Markova at Covent Garden.
THAT much loved ballerina, Alicia Markova, is back again in London and dancing as guest artist at Covent Garden. Here, on Monday night, she opened her season with her most famous of roles, Giselle. Markova's name will surely ever be linked with the story of this young country girl whose natural means of expression was that of dancing. She is Giselle; shy, tender and so unaware of the problems of life that, having given herself completely to her lover, she is unable to sustain his betrayal, loses her reason and thrusts a dagger into her heart. But she carries her love for him into eternity, and so, as an ethereal being who dances on earth in the midnight hours, she endeavours to save him from the inexorable laws of the Wilis.
When last she appeared in London in 1951, Markova's Giselle had reached the heights. It was one of those moving and thrilling experiences which must necessarily be rare, but which, having penetrated so profoundly, remain throughout a lifetime. Then, one knew, Markova had the whole of her art at her command; that when she took a low arabesque, dropped from the pointe, or moved hesitatingly, it was because that was how she chose, with her lovely sensitivity, to interpret the role—and how perfectly she succeeded. But on Monday night it was not choice but necessity which was dictating to her, which was responsible for simplifications of choreo- graphy, faulty balance and even, occasionally, failure to keep time with the music. Markm,a could only in flashes allow herself complete identification with Giselle because those relentless technical problems were continuously getting in her way and refusing to do her will. It may be that the highly strung nerves were suffering from that persistent malady of first-night stage-fright, or from the emotion caused by once more dancing upon the Covent Garden stage. In any case Markova's ardent and more perceptive devotees will hope that herein lies the trouble and that subsequent performances will again reveal the full magic of Markova's Giselle.
LILLIAN BROWSE.
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