La filleule des fées was composed by Adam – with a little help from Alfred de Saint­Julien – in 1849. It was the last ballet danced in Paris by the great Carlotta Grisi‚ who had been the first Giselle in 184l‚ before her departure for Russia‚ where she ended her career a few years later. The story is not unlike that of Giselle‚ but more complicated and with a happy ending. The heroine‚ Ysaure‚ has two good fairies as godmothers‚ and one evil one‚ who has been turned away from the christening‚ as her presence made 13 at table. When Ysaure is 15‚ and being courted by two suitors – one a prince‚ the other a peasant (as in Giselle) – the wicked fairy decrees that the girl shall be so beautiful that any man who looks on her face will go mad. It takes all of the prologue and Act 1 to establish this unfortunate state of affairs‚ whereupon the peasant boy Alain does indeed go out of his mind‚ having looked Ysaure in the eyes‚ and the good fairies strike the other suitor blind‚ to prevent him going the same way. After two scenes in which they battle things out‚ there is a reconciliation‚ and the joyous finale. The music never reaches the lyrical precision and intensity of Giselle‚ there is a certain amount of tune­plugging in the first two scenes‚ one theme in particular coming back again and again. However‚ the apparition of the baddie – La Fée Noire – at the end of the prologue has a dramatic thrill to it‚ and the sequence of dances in Act 2 for the pink and white fairies‚ as they instruct their god­daughter in magic‚ includes a charming flute variation that was danced at the première by the legendary Marie Taglioni. The original production caused a sensation because of the use of electric light (one of the first times it was seen on stage) and some realistic fountains in the grotto scene in the last act. As well as Grisi and Taglioni‚ both Jules Perrot (the choreographer) and Lucien Petipa danced in the first performances. Théophile Gautier described Grisi and Perrot as ‘a double perfection complete in itself…harmony and grace going hand in hand’. With the recent Marco Polo recording of La jolie fille de Gand and‚ 10 years ago‚ Richard Bonynge’s complete Le corsaire (Decca‚ 10/92)‚ it is now possible to have a much fuller picture of Adam‚ the composer of ballets. A somewhat specialist issue‚ but highly recommended to anyone with an interest in the Romantic ballet. Andrew Mogrelia conducts the Queensland Symphony Orchestra‚ the sound is excellent‚ the feel of the dance always present in the timing and the playing.