An indisposition due to an eleventh hour injury is a tricky situation for everyone to navigate. When it’s Natalia Osipova who is indisposed, scheduled to dance the title role in Giselle with guest artist and soon to be fully-fledged principal with The Royal Ballet Patricio Revé, the pointe shoes are hard to fill. There will have been some initial disappointment from some of the audience as Osipova has gained a reputation for being one of the greatest living interpreters of Giselle. Who then, is better to fill those shoes than Marianela Núñez?
Revé and Núñez have danced together prior to this occasion but not in this ballet. It may be a lesser known fact but chemistry, getting used to one another physically, understanding interpretation, musicality and a host of other things can make or break a performance, which is why it takes many hours of rehearsal to make it work. With less than 24 hours to prepare, the results turned out to be remarkable.
Peter Wright’s Giselle is certainly one of the most highly regarded productions internationally and I’m always struck when returning to it, just how challenging and exacting the steps are.
The pas de six in Act 1, on this occasion led by Yuhui Choe and Taisuke Nakao, requires some seriously quick footwork and precision, from both the men and women. The men fared better on this front with Harrison Lee and Martin Diaz alongside Nakao, nailing their tours en l’air, landing in clean, crisp fifth positions, all delivered with uncanny calm and charm.
Elizabeth McGorian brings gravitas to every role she is given and Berthe, Giselle’s mother is no exception. In spite of the fact that she has clocked up many performances over the years, she always makes us see the character in a fresh light. Such sincerity is a valuable asset to any company. One of the highlights of this performance was Lukas B. Brændsrød’s Hilarion. We know he can dance and that he’s an outstanding partner. However, he’s one of the most authentic, believable Hilarions I have seen (and that’s a considerable number!). What was most convincing is that he appeared to ditch the clichéd ‘ballet mime’ for ‘saying it how it is’. He looked like a genuinely disgruntled bloke, angered by a disingenuous aristocrat, snatching his intended on a ruse. A quite brilliant performance.
Leticia Dias is new to Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis this season. She made a great start in Act 2 with her gliding bourées across the bleak stage. She had a majestic command of her band of Wilis and her dancing was characteristically strong. She will undoubtedly grow into the role. I am puzzled and a little disappointed, however, by the decision to do plain assemblés instead of a diagonal of flying sixes and to jeté with a ‘flick’ instead of straight grand jetés. Entrechats sixes have been a signature feature of Myrtha for many decades. This is not a criticism of Dias but more an observation about whether or not developments in training mean that perhaps the focus on batterie and grand allegro for women is deemed to be not as important any more.
And so to the main protagonists. Núñez is never less than supreme. Her Act 1 is a lesson in meticulous research, impeccable dancing and a delivery that doesn’t leave much room for criticism. However, at times her reactions seemed almost too well prepared, especially in the mad scene. I also had a strong suspicion that Martin Georgiev, conducting the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, was being overly accommodating in following her long held balances. By the time we got to the Act 2 pas de deux, while it was utterly exquisite, it had almost ground to a halt. These are very minor quibbles given the superlative quality of her performance.
The Royal Ballet has a roster of world class dancers, but Revé does bring something fresh and different to the fold. His Albrecht was nuanced and emotive. His love for Giselle, palpable. Revé possesses a flawless technique, made all the more impressive by the fact that it seemed effortless. His partnering was attentive, tender and gracious. The connection between Núñez and Revé was extraordinary given the short lead time. It was a truly transcendent, sublime second act.
