Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32500 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-06-11
• Rating: Exempt
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 108 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The strength of the Kirov Ballet's Giselle is also, in a sense, its principal weakness: this is a no-gimmicks, no-frills production in a performing tradition that goes back to the introduction of the work to Russia in the mid-19th century. The advantage of this is that, after all, Adam's ballet is a work of deliberate naiveté, in which a village maiden dies of a broken heart over the mere fact that her lover has deceived her about his social class; there is no subtext here nor any need for any. Galina Mezentseva is more or less perfect, both in the delicate simplicity of her every gesture and movement and in the overall sweetness and devotion that they convey; Konstantin Zaklinsky is an equally fine Albrecht--for once we entirely believe in his absence of malicious intent and welcome his salvation from her vengeful fellow ghosts. Of the others, Gennadi Selyutsky is a slightly melodramatic Hilarion, whose death in terror is a fine piece of high Victorian theatre, and Tatyana Terekhova makes the spirits' leader a figure in whom terrifying justice and vengefulness are united.

On the DVD: The DVD has no frills either except for a link to the NVC-arts Web site; the booklet provides a synopsis and, criminally, no other information about either ballet, production or stars. --Roz Kaveney

Special Features
4:3
DVD 5
Region 2
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Web Link
Chapter Points
Cast And Characters Screens
English\French\German\Italian\Spanish

Synopsis
Adolphe Adam's Parisian ballet Giselle is performed here by the Kirov Ballet under the direction of Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, accompanied by the Orchestra of the Leningrad Theatre of Opera and Ballet.

Customer Reviews

A sublime performance
Recorded live at the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theatre in 1983, this performance by the Kirov Ballet is based on the traditional staging of the ballet. As a result of the continuity of performance in St. Petersburg/Leningrad since 1842, the Kirov staging is generally considererd to remain an ideal realization of this work.

Galina Mezentseva, who dances the title role, is very good indeed, although she doesn't look like a young and innocent village girl. Konstantin Zaklinsky (Albrecht) looks like a rare "danseur noble". He is a superb dancer. In the Act 2, all the leading soloists, including Tatyana Terekhova (Mrytha), are excellent. Mezentseva's dancing has an ethereal quality.

The corps de ballet are simply sublime. Their musicality is excellent, performing with grace, reacting to music and conveying the atmosphere in Act 2 superbly well. Understandably, there are frequent bursts of applause from the enthusiastic audience, this film being a live recording. But, who could blame them?

The costumes and stage sets are very beautiful. The stereo sound is very clear. Adolphe Adam's music is beautifully played by the Kirov (Mariinsky) Theatre Orchestra under the direction of Victor Fedotov.

Exceptional
This is a very classical production of Giselle by the Kirov forces in the early 1980s. Sets and costumes are exactly what one would expect in this kind of production: traditional and beautiful. In the second Act there are some impressive tricks (dancers floating above the stage, etc.), which are perfectly executed and quite effective. The picture and sound quality are good. The performance was filmed live, so you get the audience's responce (which I like), as well as some thumping from the dancers' feet (which I could do without).
I believe there is no need to stress that the corps is great. Anyone who has seen Kirov performances from that era knows that they carried sort of a guarantee of excellence.
Terekhova, who dances Myrtha, the Queen of the ghosts, is pefect. The absolute control of movement combined with an icy expression, gives a spooky and at the same time fascinating feeling to the part. I wish she had more to do -I couldn't get enough of her.
Zaklinski is Albrecht, Giselle's controversial lover. I had seen him before in the Kirov's Corsaire, dancing the slave-trader, which is almost a character role. He was great there too, but what a surprise to see him here. He is an excellent noble dancer, very stylish, very handsome, and a good actor, too. Acting abilities were mandatory in this case, not only beacause of the complexity of the part, but also because he was coupled with such a Giselle!
Which brings us to Mezentseva, the Giselle. She is the main reason I'm writing this review. I've read reviews describing her as "an ancient anorexic" or even -in the American Amazon,- "a bag of bones". True, she is not pretty. She is tall, her shoulders are broad and she is VERY thin. If I were the costume designer, I'd have covered her arms and bust by all means. But a great artist does not need looks. And a great artist she is. One minute after she appears, the "look" issue was forgotten for me. Her dancing is excellent, in the best Kirov tradition. Wonderful, fluid movement, absolute control, perfect form, -everything you'd expect from a Kirov prima ballerina,- but her ACTING is what absolutely took my breath away. What a wonderful Giselle she is! Her Act I finale almost had me in tears. In fact she IS in tears, herself. You can see them streaming down her cheeks as she turns from her mother to Albrecht in despair. Her madness and death-scene are unforgetable. And how naturally she slides into the un-natural state of Giselle in the 2nd Act. Somehow she is and is not the village girl anymore. She is gentle, compassionate and detached. A spirit.
This was a very rewarding purchase for me, and, unless what you are looking for is a lovely creature dancing pirouettes, I would definitely recomend it.

Otherworldly Dancing
The only reason to buy this dvd is Ms. Mezentseva and buy it you must! I give her ten stars! Ms. Mezentseva is one of those rare dancers who posses the unique ability of making a role her own by force of her sublime lines, her long arms and her radiant soul which come through in her every gesture. They remain ingraved in your mind like pidtures. This is the russian school at it's purest.
A ballet of the romantic era, Giselle is also one of the hardest to interpret since it requires gestures and body language very different from the classical era and because of it's being devoid of anything superficial or superfluous. This is a different dicipline all together. Ms. Mezentseva takes you through a voyage in time without being outdated. She is every inch the simple vilage teenager of the 19th century inlove with Albrecht. In the second act she is the otherworldly willy and a protective and compassionate SOUL.To perform this ballet in it's integrity one must forget about the self and concentrate on being the incarnation of love. If you are looking for passion and romantic love in the second act you will not find it here.
Ms. Mezentseva is the last truely great russian ballerina which the communist regime produced. It is left to be seen what russian ballet will look like in the future. At the moment it does not look very promising.