La Sylphide (2004): Aurelie Dupont, Mathieu Ganio, Jean-Marie Didiere, Melanie Hurel, Emmanuel Hoff, Virginie Rousseliere, Director Francois Roussillon, Ermanno Florio Conductor, Paris Opera Orchestra.
This is a stunning and beautiful 2004 Paris Opera production of the now forgotten and obscure Romantic ballet "La Sylphide" by composer Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer, largely regarded as the first true Romantic ballet which used white tutu, en pointe dancing and would influence the classics - Giselle and Swan Lake most notably. The production design by Marie-Claire Musson and costume design by Michel Fresnay was taken from actual drawings and sketches of the original Sylphide premiere of the early 19th century (1830's, 1840's) so what we see are fairy-winged girls in white tutus, backdrops of deep forests, fog, dawn, sunsets, the country, a country house, a village, etc which people more than a century ago saw at the theater. Overall, the production glows with an Old World feeling, and is a mirror to Paris Opera ballet of the time of Edgar Degas. The hot shot ballerina Aurelie Dupont, the current etoile of the Paris Opera, shines as the Sylphide, a fairy, an otherworldly creature who falls in love with a mortal- the Scottish hunter James (Matthieu Ganio). The tragedy is thus set in motion. James is betrothed to marry a local village maiden, Effie, but is still haunted and drawn to the allure of the unattainable and celestial creature. Through various grand dances, choreographed by the ballet genius Pierre Lacotte, the story unfolds with bittersweetness and dramatic pull. At the dance, an old Witch (Jean-Marie Didiere in hag get-up and great performance) shows up, claiming to know the future and prophetizes doom for the newly-weds. Later, we see this same evil crone making a magic scarf in the late night hours and putting a curse on it. Dawn breaks, the witch flees, and the fairies arise to bask in the daytime, which is theirs. The ballerinas are pulled by strings so that they are flying above the stage, in a cleverly crafted recreation of what ballet-goers saw at the original premiere. At a country dance, James and Effie are again pulled apart by the appearance of the Sylph, which only James is able to see at first. But later she reveals herself to everyone and she runs off with James. The witch gives James the scarf, telling him that the only way for her to be truly his is through the shedding of her wings, which would make her earth-bound. After a playful dance, James encloses the scarf around the Sylph, her wings fall off and she dies immediately. The witch has the last laugh as the curtain falls. This wonderful production is so good, that I wish I had been there to see it. All the talent behind it, from the top-notch dancers, to the production people, are responsible for a ballet masterpiece.
This is a stunning and beautiful 2004 Paris Opera production of the now forgotten and obscure Romantic ballet "La Sylphide" by composer Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer, largely regarded as the first true Romantic ballet which used white tutu, en pointe dancing and would influence the classics - Giselle and Swan Lake most notably. The production design by Marie-Claire Musson and costume design by Michel Fresnay was taken from actual drawings and sketches of the original Sylphide premiere of the early 19th century (1830's, 1840's) so what we see are fairy-winged girls in white tutus, backdrops of deep forests, fog, dawn, sunsets, the country, a country house, a village, etc which people more than a century ago saw at the theater. Overall, the production glows with an Old World feeling, and is a mirror to Paris Opera ballet of the time of Edgar Degas. The hot shot ballerina Aurelie Dupont, the current etoile of the Paris Opera, shines as the Sylphide, a fairy, an otherworldly creature who falls in love with a mortal- the Scottish hunter James (Matthieu Ganio). The tragedy is thus set in motion. James is betrothed to marry a local village maiden, Effie, but is still haunted and drawn to the allure of the unattainable and celestial creature. Through various grand dances, choreographed by the ballet genius Pierre Lacotte, the story unfolds with bittersweetness and dramatic pull. At the dance, an old Witch (Jean-Marie Didiere in hag get-up and great performance) shows up, claiming to know the future and prophetizes doom for the newly-weds. Later, we see this same evil crone making a magic scarf in the late night hours and putting a curse on it. Dawn breaks, the witch flees, and the fairies arise to bask in the daytime, which is theirs. The ballerinas are pulled by strings so that they are flying above the stage, in a cleverly crafted recreation of what ballet-goers saw at the original premiere. At a country dance, James and Effie are again pulled apart by the appearance of the Sylph, which only James is able to see at first. But later she reveals herself to everyone and she runs off with James. The witch gives James the scarf, telling him that the only way for her to be truly his is through the shedding of her wings, which would make her earth-bound. After a playful dance, James encloses the scarf around the Sylph, her wings fall off and she dies immediately. The witch has the last laugh as the curtain falls. This wonderful production is so good, that I wish I had been there to see it. All the talent behind it, from the top-notch dancers, to the production people, are responsible for a ballet masterpiece.
