clement crisp reviews royal swedish ballet's Giselle, "a holy ballet", staged by makarova - "an undeniably important production, and one to treasure. ":<P> <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Makarova has chosen two Monet paintings as basis for the sets, and they are well suited to the drama. A poppy-bright canvas of fields at Giverny has been used by designer Tony Straiges for Act One, with Monet's view trimmed of its sky so that we sense the action taking place in a valley cut off from the world. The second act offers brooding river scenes, trees reflected in nocturnal water, and is perfect in mood.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <A HREF="http://timeoff.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT3FRZ9Y9FC&live=true&tagid=ZZZQ35K480C" TARGET=_blank>financial times review</A> <P> <p>[This message has been edited by grace (edited November 08, 2000).]

Clement Crisp at his best, reviewing a work he loves, but prepared to look with fresh eyes at a new design concept located in a different period. You can already imagine some critics saying, 'Sacrilige!'<P>Elsewhere in 'Ballet' grace expressed some muted(!) surprise at the notion that the plot of 'Giselle' was nonsense. Despite the supernatural elements of this Romantic story, it seems to me that the plot works very well compared with the Classical dance spectaculars of 'Don Q' and 'Le Corsaire'.<P>A modern dance friend of mine almost goes into a daze after the emotional tension of 'Giselle', a state which she describes as being 'Giselled out'. It is an extraordinary work and one of the great artistic achievements of the 19th C, in my view.