A romantic ballet in two acts by Theophile Gautier on a theme by Heinrich Heine

Choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot

Production staged by Susana Prieto Elden Music by Adolphe Adam

GISELLE, a peasant girl     DAGMAR MORADILLOS

ALBRECHT, Duke of Silesia     JOSE MANUEL CARRENO

HILARION, the gamekeeper       JOSE RODRIGUEZ

MYRTHA, Queen of the Wilis      LAURA VALENTIN

ACT I: Count Albrecht arrives in the village with his squire and enters a cottage opposite that of Giselle, the lovely peasant girl. While he is in the house, Hilarion the gamekeeper returns from his morning chores and leaves a gift of flowers for Giselle, who he loves. After he has left Albrecht emerges from his cottage dressed as a peasant, submits his disguise to his squire’s inspection and dismisses him so that he can be alone with Giselle. He swears eternal love and she tests his declaration with a daisy—“he loves me, he loves me not…” When it appears the answer will be “not,” she throws the flower away, but Albrecht retrieves it and by surreptitiously discarding a petal comes up with the answer “loves me.” Hilarion interrupts, protesting that he, and not Albrecht, truly loves Giselle. A quarrel ensues and Hilarion’s suspicions that Albrecht is not a peasant are deepened as Albrecht reaches for the sword which, as a nobleman he is accustomed to wearing.

                        Village maidens arrive and Giselle invites them to celebrate the harvest by dancing. Her mother, Berthe, interrupts and warns her that her life may be in danger if she over exerts herself by dancing. She is struck by a momentary hallucination of her daughter in death and tells Giselle and the villagers of the legend of the Wilis, young maidens who have died with their love unrequited who are condemned to rise from their graves at night to haunt the forest, seeking young men whom they force to dance to their deaths.

                        A horn sounds in the distance and Albrecht recognizes it as coming from the hunting party of the Prince of Courland. As he hastily departs, Hilarion breaks into his cottage. Refreshments are served to the hunters and the Prince’s daughter, Bathilde, gives Giselle a gold necklace when she learns Giselle is also engaged to be married. After the royal party has returned to the hunt, Hilarion emerges from Albrecht’s cottage with a hunting horn and sword, further evidence that the supposed peasant is in fact a nobleman.

                        The villagers return and proclaim Giselle the Queen of the Wine Festival. Hilarion interrupts to denounce Albrecht as an impostor. When Albrecht denies the charges and threatens the gamekeeper with his sword, Hilarion blows the hunting horn, a signal for the Prince to return. Albrecht is exposed as an impostor when Bathilde reveals that Albrecht is not only her fiancée but also a nobleman. The shock of Albrecht’s duplicity is too great for Giselle’s frail constitution. Her mind becomes unhinged, and she dies of a broken heart – her love unrequited.

ACT II: The scene is laid in a clearing in a forest, near Giselle’s grave. The Wilis are summoned by their Queen, Myrtha, to attend the ceremony which will initiate Giselle into their sisterhood. The Wilis are maidens whose fiancées have failed to marry them before their death. Their love unrequited, they can find no rest, and their spirits are destined to forever roam the earth from the hours of midnight to dawn, revengefully trapping any male who enters their domain, and forcing him to dance to his death. Hilarion, in search of Giselle, meets his death at their hands. Albrecht arrives to leave flowers on Giselle’s grave. He too is trapped and commanded to dance until death. Giselle resolves to protect him; she dances with him until the clock strikes four, at which hour the Wilis lose their power. Albrecht is rescued from death. The act of love and forgiveness releases Giselle’s soul from its destiny of remaining a Wili forever.