La Sylphide at the Paris Opéra Ballet

By Patricia Boccadoro

PARIS, 23 September 2004 - La Sylphide, created in 1832 at the Paris Opéra, and danced by the legendary Marie Taglioni, born just 200 years ago, was the first of the truly Romantic ballets. The plot, inspired by the supernatural Ballet of the Nuns which had appeared in Meyerbeer's opera, Robert le Diable the year before, tells the story of an impossible love between a human and a spirit. James, a young Scottish farmer, whose thoughts are possessed by the beautiful Sylphide who comes to him in a vision, runs off with her to the forest on the eve of his wedding to Effie. In the Sylphide's aerial realm, inhabited by winged creatures, he asks the evil Madge for help to keep her for ever, but the witch gives him a poisoned shawl. Tragically, when he wraps it around the Sylphide, her wings fall off and she dies.

As in many Romantic works, the hero pursues a dream and in doing so destroys his chance of happiness in the real world. Strangely enough, the ballet by Filippo Taglioni, which was a huge success at the time, was abandoned after 1863, and the version which has been handed down over the years is one by August Bournonville, set to an entirely different score. It wasn't until Pierre Lacotte's reconstruction in 1972 that the original work was seen again.

Agnès Letestu in La Sylphide
Photo:ICARE

In the recent re-programming of the ballet at the Palais Garnier, Agnès Letestu, a beautiful ballerina, made her debut as the Sylphide, a role which suited her pure classicism to perfection. Like Titania before her, she has erred in the world of mortals and fallen in love with James. Unbelievably light and ethereal, she drifted mystically across the stage in a mass of white tulle. An unearthly figment of the young crofter's imagination, she enticed him away from the world of reality with childlike innocence.

But unfortunately, several last minute changes of cast found James, a demanding role both technically and artistically, danced by an all too obviously under rehearsed Stephane Phavorin, a member of the corps de ballet. If, thanks to the professionalism of Letestu, he got away with act one where his simple earthiness provided a fine contrast to her poetic lyricism, and where in fact the actual couple is Effie and James, he made heavy weather of the jumps and crisp landings in Act two. Possessing neither the technique nor the style required, he was simply not up to it. Lacking temperament, his character never really came to life and he remained a lumpish Scottish lout who would have done better to have stayed with Effie, the buxom country lassie danced by Aurélia Bellet.

La Sylphide
Photo: ICARE

However, in the Sylvan forest, lit by the eerie halo of the gas lights simulating moonlight, the corps de ballet, delicate and frail in their long diaphanous tutus touched perfection in the first "white" act in the history of ballet. Act two opened with them literally flying through the air, ingeniously suspended by wires from on high, to nestle in trees contemplating the grace of the Sylphide, pale and slender, who danced scarcely touching the ground down below.

At another performance, étoile Aurélie Dupont, who also made her debut in the title role, was more a seductive woman than a supernatural being; she didn't quite convince. However, with her pretty face and exquisite dancing she outshined her rival, an Effie full of charm interpreted by Melanie Hurel, and enticed James off to the forest with her. James, interpreted by the handsome Mathieu Ganio, had no problem at all in making his audience believe that he was the sort of person who really would go chasing after an ideal.

Elegant, neat and light, in a red swinging kilt, he was the incarnation of a romantic Scottish Highlander. Aged twenty, the newly nominated étoile gave an impressive artistic rendering of Act I for one so young, while the technical difficulties with their high bounding jumps and changes of direction were evidently a joy for him to perform. Given time for his own high spirits to emerge, this outstanding dancer will surely stamp a personal style more true to himself on the role. One cannot help but predict a great future for him.

La Sylphide
Photo: ICARE

As in the previous performance, the corps de ballet, with their light and flowing style and soloists full of charm, were flawless.

All praise to the Orchestre de l'Opéra National de Paris conducted by Ermanno Florio who played to the hilt the little-known Jean-Madeleine Schneitzhoeffer's dull score, created to fit the demands of the choreographer, the only weakness in this magnificent work.

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