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Jekyll ja Hyde

Jekyll & Hyde

Val Caniparoli
1 performance
6.11.2020
Ballets
Main Stage
Total duration 2 h 30 min
Total duration 2 h 30 min
1 intermission (30 min)
1 performance
6.11.2020
Ballets
Main Stage

World premiere at the Finnish National Ballet in autumn 2020

Edward Hyde, a mysterious villain, is wreaking havoc in London, leaving hatred, fear and disgust in his wake. At the same time the respected doctor Henry Jekyll is conducting experiments in his laboratory to change human character and personality. The connection between Jekyll and Hyde is stranger than anyone could ever imagine.

The case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a story about the deep contradictions of the human psyche and its capacity for both good and evil. Now these two iconic characters spring from the classic novel form the basis of a full-length ballet by choreographer Val Caniparoli. The ballet, set in Victorian England, travels from the misty streets of London to the horrors of a mental hospital to the elegance of high society

Jekyll & Hyde will see its world premiere at the Finnish National Ballet in 06/11/2020. Other performance dates will be published, when the ticket sale starts in April 2020. Jekyll & Hyde will be included to the season ticket 2020/2021.

Val Caniparoli

Choreography by Val Caniparoli

Val Caniparoli is a highly renowned choreographer from the United States. He is most closely associated with San Francisco Ballet, where he has worked 46 years, and also served as resident choreographer. His productions have been performed by more than 50 ballet companies, for example The Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Symphony and American Conservatory Theater and internationally in South Africa, Singapore, Scotland and Hong Kong, among others. His choreography has also been seen at the Finnish National Ballet in 2017 in Lady of the Camellias.

Read more: Val Caniparoli’s homepage 

Photo by Chris Hardy

Music drawn to 20th century masterworks

The score for Jekyll & Hyde is drawn from the powerful works of composers Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Gorecki, and Wozjciech Kilar with interpolations by Henryk Wieniawski and Frédéric Chopin.

The musical framework supports the storyline and choreography in its contrast between good and evil with its usage of intimate chamber works and massive orchestral walls of sound.

Jekyll ja Hyde -juliste

A Classic Gothic Suspense Novel

The Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson wrote his classic story The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1886. The novel, which shocked Victorian readers with its unusually deep forays into the human soul, had such impact that the phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” has become a standard reference to the polarities within the human character.

At the time of writing, Stevenson suffered from lung haemorrhages and took hallucinogenic drugs to alleviate his pain. He completed his nightmarish novella in his sickbed in a matter of days. Stevenson’s illness and the suffering it caused are profoundly embedded in the story of this new ballet.

Like the Victorian era, the story of Jekyll and Hyde is layered with multiple secrets, including promiscuity and homosexuality, which were rarely addressed openly in that morally conservative culture. These hidden longings will help inform the choreography of this world premiere.

Pictured: A promotional poster of a Jekyll and Hyde play from the 1880s.

#jekyllandhyde #jekyllhydeballet

Jekyll ja Hyde

“The ballet will ask us to imagine the psychology of a hunted man whose dark secret keeps erupting as he searches for truth in his life.”

– Val Caniparoli

Synopsis of the novel

A mysterious villain of hideous appearance, Edward Hyde, is wreaking havoc in London, filling people with hatred, disgust and fright. At the same time the respected local doctor Henry Jekyll is conducting experiments in his laboratory to change human character and personality. Doctor Jekyll’s friend Utterson, a lawyer, notices a most bizarre bond between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Dr. Jekyll continues his furtive tests with the experimental medication and loses control of the consequences. Mr. Hyde’s devilish behaviour leads to murder. The connection between Jekyll and Hyde is stranger than anyone could ever imagine. When the secret is finally revealed, Jekyll’s laboratory is found empty and both Jekyll and Hyde have disappeared.

Ballet is based on the story of the novel.

Creative team

Choreography
Val Caniparoli
Music
Frédéric Chopin
Music
Krzysztof Penderecki
Music
Henryk Górecki
Music
Wojciech Kilar
Music
Henryk Wieniawski
Conductor
Garrett Keast
Sets, costumes
David Reynoso
Lighting design
Jim French
Artistic consultant & dramaturge
Carey Perloff
Musical compilation, editing and arrangement
Ramona Pansegrau
Assistant to the choreographer
Maiqui Manosa
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Performances & Tickets

2 h 30 min
1 intermission (30 min)
1 performance
6.11.2020
Ballets
Main Stage
Fri 6.11.2020
at 19:00
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