Giselle

The vivacious Giselle falls in love with the philandering Albrecht, and for him she neglects her previously followed life plan. Too late, she realises he has deceived her. She is destroyed. Now Albrecht must live with the knowledge that he has Giselle on his conscience. Like vengeful furies, the thoughts of the victim of his egoistic actions pursue him. Can he find forgiveness, before he is driven to his own death?

A text by Heinrich Heine about the mythical figures, the Wilis, inspired Théophile Gautier to use the material to create a ballet in 1841. Wilis are young brides who have died before their wedding and can find no peace. At night in the forest, they dance any man they encounter to death. Not least of all the mythically charged character of the ballet ensures the enduring fascination that “Giselle” commands to this very day. The libretto unites three archaic motifs, which then create the actual field of tension in which the plot unfolds – the wine, the hunt and the forest. Karl Alfred Schreiner removes himself in part from the surface of the plot structure, but emphasizes the deeper-lying dimension of the material all the more, as its timelessness is fed by the power of the myth. He is supported here by Adolphe Adam’s suspenseful music, which Musical Director Michael Nündel presents in an exceptional, partially rearranged interpretation.

Premiere partner   

GISELLE Leseprobe Programmheft