Adam - Giselle  (complete ballet) ~ Offenbach - Gaîté Parisienne ~ Strauss Graduation Ball / Fistoulari, Dorati
Giselleis the first of the great "classical" ballets, which is a  bit confusing because all of the classical ballets date from the romantic  period. What "classical" means in this context is a full-length theater piece in  several acts that tells a coherent story. There were only two countries where  this sort of entertainment became popular--France and Russia, and the great  composers of classical ballet were, accordingly, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov,  Prokofiev, Adam, and Delibes. Of course, there were many others, but they don't  get played that often, for good reason.Giselleis a typical "fairy tale"  ballet full of good tunes and nice, strong dance rhythms. It's not as great as  Delibes or Tchaikovsky, but taken on its own terms, it's a good listen. This  performance makes the music shine.--David Hurwitz