The audience should be forgiven for chuckling at the pre-curtain announcement of the corporate sponsor for Pennsylvania Ballet's new Giselle. Honestly, corporate community engagement can be ticklish for some industries. Creativity and even a bit of serendipity is needed to find a good match between corporations and non-profits. And when a good philanthropic arrangement is finally nailed down, it can yield a casket of dividends for both parties. So, we give a nod to Pennsylvania Ballet for nabbing West Laurel Hill Cemetery & Funeral Home as its presenting sponsor for its season of Giselle which premiered Thursday evening at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. It may be the best ever match of a sponsor with a ballet.
Love, betrayal, revenge, and forgiveness — it’s all beautiful at Pennsylvania Ballet. The company’s new Giselle choreographed by Artistic Director Angel Corella after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot was given a glistening performance by Oksana Maslova as Giselle and Arian Molina Soca as Albrecht. Of fragile form and weak heart, this Giselle possessed an unbreakable love for Albrecht. Her discovery of his dishonesty may have shaken her to the core and caused her heart to stop, but her love lived on and was strong enough to ultimately save Albrecht’s life.
Oksana Maslova portrayed the Act I Giselle as innocent and trusting. Her joy soared along with her jetes. Arian Molina Soca’s Albrecht was neither cad nor playboy – in fact, there was nothing not to like about him. The viewer sensed that his feelings for Giselle were honest whenever he was with her. She was far more than just a side dish. Giselle's descent into madness upon discovering Albrecht’s duplicity was fairly standard — that’s not to suggest it wasn’t convincing, but it did seem a little like connect-the-dots. However, we clearly saw the life leave her body in the final moments when Albrecht lifted her into the air.
Act II is where both of these artists soared in performance and delivered the breathtaking beauty for which this ballet is widely known. Giselle’s awakening spin and variation had the force and vengeance of a Fury. She seemed destined to be one heck of a Wili but for her love of Albrecht getting in the way. Maslova’s slender limbs belied her steely strength, particularly in phrases of unsupported adagio where she held developpes aloft and then stepped around into the long attitude position with the leg behind. Throughout, she projected a delicacy that was hauntingly beautiful. Molina Soca danced Act II as though this ballet was the substance of his soul, as though all of life came down to these moments, this role, this chance for Albrecht’s redemption. His epic overhead lifts of Giselle drew gasps from the audience. His flying brisés down the diagonal where he stopped nose-to-nose with Myrtha were thrilling. In the final tableau, he walked slowly up the center of the stage to the front and gazed outward in what appeared to be his moment of finally realizing what Giselle's love had meant to his life.
There were several other strong performances in addition to Maslova’s and Molina Soca’s. Dayesi Torriente’s Myrtha was a powerful and unyielding spirit. We saw and felt her anger but we never saw the hurt beneath it. Ian Hussey’s Hilarion danced to his death with convincing fatigue and horror. Nayara Lopes and Albert Gordon were brilliant in the Act I Peasant Pas de Deux, traversing the many difficult technical passages with ease. Both are technically gifted artists, but Lopes forged such a strong and immediate connection with the audience that it seemed she should be Giselle, too. She reappeared in Act II to dance Moyna along with Alexandra Hughes’ Zulma; both performed beautifully.
The corps de ballet seemed well rehearsed in both acts. The voyage section in Act II didn’t look bad at all but it would have looked better on a larger stage. Some of the corps sections looked cramped for space at times.
The orchestra was outstanding the whole evening. Tempi seemed perfect for every dancer and the ensemble. There were no lengthy pauses between sections that have tended to kill the momentum in other productions. The conductor, Peter Stafford Wilson, was making his debut with PA Ballet. He currently conducts for Tulsa Ballet and has previously conducted for BalletMet and Michigan Opera Theater. He also currently holds the post of Music Director of Springfield Symphony Orchestra in Ohio.
The costumes, designed by David Huevel, and scenery, designed by Peter Cazalet, were from Louisville Ballet’s production. All of it was traditional and complementary, if a bit muted colorwise.
We also want to mention that the Playbill included an outstanding piece written by ballet master Charles Askegard which discussed the importance of this ballet and its themes to a 21st century audience. He maintained that Giselle is a character of great strength in life and in afterlife – a woman who made her own decisions, chose her own love, and had the great strength to confront Myrtha to save Albrecht. Perhaps PA Ballet will figure out a way to upload it to their website.
The H.H. Pump Bump Award is bestowed upon Arian Molina Soca for his portrayal of Albrecht.