Ballet pantomime in three acts and five scenes premiered on 16th February 1848 at the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique, Paris

Choreography: Joseph Mazilier et M Dumanoir

Music: Adolphe Adam

Premiers Rôles

Griseldis: Carlotta Grisi

Prince Elfrid of Bohemia: Lucien Petipa

King Wladislas of Bohemia: Joseph Mazilier

Jacobus: M Berthier

An Ambassador: M Lenfant

The Governor of Belgrade: M Monnet

 

Plot

Summary

TBC

 

History

Original Production

Griseldis ou Les Cinq Sens (Griseldis or The Five Senses) is a ballet pantomime in three acts and five tableaux. It was choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to a libretto by Philippe François Pinel Dumanoir and music by Adolphe Adam. The ballet premièred on 16 February 1848 at the Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique, Paris.

Selected Revivals

12 November 1850

Location: Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie, Brussels

Staged by Henri Desplaces.

 

London Revivals

1880 Revival

In 1880 the ballet was revived by William Thompson for Marguerite Lemoine as Griseldis with Samuel Penrose as Prince Elfrid. Musical revisions were undertaken by François Bardet. 

Thompson had intially planned to revive Griseldis for Marguerite Lemoine the previous year, for the 1879 season. Lemoine was a leading danseuse with Thompson’s troupe at the Linden Theatre before he had engaged Velluti, and for the past two years Velluti had been given the première rôles (in the revivals of Ondine in 1877 and Esmeralda in 1878) while Lemoine had been relegated to the secondary rôles (Giannina in Ondine and Fleur de Lys in Esmeralda). Thus, Lemoine decided she was not going to dance in the 1879 season and requested to take a leave of absence, ostensibly to visit her family back in France. Lemoine’s displeasure at being sidelined in favour of Velluti was well known, and Thompson had planned to soothe this by reviving Griseldis with Lemoine as the heroine. However, this plan was thwarted by Lemoine’s leave of absence, the permission of which the theatre management granted without discussing the matter with Thompson. 

As a result, Thompson resolved to revive Griseldis without her. However, Velluti did not much care for the ballet and instead requested if Giselle could be revived for her instead. Thompson initially resisted the suggestion, not wishing to abandon the initial work that he and Bardet had begun to do on Griseldis. However, Velluti  refused to dance it and Thompson eventually acquiesced to her request, resulting in the 1879 revival of Giselle with Velluti in the titular rôle. Thompson did eventually revive Griseldis the following year with Lemoine in the titular rôle, a move which only temporarily soothed her annoyance.

Rôles

Griseldis: Marguerite Lemoine

Prince Elfrid: Samuel Penrose

Musical Revisions

TBC

Résumé des Scènes et Danses

TBC