West Australian Ballet: La Sylphide -
His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth, 17 May 2013 -
In a testament to the enduring art of classical ballet, we are able to sit in a theatre in Perth in 2013 enthusiastically cheering West Australian Ballet’s engaging production of August Bournonville’s 1836 version of La Sylphide.
This work blends Romanticism with characters and events from everyday life and, despite being set in the 1830s, remains relevant today as a cautionary tale of the dangers of chasing dreams and illusions. It was staged for West Australian Ballet by noted Danish repetiteur Dinna Bjorn with a stylish new set design by Richard Roberts and attractive costumes by Lexi George. With two short acts, La Sylphide is often preceded by a contrasting one-act ballet, but worked well alone.
Marie Taglioni, the first dancer to be celebrated for her work ‘en pointe’, danced the title role in the 1832 premiere created by her father Filippo in Paris, which heralded the era of Romantic ballets exploring the supernatural. Four years later, Bournonville created his version for the Royal Danish Ballet and, unable to afford the original music by Schneitzhoeffer, commissioned 20-year-old Herman Severin Løvenskiold to compose new music. This version survives today with choreography virtually unchanged.
The performance began with a lengthy overture brilliantly played by West Australian Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Wolfgang Heinz, which seemed to prophesy the ballet's tone and tragic themes, and on opening night was met with loud and deserved applause before the curtain rose on James (Sergey Pevnev) dozing by the fire in the living room of his Scottish farmhouse. Dressed in a tartan kilt in readiness for his wedding to Effie (Yu Takayama), he is visited by a Sylphide (Brooke Widdison-Jacobs), an elusive and possibly illusory creature unseen by others, who haunts his dreams and enters his world.
The ballet has a strong narrative thread with a mix of mime, traditional classical dance and Scottish reels. A love rivalry exists between James and his best friend Gurn (Matthew Lehmann), and mysterious fortune-teller Madge is omnipresent, with Craig Lord-Sole giving a distinguished interpretation of the role encompassing humour, rage and vindictiveness without caricature.
An ethereal Widdison-Jacobs grew in confidence after some first night tension. Her exquisite insteps and lovely line were impressive and her mime scenes with Pevnev convincing. Clever stage effects saw her vanish up the chimney, materialize through the window, hover on the staircase and disappear from the armchair. Pevnev excelled in a nuanced portrayal and conquered the choreography in his solos with speed, impressive elevation, immaculate beats and expansive use of the space. The company danced the reels with good precision and energetic male dancing and child performer Brooklyn Metropolis was delightful. Takayama was a sweet Effie and Lehmann a charismatic Gurn, with excellent elevation, style and articulated footwork in his solo.
Abandoning Effie, James follows the Sylphide to her forest realm, (a striking design of stylised, tall trees), joining the ensemble of white-clad sylphs dancing in lyrical, Bournonville-style with good unison and musicality, noisy pointe shoes the only jarring note.
The Sylphide’s death, caused by vengeful Madge and an unwitting James, was touchingly enacted by Widdison-Jacobs. And Pevnev as James was intensely moving as, motionless and powerless, he sees his dreams and life evaporate as the Sylphide’s lifeless form is spirited away and Effie and Gurn’s wedding party passes by, and he collapses and dies.
- Margaret Mercer
La Sylphide runs until 1 June 2013.