Giselle

 

This week we attended a ballet performance at the National Theater of San Carlos.

The theater opened in 1793 with Queen Maria I in attendance. This building was a replacement for the Tejo Opera House, which was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.  (As I have said before, that earthquake was a very big deal!!)

On this night, the National Ballet Company performed Giselle, accompanied by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra.

In a nutshell, ‘Giselle’ is a story of love and betrayal, in which a peasant girl is driven to madness and death after feeling betrayed by count Albrecht, who disguises himself as a peasant and convinces her that his promises of eternal love are true.

It may not have been a "Hallmark" type ballet, but I must say that it was very well done and a fine time was had by all!