Giselle: free streamed performance from La Scala with two casts

Giselle will be streamed from La Scala this evening, Saturday 30 January, at 20.00 CET. The ballet was filmed over two days, without an audience, and will be offered to viewers worldwide via the state television network's RaiPlay online service

The recording will be available for two days until 1 February.

The first act will see Martina Arduino as Giselle (a role debut) with Claudio Coviello as Albrecht; the second act will be performed by Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko, with Virna Toppi as Myrtha. Marta Romagna and Mick Zeni lead the royal court, and Antonella Albano and Nicola Del Freo dance the peasants' pas de deux. Marco Agostino is Hilarion and Koen Kessels conducts the La Scala Orchestra.

Two short sessions with Carla Fracci working with the dancers are available on the theatre's YouTube channel:

Act One with Martina Arduino and Claudio Coviello

Act Two with Nicoletta Manni Timofej Andrijashenko

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.