Bella Figura at Finnish National Opera

Bella Figura is a triple bill featuring works by three world-famous choreographers.

George Balanchine created The Four Temperaments for his own company in 1946. It was one of his first experiments in combining the movement language of classical ballet with a simplified setting. Inspired by the Medieval theory that there are four principal human personalities dominated by the four elements, The Four Temperaments has the eponymous composition by Paul Hindemith for strings and piano as its music.

In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated from the preeminent deconstructionist choreographer William Forsythe is considered a masterpiece of contemporary dance, and following its Paris Opera Ballet premiere it entered the repertories of countless dance groups worldwide. The accompanying electronic score is the work of Dutch composer Thom Willems.

The title piece of the evening is one of Ji?í Kylián's best-known works. Set to slow, hypnotic Baroque music by composers such as Vivaldi and Pergolesi, Bella Figura is a tribute to the unadorned beauty of the human body.