Giselle is the quintessential Romantic ballet. Its title role, one of the most technically demanding and emotionally challenging in the classical repertory, is here danced by Alina Cojocaru, partnered by Johan Kobborg as Count Albrecht. This tale of the transcendental power of love over death is evocatively portrayed through Peter Wright’s sensitive staging and John Macfarlane’s designs, which beautifully contrast the human and supernatural worlds – mastered from a High Definition recording and true surround sound.

Giselle: Alina Cojocaru
Count Albrecht: Johan Kobborg
Myrtha (Queen of the Wilis): Marianela Nuñez
Hilarion (a forester): Martin Harvey

The Royal Ballet
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Choreographer: Marius Petipa
Conductor: Boris Gruzin

Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London in January 2006.

Reviews

‘Cojocaru's interpretation, everyone seems to agree, is one of the greatest of all time, and she continues to refine it with every performance… One of the things which makes Cojocaru so poignant in this role is a quality that one senses in the dancer herself. Something in the emotional charge of her performances, some fragility beneath the ballerina steel, emphasises the ephemeral nature of the art form. It reminds us that we must seize the day.’ The Observer

Awards

5 stars - The Mail on Sunday (February 2009)
Performance: 4 stars / Picture & Sound: 5 stars - BBC Music Magazine (December 2008)
Opus d'Or (October 2008)