There are many ways to tell the story of Giselle, and Demis Volpi’s version for Ballett am Rhein offers up more than the odd surprise. In fact, so diverged is it from the story of a peasant girl who falls for a wealthy prince, it arguably isn’t a Giselle at all, or at least that may be the feeling you experience after Act 1. Artistic Director since 2020, Volpi makes daring choices that may sit uncomfortably with traditionalists. We meet Giselle backstage after a performance, where she has an encounter with Bathilde and the two fall in love. The male characters are reduced to purely decorative roles and the two women’s tortured romance ensues. Act 2 continues to explore the gender roles with a chorus of Willis' comprising both males and females to mixed success before a familiar conclusion.
The first act is a thrilling whirlwind of just 30 minutes. There’s an immersive start, dancers are taking a curtain call, facing the real audience, whilst Bathilde (Doris Becker) applauds enthusiastically from just in front of the orchestra pit. She throws a bouquet and convinces her husband Albrecht (Daniele Bonelli) to go backstage to meet the cast, as she visibly simmers with nervous energy. Albrecht remains reserved throughout the encounter, always appearing as some kind of sombre reminder of reality as his wife experiences the euphoria of this warp-speed romance.
Becker’s Bathilde is initially sensible and shy, despite her excitement. She is dressed, like her husband, in demure brown tones that hide her shape in contrast to Giselle’s light tulle skirt and fitted corset. Futaba Ishizaki’s Giselle is effervescent, skittish and fresh from the performance. The two dance uninhibited together as the other stagehands and artists look on. While Bathilde’s infatuation is clear, Giselle is still having fun dancing for her visitor to Adolphe Adam’s score where all the usual motifs can be heard in this abridged version. Bathilde wears one of Giselle’s pointe shoes and one of her own flats, representative of her conflict.
Later, the two share a kiss at a post-show party, where the cast wear an array of natty outfits, glittering rags and assorted colours and the momentum feels like something out of a Matthew Bourne set piece. As Albrecht returns, the mood is ruined; there are tentative snake steps from the husband and wife, heavy with Bathilde’s guilt and Albrecht’s despair, until Giselle is left alone on stage. Ishizaki’s small frame jumps and writhes until she silently screams between the closing velvet curtain of the stage. It’s a brilliantly pacy and very engaging opener that contrasts with a rather disappointingly slow Act 2.
Although Act 1 feels far removed from a typical retelling, Act 2 feels more familiar but Volpi still has some plot twists for the audience. Giselle is now dead, and an older Bathilde (Angelika Richter) is mourning her at a bench. The Willis’ slowly fill the stage, Katherina Schlipf’s costumes of tulle skirts and culottes intertwined with foliage are discreet and fitting of the reflective mood Volpi evokes, but the problem arises when more dancing is required from the corps. The vastly differing heights of the males and females, the pointe shoes for some and not for others and, quite frankly, the bare chested Willis’ in skirts and blonde wigs are too distracting a combination.
Volpi diverts too from more traditional choreography in favour of repeated jumpy phrasing with hands and arms as Bathilde is surrounded by these ghostly spirits. The sections with only female Willis are more successful, neatly executed, atmospheric and, of course, more traditional. Overall, there is too little pace in what is a lengthy act compared to the first. Too much time is spent with a parade of the spirits walking from one side of the stage to the other, presumably to evoke a sense of reflection and regret but it gives the audience time to disengage before (younger) Bathilde and Giselle finally dance together again.
Volpi’s attempts to do something different with an oft-seen classic are brave and Act1 is especially memorable, but he appears to make all his moves here, making for a lacklustre and rather uncomfortable Act 2. The exploration of gender roles is interesting but not fully realised. The idea of a different narrative for the main characters is exciting, even if some might argue it isn’t really “Giselle” in the traditional sense, it’s no less enjoyable.
