Between April 23 and May 8, the Vienna State Ballet will present six performances of this iconic work in the visually distinctive production created for Vienna in 1993 by Elena Tchernichova. This staging has long been regarded as one of the company’s most cherished treasures. Its atmospheric design—marked by subtle grey landscapes contrasted with vivid colors in the costumes—creates a poetic visual world in which the dancers emerge with striking clarity, particularly in the moonlit second act where the ghostly Wilis glide across the stage in haunting unison.
These performances promise to be not merely a revival of a beloved ballet, but an artistic event of rare significance. A remarkable cast of principal dancers from across the international ballet world will bring the story to life, accompanied by the magnificent orchestra of the Vienna State Opera under the direction of the Italian-German conductor Luciano Di Martino, whose musical interpretations are admired for their expressive intensity, spontaneity, and precision.
Yet the deeper significance of this series of performances lies in the extraordinary moment in the history of the company: they take place during the first season of a new artistic era led by one of the most celebrated ballerinas of modern times.
Alessandra Ferri and the Legacy of Giselle
The Vienna State Ballet is now under the artistic direction of the legendary Italian dancer Alessandra Ferri. Few artists have been as closely associated with the role of Giselle as Ferri, whose performances throughout the world were widely considered among the most moving interpretations ever seen.
Born in Milan and trained initially at the ballet school of La Scala before completing her studies at the Royal Ballet School in London, Ferri rose to international prominence with astonishing speed. At just nineteen she became a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, where choreographer Kenneth MacMillan created several major roles for her. Soon afterwards she joined the American Ballet Theatre at the invitation of Mikhail Baryshnikov, performing throughout the world in both the classical and contemporary repertoire.
But among all her roles, Giselle held a special place. Ferri’s interpretation combined dramatic realism with an ethereal delicacy that seemed to dissolve the boundary between human emotion and supernatural presence. Critics frequently described her second-act Giselle as “otherworldly,” a spirit whose compassion and forgiveness transcended tragedy.
Today, as director of the Vienna State Ballet, Ferri brings not only her experience but also her profound understanding of the emotional essence of this ballet. The upcoming performances therefore carry the feeling of an artistic transmission: the spirit of one of the greatest Giselles in modern history guiding a new generation of dancers in the role.
The Vienna State Opera: A Temple of Music and Dance
Presenting Giselle in the Vienna State Opera gives the production an additional aura of prestige. Since its inauguration in 1869, the opera house has been one of the most important cultural landmarks in Europe. It has hosted legendary musicians, singers, conductors, and dancers, becoming synonymous with artistic excellence.
The ballet tradition in Vienna has flourished alongside the city’s extraordinary musical heritage. Over the decades the Vienna State Ballet has developed into one of the most distinguished companies in Europe, maintaining the great classical repertoire while also embracing contemporary choreography.
Within that repertoire, Giselle occupies a particularly cherished place. The ballet embodies the very essence of Romanticism: fragile human emotion, supernatural mystery, and the redemptive power of love.
The Story and the Magic of Giselle
The narrative unfolds in two contrasting worlds.
The first act takes place in a peaceful Rhineland village during the harvest season. Giselle is a gentle peasant girl who loves to dance despite a weak heart. She falls in love with a young man she believes to be a villager named Loys, unaware that he is in fact Duke Albrecht, a nobleman already betrothed to another woman. When the truth is revealed, Giselle’s fragile spirit collapses under the weight of betrayal, and she dies in despair.
The second act enters the supernatural realm of the Wilis—ghostly spirits of young brides who died before their wedding day. Led by their implacable queen, Myrtha, they force any man who enters their domain to dance until death. Albrecht arrives at Giselle’s grave, consumed by remorse. Yet Giselle’s spirit protects him, dancing with him through the night until dawn breaks and the Wilis lose their power.
In this moment of forgiveness lies the emotional heart of the ballet: love transcending betrayal, compassion overcoming vengeance.
Madison Young: An Emerging Romantic Interpreter
One of the central interpreters of Giselle in this Vienna series will be the American principal dancer Madison Young, who will appear on April 23 and April 30.
Young’s career has developed rapidly since she trained at Ballet West Academy and Houston Ballet Academy. Her success at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne opened the doors to an international career, eventually leading her to join the Vienna State Ballet under the direction of Manuel Legris.
Promoted through the ranks with remarkable speed, Young has established herself as a dancer admired for her musical sensitivity, luminous stage presence, and refined classical technique. These qualities make her particularly suited to the role of Giselle, where innocence, lyricism, and emotional sincerity are essential.
Her partner in these performances will be the brilliant Brazilian dancer Victor Caixeta.
Victor Caixeta: A Rising International Star
Caixeta’s journey to the world’s great stages began in Brazil, where he trained through the social project “Pé de Moleque.” His talent soon attracted international attention when he participated in the Prix de Lausanne, receiving numerous scholarship offers.
After graduating from the State Ballet School Berlin, he joined the ballet of the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, where he was promoted to soloist. Later he became a principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam before joining the Vienna State Ballet as principal in the 2025/26 season.
Known for his spectacular jumps and noble stage presence, Caixeta embodies the romantic hero with elegance and charisma.
Cassandra Trenary and Davide Dato
The April 26 matinée introduces the American ballerina Cassandra Trenary as Giselle opposite the Italian dancer Davide Dato.
Dato, trained at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School, has become one of the most respected male artists of the company. His performances are admired for their musical phrasing, elegance, and deep stylistic understanding of the classical repertoire.
Together with Trenary’s expressive dramatic presence, their partnership promises an interpretation rich in nuance and emotional intensity.
Laura Fernandez Gromova and António Casalinho
Later the same day, audiences will encounter another fascinating interpretation of the ballet with Laura Fernandez Gromova and António Casalinho.
Fernandez Gromova brings the influence of the Russian classical tradition, having studied at the renowned Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg. Her career has included engagements with the Mariinsky Theatre and the Stanislavsky Ballet in Moscow before she joined the Vienna State Ballet as a principal dancer.
Casalinho, one of the most exciting young male dancers in Europe, rose rapidly through the ranks of the Bavarian State Ballet before joining Vienna as a principal dancer in the 2025/26 season. His brilliant virtuosity and youthful energy promise an electrifying interpretation of Albrecht.
Liudmila Konovalova: A Giselle of Rare Refinement
Among the highlights of the series will undoubtedly be the performance on May 2 featuring the Russian ballerina Liudmila Konovalova. For many ballet enthusiasts, her interpretation of the great classical heroines represents the very height of classical elegance.
A graduate of the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Konovalova began her career with the Russian State Ballet before joining the Staatsballett Berlin. Her arrival at the Vienna State Ballet in 2010 marked the beginning of an extraordinary artistic relationship with the company, where she quickly rose to the rank of principal dancer.
Over the years she has become one of the defining ballerinas of Vienna’s classical repertoire. Her portrayals of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Kitri in Don Quixote have been widely admired for their purity of line, musical intelligence, and dramatic depth.
In Giselle, these qualities find perhaps their most poetic expression. Konovalova possesses a rare ability to convey both the human vulnerability of the first act and the ethereal serenity of the second. Her Giselle is not only a fragile village girl but also a spiritual presence—compassionate, luminous, and profoundly moving.
Many ballet lovers regard her interpretation as one of the most refined of her generation, combining the noble traditions of Russian classical training with the distinctive musical elegance of Vienna’s ballet culture.
Her partner will be the Japanese dancer Masayu Kimoto, long admired by Viennese audiences for his refined artistry and elegant classical style.
A Ballet Event of the Season
Taken together, these six performances of Giselle promise to form one of the most significant ballet events of the 2026 season.
Under the artistic guidance of Alessandra Ferri, with the extraordinary orchestra of the Vienna State Opera and a remarkable roster of international dancers, the Vienna State Ballet will present a celebration of one of the greatest creations in the history of dance.
More than a simple revival, these performances represent the living continuation of a tradition—one that connects the Romantic origins of the ballet in nineteenth-century Paris with the artistry of today’s dancers.
For audiences fortunate enough to witness these evenings, Giselle will once again reveal its enduring magic: a ballet where poetry, music, and human emotion unite to create an experience that lingers long after the final curtain falls.
Giselle at the Vienna State Opera: A Romantic Masterpiece Returns
In the spring of 2026, one of the most cherished jewels of the classical ballet repertoire will return to the stage of the historic Vienna State Opera. Few works embody the spirit of Romantic ballet as completely as Giselle, the poetic masterpiece created in 1841 with music by Adolphe Adam and inspired by the haunting legend recorded by Heinrich Heine.
Across six performances between April 23 and May 8, audiences in Vienna will have the rare opportunity to witness a remarkable succession of casts, each bringing distinctive artistry to the fragile peasant girl Giselle and her aristocratic lover Albrecht. Presented by the Vienna State Ballet, the production is staged in the visually striking version created for Vienna in 1993 by Elena Tchernichova—a staging that has become one of the company’s most beloved calling cards.
With its poetic atmosphere, luminous corps de ballet and emotionally charged storytelling, Giselle remains the very embodiment of Romantic ballet: a tale of innocence, betrayal, forgiveness, and transcendence.
Guiding these performances from the orchestra pit will be the Italian-German conductor Luciano Di Martino, whose musical direction is widely admired for its intensity, precision, and expressive sensitivity. Under his baton, the renowned orchestra of the Vienna State Opera will bring Adam’s unforgettable score vividly to life.
Yet beyond the beauty of the music and staging, what truly makes these performances an exceptional event is the extraordinary roster of dancers assembled for the production—artists who represent different traditions and generations of ballet excellence.
A New Era under Alessandra Ferri
These performances take on an added significance because they are presented under the artistic leadership of the legendary Italian ballerina Alessandra Ferri, who assumed the directorship of the Vienna State Ballet in the 2025/26 season.
Few dancers in history have been as closely associated with Giselle as Ferri herself. Throughout her illustrious career with companies such as American Ballet Theatre and Royal Ballet, Ferri’s interpretation of the role was celebrated for its emotional depth, ethereal fragility, and dramatic truth. Critics and audiences alike regarded her portrayal as one of the defining Giselles of the late twentieth century.
Her appointment as director therefore carries a symbolic resonance: a dancer who once embodied the spirit of Giselle on the world’s greatest stages now guides a new generation of artists in this quintessential Romantic role.
The upcoming performances can thus be seen not only as a revival of a beloved ballet, but also as a continuation of an artistic lineage—an inheritance of interpretation and sensibility passed from one generation to the next.
Madison Young: A Luminous Romantic Heroine
Among the interpreters of Giselle in this series is the American principal dancer Madison Young, whose performances on April 23 and April 30 promise to reveal the delicacy and musical refinement that have distinguished her rising international career.
Born in Utah, Young trained at Ballet West Academy and later at Houston Ballet Academy before entering the professional stage through the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition. Her rapid ascent—from corps de ballet to soloist and eventually principal roles—demonstrates both technical brilliance and expressive maturity.
Young’s Giselle is expected to combine youthful innocence with emotional sincerity, qualities essential to portraying the fragile village girl whose love ultimately transcends death itself. Her partner for both evenings will be the charismatic Brazilian principal dancer Victor Caixeta.
Victor Caixeta: A Brilliant Albrecht
Caixeta’s story is itself remarkable. Beginning his ballet training in Brazil through the social project “Pé de Moleque,” he quickly revealed extraordinary talent and later studied at the State Ballet School in Berlin after receiving multiple scholarship offers.
His career has taken him to major companies including the Mariinsky Theatre and Dutch National Ballet, where he rose to principal dancer. In the 2025/26 season he joined the Vienna State Ballet as a principal, bringing with him a repertoire spanning the great classics—from Swan Lake and Don Quixote to Raymonda and La Bayadère.
As Albrecht, Caixeta offers a compelling blend of virtuosity and aristocratic elegance, portraying the conflicted nobleman whose deception leads to tragedy but who ultimately earns Giselle’s forgiveness.
Cassandra Trenary and Davide Dato: A Matinee of Dramatic Nuance
The April 26 matinée introduces another remarkable Giselle: the American dancer Cassandra Trenary, admired internationally for her expressive range and poetic stage presence.
Opposite her stands the Italian star Davide Dato, one of the most distinguished male dancers to emerge from the Vienna State Ballet in recent decades. Trained at the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera, Dato has risen steadily through the ranks—from demi-soloist to first soloist—becoming one of the company’s most respected interpreters of the classical repertoire.
Together they promise a performance of emotional subtlety and refined classical style.
Laura Fernandez Gromova and António Casalinho: A New Generation
Later that same day, audiences will encounter a younger but equally fascinating partnership: Laura Fernandez Gromova and António Casalinho.
Fernandez Gromova—born in Switzerland to Ukrainian and Spanish heritage—received part of her training at the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg before dancing with the Mariinsky Theatre and later becoming a principal dancer at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theatre. Her technique reflects the clarity and refinement of the Russian classical tradition.
Her partner Casalinho, a Portuguese prodigy, has already achieved remarkable milestones at a very young age. Trained in the Cuban methodology and promoted rapidly through the ranks of the Bavarian State Ballet, he joined the Vienna State Ballet as principal dancer for the 2025/26 season. His dazzling jumps and charismatic presence make him an exciting interpreter of the Romantic hero.
Liudmila Konovalova: A Distinguished Presence in the Title Role
One of the most anticipated evenings of the run will be the performance on May 2, when the Russian ballerina Liudmila Konovalova takes the stage as Giselle opposite the Japanese dancer Masayu Kimoto.
Konovalova’s career reflects a remarkable trajectory within the classical ballet world. A graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she began her professional life with the Russian State Ballet before joining Staatsballett Berlin. Since her arrival at the Vienna State Ballet in 2010, she has become one of the company’s most distinguished principal dancers.
Her repertoire encompasses the great heroines of classical ballet—Odette-Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and many more. Over the years she has also appeared as a guest artist with companies across Europe and Asia, confirming her reputation as a dancer of remarkable versatility.
In Giselle, Konovalova brings a deep understanding of the stylistic lineage of the role. Her interpretation is shaped by the classical Russian tradition while also reflecting the dramatic sensitivity that characterizes Vienna’s ballet culture. The role allows her to display both lyrical delicacy in the first act and an ethereal, almost supernatural serenity in the second.
Opposite her, Masayu Kimoto—long admired by Vienna audiences—offers a refined and elegant Albrecht. Having trained in Japan and France before joining the Vienna State Ballet in 2008, Kimoto has built an extensive repertoire that includes major roles in works by choreographers ranging from Rudolf Nureyev to George Balanchine and William Forsythe.
A Romantic Legend Reborn
The story of Giselle remains as moving today as it was nearly two centuries ago. Inspired by the legend of the Wilis—ghostly brides who compel men to dance until death—the ballet tells a tale of innocence betrayed, madness born of heartbreak, and redemption achieved through love beyond the grave.
Its first act unfolds in the warmth of a rural village, where Giselle’s joyful dancing reveals both her vitality and her fragile heart. The second act transports the audience into a moonlit forest where the spectral Wilis reign under the command of their queen Myrtha.
Few ballets create such a profound emotional arc: from pastoral happiness to supernatural tragedy, and finally to spiritual transcendence.
Vienna: A Stage Worthy of the Masterpiece
Presenting Giselle at the Vienna State Opera carries a particular resonance. The theatre itself—one of the world’s most historic opera houses—has long been associated with the highest traditions of music and dance.
For decades the Vienna State Ballet has cultivated a repertoire that balances classical heritage with contemporary innovation. The Tchernichova production, with its distinctive visual concept of muted grey landscapes punctuated by vivid costume colours, highlights the dancers with striking clarity and elegance.
Over the years it has become one of the company’s signature works, admired for both its atmospheric beauty and its fidelity to the Romantic spirit of the original ballet.
An Unforgettable Series of Performances
Taken together, these six performances promise something rare: a celebration of Giselle interpreted by a constellation of outstanding artists, each bringing a unique perspective to the timeless roles of Giselle and Albrecht.
Under the artistic guidance of Alessandra Ferri—herself one of the great interpreters of the role—the Vienna State Ballet invites audiences to rediscover the emotional power and poetic beauty of this Romantic masterpiece.
In the grand setting of the Vienna State Opera, with its magnificent orchestra and distinguished ensemble of dancers, these evenings of Giselle are destined to become one of the most memorable ballet events of the 2026 season.
For lovers of classical ballet, they promise not merely a performance, but a celebration of tradition, artistry, and the enduring magic of one of ballet’s most beloved works.
