SFB reviews all Giselle reviews

Tomasson has opted for a very traditional Giselle, so traditional that the first-act sets have an almost-cartoonish quality about them. He is concerned with consistency - of both plot and choreography. Tellingly, his choreography of the peasant dance (a pas de cinq) is close in both style and sentiment to the remainder of the ballet.

Lucia Lacarra, familiar to London audiences from guesting with ENB, takes some time to warm up to the role. Her initial appearance as Giselle, while promising well for the second act, seems too strong and confident in technique for a sickly peasant girl. In particular, her Guillem-esque extension seems extreme in this act. The overall impression one receives is that her Giselle is simple-minded. Lacarra seems almost a little too perfect to play this peasant girl, but convinces in the mad scene.

Solid support comes from both Yuri Possokhov as Albrecht, who perfectly matches Lacarra step for step and Damian Smith as Hilarion. Often a role that's near-neglected, I found that I was firmly on Hilarion's side rather than Albrecht, the alleged romantic hero.

It's the second act that really takes off, opened by Muriel Maffre with perfect bourees. Her smooth and detached Myrthe, who never loses her dignity, even when cowering from a cross, is a highlight of the production. She's supported by a chilling corps who are a welcome relief from the fixed grins of the first act, although throughout the production they are excellent.

Once again I wondered at Lacarra's emotional impact as Giselle. She's superb technically, while Possokhov pulls out all the stops as Albrecht, pulling his body so far off balance that one wonders how he does it without falling. It was really only at the end of the ballet that Lacarra's almost imperceptible reaction to dawn gave me a clue to her interpretation of the role and my reaction. A brief moment as she is unable to look at Albrecht, fearful that he has died, was poignant in the extreme. She's not a dancer who overpowers you with emotions, but instead gradually builds up a reaction to her work that has just as much impact as more dramatic performers.

The overall result is to leave me eagerly anticipating both Guillem's Giselle this summer and San Francisco Ballet's visit to London in October. The company are not bringing Giselle, probably because of the glut of productions here this summer, but are bringing Tomasson's Swan Lake. Lacarra's Odette/Odile is definitely on my wish list.