Giselle - Pas de deux (Act 1)

Description

Giselle, first performed at the Paris Opéra in 1841, is the Romantic ballet by which Adam is best remembered today. Over two acts it tells of the village girl Giselle, her love and betrayal, and her return after death as one of the spirit Wilis. This piece is a piano version of a pas de deux from the first act, which is set in the village.

It is in G major and 2/4, lasting about a minute and a quarter with 541 notes, a small scale. The right hand carries the tune over light two-beat steps while the left hand marks the beat beneath it, the plain, clear writing of music made to accompany dancers. Because stage music is cut to the dancers' movements, its phrase endings are also clearly marked.

It is rated intermediate, but its small size makes it easy to bring to a finished run-through. The range runs from G2 to G5, so it fits on a 61-key keyboard. The main task is keeping the left-hand accompaniment from turning heavy, so the melody can sing while the two-beat spring is kept. Slowing the playback and watching the hand colours shows what each hand is doing, and an A-B loop over any awkward spot lets you tidy it without losing the dance's lightness.

Piano arrangements of ballet music, including Adam's "Giselle" and Minkus's "La Bayadère," recreating the drama of the stage on the keyboard alone.