Giselle

Adolphe-Charles Adam / Jean Coralli, Jules Perrot / Marius Petipa

Performances

Fantastic ballet in two acts
Libretto: Théophile Gautier and Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges
Music: Adolphe-Charles Adam
World premiere: 28 June 1841, Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique, Paris
Polish premiere: 20 January 1848, Teatr Wielki, Warsaw
Premiere of this staging: 25 November 2022, Polish National Ballet, Warsaw

Giselle is a masterpiece of French Romanticism. While its musical and choreographic form has not changed significantly for years, its artistic merit has increased as the technical ability of subsequent generations of dancers has developed. The title heroine is a charming country girl, whose sweetheart turns out to be a prince in disguise. The shock of the revelation costs Giselle her sanity and life. After her death, she returns, surrounded by the spirits of young women who were wronged before marriage. These spirits now ambush young men, forcing them to dance until they die of exhaustion. Ultimately, Giselle’s love conquers death: when the prince turns up repentant by her grave, she saves him from the other spirits’ revenge. The ballet has been performed in Warsaw many times; notably, the previous two productions were designed by the late Andrzej Kreutz Majewski. Building on this tradition, when mounting this production of Giselle staged by Maina Gielgud, the Polish National Ballet decided to revive the great set designer’s stunning vision, recreating his decorations and costumes.

Polish National Ballet
Orchestra of the Polish National Opera

 

Credits

Sponsors

  • Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland

  • Patrons of the Polish National Opera

    Partners of the Opera Academy

  • Patrons of the Polish National Opera

  • Supporting Partners of the Polish National Opera

  • Technology parner

  • Media patrons

  • Media partner