hexagon.cc
   http://hd.hexagon.cc/


Giselle.2006.720p.BluRay.x264-HD4U

 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596783/ 
http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=5957


HD4U
presents

Release___: Giselle.2006.720p.BluRay.x264-HD4U
Date______: 11.2010
Url_______: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1596783/
Res_______: 1280x720
Bitrate___: 5326 Kbps
Audio_____: English AC3 448Kbps 2ch
Subtitles_: None on source!


Giselle (complete ballet), Blu-ray (2006/2009)

Music of Adolphe Adam; Choreography of Marius Petipa
The Royal Ballet, with Alina Cojocaru, Johan Kobborg, Marianela Nunez
Royal Opera House Orchestra cond. by Boris Gruzin
Studio: BBC/Opus Arte [Distr. by Naxos]
Video: 16:9 color 1080i HD
Audio: Uncompressed PCM 5.0 or 2.0
Extras: Illustrated synopsis of each act, Cast gallery
Length: 113 minutes
Rating: *****

This is considered the quintessential Romantic-period ballet, and the dancer playing the title role has to really be on her toes, not just in the technical side of the often difficult choreography, but also in communicating the wide emotional range demanded in the role.  Alina Cojocaru is felt by some ballet fans to be the prime Giselle on the ballet stage today.  Following her very first public performance in this role, she was made principal dancer in the Royal Ballet

Wikipedia has an excellent synopsis of the ballet, so pardon me for skipping that here. Its a mix of the human and supernatural worlds.  I thought it interesting that in the original story Giselle commits suicide with the princes sword right away upon learning she has been jilted. But due to moral and religious objections, in the version danced everywhere now she first has a mad scene due to the shock to her system and then stabs herself.  In typical operatic/ballet style the stabbing is very unrealistic and she goes on dancing up a storm for some time while everyone stands around watching, before she finally succumbs

The costumes and sets are just right, especially the contrasts between the peasants clothes and the finery of the royal hunting party who pass thru the village. The mimed plot developments seem appropriate if you know the story or view the synopsis in the extras first, but I fail to understand how Giselles mother could possibly be telling the whole legend of the ghosts of jilted girls (the Willis) dancing in the forest at night just from her few gestures. The main idea behind the tale is I suppose the triumph of love over death, because Giselle forgives the prince his flirtation with her when he was engaged to a noble lady.  It was new to me in having seen this ballet a couple times that at the end, due to her love in protecting the prince from being danced to death by the Willis, as all men have been (including - unfairly - her steadfast peasant admirer), she does not become a Willis herself but has eternal peace so to speak. I can appreciate the challenge of communicating such details when all you have to work with is a dancer going behind the set and spotlight to turn off. While both of the lead dancers are superb, and Johan Kobberg as the prince does some amazing leaps, he doesnt match the perfect Giselleness of Cojocaru.  Also, I found him distracting since he looks like (in the face) a young Arnold Schwarzenegger

Opera and ballet such as this are perfect for Blu-ray since for lengthy periods there is not that much action going on and ones eyes tend to wander about the screen.  All the details are there, even in darker areas, and the details on the costumes come thru beautifully. And note that the surround track is neither lossless DTS nor Dolby but uncompressed 5.1 PCM for the very highest fidelity.  Of course with 50GB of space available, theres no need to use any sort of audio codec, even lossless. By the way, the Royal Ballet Orchestras playing of the score is first-rate, in no way compromised, and would stand up well against any of the CD-only recordings such as Antal Doratis classic on Mercury - especially since there hasnt been a SACD version of the score

John Sunier