Giselle - Olga Smirnova
Count Albrecht - Jacopo Tissi
Hilarion - Giorgi Potskhishvili
Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis - Floor Eimers
Wilfried, Count Albrecht’s Friend - Rémy Catalan
Duke of Courland - Nicolas Rapaic
Berthe, Giselle’s Mother - Jane Lord
Bathilde, Count Albrecht’s Fiancée - Erica Horwood
Pas de Quatre - Yuanyuan Zhang, Naira Agvanean, Edo Wijnen, Sho Yamada

Dutch National Ballet
Dutch Ballet Orchestra
Ermanno Florio, conductor

Marius Petipa, choreographer (after Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot)
Rachel Beaujean and Ricardo Bustamante, additional choreography and production
Toer van Schayk, set and costume designer
James F. Ingalls, lighting designer

Recorded at the Dutch National Opera and Ballet, Amsterdam, 26 and 29 October 2023

The premiere of Adolphe Adam’s Giselle in Paris on 28 June 1841 was an absolute triumph, and it has been considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon ever since. The theme of Giselle, impossible love, is relevant to all times and cultures. Giselle believes she has found her true love in Albrecht, but he is not the person she thought he was – in fact, he is engaged to someone else. Albrecht’s love for Giselle has fatal consequences, but even in death, Giselle is still capable of love and forgiveness. This Dutch National Ballet production by Rachel Beaujean and Ricardo Bustamante breathes new life into Giselle while remaining true to the original, combining stunning sets and costumes with ethereal beauty.