Friday June 20, 2014 - With Paloma Herrera's announced retirement in mind, I wanted to re-visit her in the role of Giselle. ABT graciously provided me with a press seat (next to the lovely Mary Cargill) and despite this being my umpteenth viewing of this production of GISELLE, I truly enjoyed the entire evening.
ABT could surely use a new production of GISELLE: the current one uses sets created for the film Dancers in 1987 and while it is perfectly serviceable, a fresh rendering would surely be a boon for frequent ballet-goers. The orchestra sounded especially plush tonight under David LaMarche's baton, and it was refreshing to be at The Met for something that didn't include a 35-to-40-minute intermission (the intermissions at Gelb's opera performances are interminable and a real drain on the dramatic impetus of the operas).
ABT's corps of Wilis danced with their usual expertise, though the two waves of applause as the hopping ballerinas cross paths are now more obligatory than a sign of genuine admiration: applause here rather dampens the atmosphere. Still, there's no denying it's an impressive moment. Tonight we had stellar casting in the roles of Myrna and Zulma - Misty Copeland and Yuriko Kajiya respectively - and a spectacularly danced, dramatically vivid Myrthe from the imperial Veronika Part.
Earlier, in Act I, Luciana Paris and Luis Ribagorda danced a spirited Peasant pas de deux, with Luis especially fine in his second solo. Kelly Boyd, as Berthe, was very clear in her mime as she warned her daughter of the perils of dancing too much: a warning Giselles have ignored for decades.
I was excited to see Sascha Radetsky listed as Hilarion - Sascha too is about to retire - but a pre-curtain announcement advised us Thomas Forster would be doing the role instead. Thomas was excellent - a Hilarion taller than the evening's Albrecht made for an interesting conflict. Of course for me, I'm always on Hilarion's side in all of this: Albrecht is a liar and a cheat who simply shrugs off his deceitful behavior when he's cornered. Nothing really to admire here: he's only redeemed by Giselle's steadfast love.
I had only seen Ms. Herrera's Giselle once before, in 2009, on a night when Roberto Bolle danced his first ABT Albrecht. That performance was a veritable Bolle Fan Fest and Paloma's Giselle, though impressively danced, got somewhat swept away by the enthusiam her partner generated among the fans. So tonight the focus was rightly on the ballerina, and in my view she turned in a beautiful performance in every regard.
Paloma's sensitive musicality and her lush technique were very much to be savoured tonight; her Act I solo with super-confident hops on pointe and softly sweeping attitude turns drew cheers from the audience; later, her Mad Scene was marked by moments of stillness where Giselle's mind seemed to be collapsing inwardly upon itself, her dreams destroyed in the debris of love's betrayal.
In the second act, Ms. Herrera and Cory Stearns formed a visually appealing partnership, his elegance of line and fleet-footed vistuosity counter-poised by the ballerina's poetic lyricism and the inner strength she summons to keep her beloved alive. The poignant last farewell, the presentation of the single blossom that signifies forgiveness and redemption, was beautifully rendered by these two artists.