Adam - Giselle (complete ballet) ~ Offenbach - Gaîté Parisienne ~ Strauss Graduation Ball / Fistoulari, Dorati

Giselle is the first of the great "classical" ballets, which is a bit confusing because all of the classical ballets date from the romantic period. What "classical" means in this context is a full-length theater piece in several acts that tells a coherent story. There were only two countries where this sort of entertainment became popular--France and Russia, and the great composers of classical ballet were, accordingly, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov, Prokofiev, Adam, and Delibes. Of course, there were many others, but they don't get played that often, for good reason. Giselle is a typical "fairy tale" ballet full of good tunes and nice, strong dance rhythms. It's not as great as Delibes or Tchaikovsky, but taken on its own terms, it's a good listen. This performance makes the music shine. --David Hurwitz