Romantic ballet „"Giselle"” (music by Adolphe Adam, 1841) is a classic tale of love, betrayal, death, and forgiveness, structured in two distinct acts. Poet Heinrich Heine tells the legend of the mysterious Wilis, young women who must die before their wedding day because their love has been betrayed.
In their dead hearts, an unbridled desire to dance continues to beat. Like spirits, they leave their graves at night – and if a living man approaches them at this time, they will dance him to death.
Succinct Description
- Act I: The Real World and Tragedy
The action takes place in a Rhineland village during the grape harvest. The young peasant girl Giselle, with a fragile heart, falls in love with a man disguised as a peasant, named Loys, not knowing that he is, in fact, Count Albrecht, already engaged to a noblewoman, Bathilde.
Her rival, the jealous forester Hilarion, discovers the deception and exposes it to the entire village. The shock is too great for Giselle, who loses her mind (the famous "madness scene") and dies of grief. - Act II: The Supernatural World and Forgiveness
Act Two takes place at night, at Giselle's grave in the forest. Here the Wilis appear, the vengeful spirits of young brides who died before their wedding, condemned to dance men to death through exhaustion. Led by their queen, Myrtha, the Wilis first punish Hilarion.
Albrecht, filled with remorse, visits Giselle's grave and is also captured by the Wilis. Giselle's spirit, though now a Wili, transcends her desire for revenge and, through the power of her eternal love, protects Albrecht and dances with him until dawn, when the Wilis lose their power. Albrecht is saved, and Giselle finally finds eternal peace.
BThe draw will take place on April 23/26/30, May 2/8, 2026
For booking/purchasing tickets, contact Glossar Travel Agency.
