Yui Yonezawa as Giselle and Shun Izawa as Albrecht in the National Ballet of Japan’s Giselle – Photograph by Kiyonori Hasegawa
This summer the National Ballet of Japan makes its debut on the stage of the Royal Opera House, making it the first Asian company to do so in fifteen years. The Japanese company, under the artistic direction of former Royal Ballet artist Miyako Yoshida, will present its highly praised production of Adolphe Adam’s Giselle – the first time that this production will be seen outside Japan.
The company – flagship of one of the world’s most vibrant ballet cultures – is resident at the New National Theatre in Tokyo. With 75 full-time dancers, the National Ballet of Japan has a repertoire of classics – such as those by Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Roland Petit and Kenneth MacMillan – as well as contemporary works by Christopher Wheeldon, David Bintley and William Forsythe.
Saho Shibayama as Giselle – Photograph by Kiyonori Hasegawa
Giselle is one of the oldest classical ballets still being performed today, and regarded as the most famous of the Romantic era ballets. It was the result of the collaboration of the three French artists – Ballet Masters Perrot and Coralli, and composer Adolphe Adam, who in 1841 were commissioned by the Ballet du Théâtre de l’Academie Royale de Musique to create a new ballet. Adam had previously composed for this company, and he co-opted librettists Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier to assist with the storyline.
Gautier initially started working on the story, drawing inspiration from two sources – the poem Fantômes from Victor Hugo’s Les Orientales, which told of a Spanish girl who died after a night of frenzied dancing, and a passage in prose entitled L’Allemagne by German poet, writer and literary critic Heinrich Heine, about a Slavic tale of supernatural maidens called Wilis, young brides-to-be who were betrayed and die before their wedding day. Perrot and Coralli were then brought in to choreograph the work, and Giselle premiered at the Théâtre de l’Academie Royale de Musique in Paris on 28th June, 1841, with Carlotta Grisi in the title role.
In 1842, this version of Giselle was staged in St Petersburg, and this is where Marius Petipa became involved in the choreography. As Premier Maître de Ballet of the Imperial Theatres in St Petersburg from 1871, he staged four revivals of Giselle between 1884 and 1903, and it’s this final version on which most interpretations have since been based.
Artists of National Ballet of Japan in Act 2 of Giselle – Photograph by Takashi Shikama
The ballet – a tale of love, betrayal, forgiveness and redemption – tells of a frail young peasant girl, Giselle, at first bewildered, a bit nervous and delighted at finding love, with colourful scenes of her friends celebrating with her – until Giselle discovers the truth about the man she loves, the aristocratic Count Albrecht, experiencing utter devastation, and subsequently her death, at his betrayal of her. The second act is ethereal and mystical, with shadows of the Wilis flitting across the stage. The icy figure of Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis, is determined to see Albrecht humiliated, and commands him to dance to his death, but ultimately her command is countered by the gentleness and compassion of Giselle.
Staging and additional choreography for this production are by British choreographer and former Royal Ballet Principal Character Artist Alastair Marriott. Lighting is by Rick Fisher, and award-winning British designer Dick Bird has created the costumes and a spectacular set, inspired by the ‘Hill of Crosses’ in Lithuania, as the backdrop for this much-loved ballet.
Yui Negishi as Myrtha and Artists of National Ballet of Japan – Photograph by Kiyonori Hasegawa
The Royal Ballet Sinfonia is conducted by Paul Murphy, who was appointed Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Principal Conductor in 1997 and has been a regular guest conductor for the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, since 1994. He leads the orchestra in five performances of the National Ballet of Japan’s production of Giselle between 24th and 27th July.
Further information and details of reservations are available on this link.
Information sourced from:
National Ballet of Japan programme notes
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