Wednesday June 10, 2009 matinee - This afternoon's GISELLE with the year-delayed Met debut of David Hallberg as Albrecht has been circled in bright red on my calendar for weeks. Adding to the appeal, two ballerinas I like very much appeared as Giselle and Myrthe: Maria Riccetto and Simone Messmer. ABT's production is one of their finest and a strong cast of soloists and stepping-out corps de ballet dancers lit up the stage.
David Hallberg (above, in Andrea Mohin's SLEEPING BEAUTY photo) brought an unusual gravitas to Albrecht's first appearance in the ballet. He seemed very pensive, almost as though he knew he should not be taking his charade any further but then willing to risk it because of his affection for Giselle. Throughout the early scenes, there was an undercurrent of 'I shouldn't be doing this' to David's interpretation, almost as if he could see where it would lead. But he was in too deep. The man who fled the village after Giselle's death is a man on the brink: remorse, that deadliest of emotions, has overpowered him.
How somber and downcast David's expression as he entered the enchanted grove of the Wilis, pacing so slowly - the pristinely pointed feet emerging from beneath the black cloak with each step: like a man on the way to his execution. The overwhelming sense of stillness about him drew us into the dreamworld of his encounter with Giselle. Of course David's dancing was perfectly beautiful - so refined - and his line so expressive. In lieu of the double diagonal of flying beats, David's dance of death was laced with countless entrechats, so fast and vivid. As the curtain fell, David dropped the flowers that Giselle had handed to him as a final farewell. I had the inescapable feeling that Albrecht himself was not long for this world.
Maria Riccetto (Matias Montini photo, above) was such an elegant Lilac Fairy a couple seasons back and I have enjoyed her performances with ABT at City Center and with Benjamin Millepied's DANSES CONCERTANTES at the Joyce. I was curious as to how she would fare in a full-scale dramatic role and the answer was clear this afternoon: very well indeed.
Maria and David left off the cutesy by-play that sometimes intrudes on the relationship of these two characters in Act I. Despite her sunny dancing of the solo passages, there is a slight feeling of doom hanging over Maria's Giselle from the start - a feeling amplified by David's serious tone. Her initial spell of illness and her ensuing mad scene were free of melodrama; straight from her broken heart, Maria's Giselle simply died of grief.
As a Wili, Maria's portrayal benefitted from the gorgeous tempi offered by conductor Charles Barker in the adagio passages, allowing her to drift her foot on high in slow developpe. Having Albrecht's life in her hands, Maria's quiet steadfastness kept the power of the Wili Queen at bay. In the single most breathtaking moment of the afternoon, Maria dipped into an iconic arabesque penchee of thrillingly majestic sweep and utter stillness.
One of ABT's most intriguing dancers, Simone Messmer (Richard Termine photo, above) was an authoritative Myrthe. Simone has caught my eye in the past because there is a slight edge to her persona that keeps drawing you to watch her. Her Myrthe was severe of expression, imperious in her rejection of Hilarion's pleadings as she raised her hand slowly to dismiss him. In allegro passages, Simone's surety of footwork was impressive and the sound of her points as she moved around the stage added an unusual sense of drama. Her phrasing was expansive and lyrical, marking her out for future opportunities.
I loved Jared Matthews' interpretation of Hilarion since I'm of the opinion that this character is not a bad guy...not in the least. If there's a bad guy in GISELLE, it's Albrecht: he lies and is duplicitous, even though in the end he gains our affection because he's redeemed by Giselle. Jared left off the macho melodramatics that sometimes colour portrayals of Hilarion; he is a calm, sincere man who - had Loys never barged in on the peace of the village - would have made a kindly husband for Giselle. I was especially moved by Jared's discovery that Giselle had ignored the flowers he'd left for her. Instead of getting mad, he was crushed.
Carlos Lopez partnered Yuriko Kajiya is the Peasant Pas de Deux. They danced well together and Ms. Kajiya put an especially lovely finesse on her pirouettes; in her delicacy and poise she reminds me a bit of Mariana Tcherkassky. I'd love to see Yuriko dancing Giselle.
Kristi Boone was a regal Bathilde, gowned in red, and Nancy Raffa's clarity of mime and expression made a mark as Giselle's mother.
Giselle's friends (Andrea Mohin photo)...the ABT corps were fine in Act I and the girls were quite extraordinary as the Wilis in Act II with their elegant port de bras. They were led by Isabella Boylston and Hee Seo who seemed to be having a subtle contest to see who could float the loveliest sustained balance. It ended in a draw.
Nice warm reception at the end with bouquets for Maria and Simone; in a very nice gesture, after bringing the conductor out for his bow, Maria stepped to the edge of the stage and applauded the musicians.The principals earned well-deserved cheers at their solo bows. But the Met is too quick to bring up the house-lights, thus discouraging further applause.
Oh, this was so nice to get to read this early evening ... the moment I clicked in and saw that wonderful first photo, I froze for a second and caught my breath; then proceeded to scroll and read your beautiful description of the afternoon and these dancers.
I think I would have loved this performance, with these interpretations. [Jared being crushed by the neglected flowers would have gotten me, too ;).] And Maria stepping to the edge of the stage in thoughtful recognition and thanks to the orchestra would have pulled at my heart strings - such a sweet gesture, one not often seen. Lovely.
Terrific post; thank you so much!
ACW
Posted by: Anne Coburn Whitmore | June 10, 2009 at 07:30 PM
The entire atmosphere of the performance was really special...I hope I was able to convey it.
Posted by: Philip | June 10, 2009 at 08:04 PM
I was there...wish I could have met up with you. You described the performance perfectly, Philip. And I too was thrilled by Riccetto's stunning arabesque.
Posted by: Nina | June 10, 2009 at 08:08 PM
Amazing! I just got home from the perfomance and a little supper afterwards and casually Googled "Hallberg Giselle" and your review is already online. Nice foto of Maria Riccetto btw.
Posted by: Andrea | June 10, 2009 at 08:24 PM
Philip, I was there too! Sorry we didn't meet up. Anyways, yes a lovely performance and a lovely review! I'm curious if this was Maria's first full length lead at the Met? Anyone know? She was great and seemed extremely gracious in her curtain calls.
Posted by: Taylor | June 10, 2009 at 09:34 PM
I think both Maria Riccetto and David Hallberg (and Simone Messmer, too) have danced these roles on tour but this was their debut performance at the Met.
Posted by: Philip | June 10, 2009 at 10:04 PM
Oberon, I agree emphatically about the character of Hilarion in this ballet. Too often he is played as sinister and mean-spirited. It seems like ABT allows dancers leeway in their interpretations, which is a good thing. The way you describe Jared Matthews' performance makes me wish I could see him in this ballet.
Posted by: BalletBuff | June 10, 2009 at 10:14 PM
Did you notice the prolonged ringing of a cellphone during the start of Act II?
Posted by: AnnaLise | June 10, 2009 at 10:16 PM
Yes, cellphones are the bane of ballet and opera! A phone also rang during Giselle's mad scene. I wonder if the dancers can hear cellphones ringing during a performance?
Posted by: Philip | June 10, 2009 at 10:20 PM
Glad to see you are covering ABT again. More, please!!!
Posted by: Xavier L-M | June 10, 2009 at 10:36 PM
You can't hear much beyond the orchestra from that stage unless it's silent. But still, there should be a ban on cell phones once you enter the door...they always, ALWAYS, go off at the worst moments...
Posted by: Taylor | June 10, 2009 at 11:42 PM
So very glad you are reviewing ABT again. Now that the NYCB season is ending, maybe, you can check the performances across the plaza.
Posted by: jose | June 11, 2009 at 10:40 AM
Hi Jose,
I am going back for GISELLE tonight (Herrera/Bolle) and I bought tickets for Bolle in SWAN LAKE and SYLVIA. I think there will be a lot of interest in his performances.
I will try to see a Dvorovenko SWAN also, and I am thinking of seeing the AIRS/SYLPHIDE programme even though I do not like SYLPHIDE very much.
In two weeks I will be covering the New York International Ballet Competition.
It's nice to hear from you, Jose!
Posted by: Philip | June 11, 2009 at 11:19 AM
those cellphones ringing were pretty loud - I think one was in orchestra and maybe also in Parterre Box. Did you also hear all the children whimpering? I think parents need to be more clued in if there "child-genius" is really ready for a full lenghth ballet. I love kids, but really, not all children have the attention span for a storybook ballet, much less a romantic era ballet.
I loved Maria and David in this performance!! a great Met debut.
Posted by: Shirley | June 11, 2009 at 01:23 PM
There were several large groups of school children up in Family Circle, basically unsupervised. And most schoolkids have cellphones.
I think the Met needs to clamp down on the distractions and make an audio announcement before each performance regarding cellphones, and be sure that the teachers and chaperones of the students are all told to be sure the kids turn off phones and keep them off.
Posted by: Philip | June 11, 2009 at 03:06 PM
Thanks for the beautiful post. I am a teacher who took my well-behaved, appreciative 7th graders to the gorgeous matinee on 6/10. I take ballet and see ABT (and NYCB) frequently. Please note NOT one of my kids, nor any of the other school groups, had the cell phones ringing. Blame it on an irresponsible adult. My students and their parents loved the performance, and the principal dancers will be receiving personal letters from my class letting them know how much they appreciated their unbelievable talents.
Posted by: patricia | June 12, 2009 at 12:29 AM