveals that he is
her fiancé, Count Albrecht. The shock
of learning of Albrecht's duplicity is too great for
Giselle's frail constitution. Her mind becomes
unhinged and she dies of a broken heart--her love
unrequited.Act II: The scene is laid in a clearing in
the forest near Giselle's grave. The Wilis are
summoned by their Queen, Myrta, to attend the
ceremonies which will initiate Giselle into their
sisterhood. The Wilis are maidens whose
fiancés have failed to marry them before
their death. Their love unrequited, they can find
no rest, and their spirits are forever destined to
roam the earth from midnight to dawn,
vengefully trapping any male who enters their
domain and forcing him to dance to his death.
Hilarion, in search of Giselle, meets his death at
their hands. Albrecht arrives to leave flowers on
Giselle's grave. He, too, is trapped and
commanded to dance unto death. Giselle
resolves to protect him. She dances with him
until the clock strikes four, at which hour the
Wilis lose their power. Albrecht is rescued from
death. |
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