Hello sweet blossoms, I hope you are all well! I thought I would share with a few magical moments from the month of November. I always look forward to decorating my bedroom for Christmas and this year I decided to adopt a Sleeping Beauty/Nutcracker theme as both remind me of this time of year.
Whilst putting up my tree I love to listen to the Nutcracker score, light a dreamy winter candle and of course, have something sweet as fuel whilst I decorate!
I just adore this Sleeping Beauty fairy ornament from Gisela Graham, it reminds me of the opening scene from the ballet!
My room is never complete without an array of ballerina decor to keep me inspired and prepare for Christmas.
Last week I decided to take myself on a day-trip to London on my own! It was something I never considered before but I’m so glad I did it. Travelling to and visiting the Royal Opera House is always a joy and I couldn’t resist capturing some of the beautiful surroundings.
On this day I went to see the Royal Ballet’s Giselle matinee.
When I arrived at the Royal Opera House I was filled with so much joy and excitement! Luckily I came quite early to the performance and so I had some time to browse the gift-shop.
I love gazing at all the ballet themed items that they have in the ROH gift-shop and I decided to pick up the Margot Fonteyn Royal Box Print which I have wanted for such a long time, 2 postcards which feature Margot as Aurora and back-stage in the dressing-room as the ballerinas prepare for Cinderella and of course, the Giselle programme.
Whenever I visit the Opera House, before I take my seat I always love to look at the photographs and posts they have framed – especially the ones of Margot & Nureyev and of course.. Darcey Bussell! Once I had done this, I finally took my seat in the second row and patiently waited for the performance to begin…
Giselle is a Romantic ballet of two acts, with music conducted by Adolphe Adam. First performed in Paris in 1841 with Carlotta Grisi as Giselle, the ballet has been a classic in the rep of many companies ever since.
The haunting, spectre-like ballet follows Giselle’s transition from innocence to experience. The first act opens in a quaint country village in Germany and intrigue immediately emerges as the nobleman Albrecht (played by Marcelino Sambé) clothes himself as a peasant in order to intercept village-life. He begins by knocking on Giselle’s door – a playful scheme for his own pride – and Giselle (danced by Sarah Lamb) makes her first, iconic entrance; performing sprightly pique jumps, which capture her light spirit and kind-heart.
As activities of the harvest season in the village take place, we see an array of dances and exciting activities displayed and Giselle continues to fall deeply in love with Albrecht. Sarah Lamb brings so much innocence, joy and lightness to the role that as you watch her, particularly in her Act I solos, we catch glimpses of a young woman who has fallen in love for the first time.
In the final part of Act 1, we see Giselle descend into madness as Albrecht’s ‘real identity’ and engagement to a noblewoman are revealed. Devastated, Giselle dies of a broken heart and descends into an unknown realm, revealed in Act II….
The second act opens to the ethereal, other-worldly realm of the Wilis, maidens who have died after betrayals from their loved-ones. The Wilis take revenge by dancing men to death by exhaustion. This act opens with Myrtha, the haunting yet delicate queen of the Wilis who enters onto the stage with a succession of captivating bourré’s in different directions.
Gina Storm-Jensen danced Myrtha and projected her haunting yet protective stage presence. As the rest of the Wilis enter, the scene of the quaint German village vanishes and we descend into a realm of woe and heartbreak.
The gossamer veils and tutus, in an ethereal white, the delicate wings which adorn the backs of each Wilis all create an atmosphere of haunting. The Wilis, although forbidding, are also a protecting Giselle. They guard her against Albrecht who hopes to be reunited with his love beyond the grave . However, it is forgiveness which transcends through this final act as the intimate, sorrowful pas de deux’s between Giselle and Albrecht convey Giselle’s sacrifice and forgiveness for the man who betrayed her.
Albrecht truly repents for his sins, and although the two are parted at the ballet’s close, when Albrecht clasps onto the fragile petals of the strewn bower which Giselle has left behind, he ruminates on his love, her strength, her forgiveness, and by protecting Albrecht and saving him, she saves herself from becoming one of the Wilis.
After seeing the performance, I decided to wander into Covent Garden and absorb all its Christmas magic! There were so many dreamy wintry displays – including a Frozen themed winter stand which was covered with frosted trees and snow! I of course, went to Ladurée! to pick up a box of my favourite rose and vanilla macarons and then it was time to return home.
I had such a lovely day in London, and I can’t wait to return next month to see the Royal Ballet’s Nutcracker and of course I will share another blog post and hopefully a vlog of my trip!
