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Preface by Lincoln Kirstein
Background

Chronology: Life and Works
Roles Performed By Balanchine

Chronological Title List
Titles By Category

Festivals Directed By Balanchine
Bibliography
Filmography
Videography

Itineraries Undertaken by
Balanchine's American
Companies

Research Resources
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236. THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS



Music: By Paul Hindemith (Theme with Four Variations [According to the Four Temperaments] for string orchestra and piano, 1940, commissioned by George Balanchine).

Choreography: By George Balanchine.

Production: Scenery and costumes by Kurt Seligmann. Lighting by Jean Rosenthal.

Premiere: November 20, 1946, Ballet Society, Central High School of Needle Trades, New York. Conductor: Leon Barzin. Pianist: Nicholas Kopeikine.

Cast: A. THEME: 1. Beatrice Tompkins, José Martinez; 2. Elise Reiman, Lew Christensen; 3. Gisella Caccialanza, Francisco Moncion; B. FIRST VARIATION: MELANCHOLIC: William Dollar; Georgia Hiden, Rita Karlin, 4 women; C. SECOND VARIATION: SANGUINIC: Mary Ellen Moylan, Fred Danieli, 4 women; D. THIRD VARIATION: PHLEGMATIC: Todd Bolender, 4 women; E. FOURTH VARIATION: CHOLERIC: Tanaquil Le Clercq, 3 THEME couples, Moylan, Danieli, Dollar, Bolender, entire cast.

Note: The three main themes are stated in the opening section by three successive couples. The variations are named after the four temperaments of medieval cosmology. The score, commissioned by Balanchine and completed in 1940, was partially choreographed by Balanchine during the 1941 American Ballet Caravan tour of South America for an entirely different ballet titled The Cave of Sleep; Pavel Tchelitchew created designs for costumes and décor, but the work was never produced.

Revisions: 1947, Ballet Society: Original finale, which resembled an undulating football huddle from which an erect figure (Dollar) was raised aloft, completely rechoreographed. Resulting linear formations have remained basically the same over the years, despite Balanchine's frequent small alterations. The most radical of these, the 1977 changes for Dance in America, retain the essence of the linear structure; most were transferred to the stage version. The original MELANCHOLIC VARIATION was more acrobatic than it later became. For the 1975 New York City Ballet revival, the PHLEGMATIC VARIATION was rechoreographed in part in a brighter, more extroverted style.

New Productions by Balanchine Companies: New York City Ballet: 1951, danced in practice clothes without scenery; 1964, lighting by David Hays.

Film: 1989, Seahorse Films, Dancing for Mr.B (excerpts from 1947 Ballet Society rehearsal).

Video/DVD: 1995, Nonesuch, The Balanchine Library: Dancing for Mr.B (excerpts from the 1947 Ballet Society rehearsal); 1995, Nonesuch, The Balanchine Library: Choreography by Balanchine [1977]; 2004, Kultur, Balanchine (MELANCHOLIC [excerpt]).

Archival Video: George Balanchine Foundation Interpreters Archive (SANGUINIC), 1997; (PHLEGMATIC), 1998.

Television:    show...
Source notes:    hide...

 Todd Bolender (Cave of Sleep choreography, PHLEGMATIC revisions).

Stagings:    hide...

1960   Royal Swedish Ballet

1961   Dutch National Ballet

1962   Ballett der Hamburgischen Staatsoper

1962   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)

1963   Paris Opera Ballet

1963   Royal Danish Ballet

1964   National Ballet (Washington, D.C., 1963-1974)

1964   Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna)

1966   Ballett der Deutschen Oper am Rhein (Dusseldorf)

1967   Teatro dell' Opera di Roma

1968   Boston Ballet

1968   Den Norske Opera [Ballet] (Norway)

1969   National Ballet of Canada

1969   Pennsylvania Ballet

1970   Ballett der Deutschen Oper (Berlin)

1970   Geneva Ballet (Grand Theatre de Geneve [Ballet])

1970   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1973   Royal Ballet

1974   Ballett der Stadtischen Buhnen (Frankfurt)

1974   Ballet West

1974   Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

1974   San Francisco Ballet

1975   Ballet West

1975   Teatro Communale Ballet

1975   Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna)

1976   Ballet de Nancy (France)

1976   Ballet de l'Opera du Rhin (Strasbourg, France)

1976   Birmingham Royal Ballet/Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet

1976   Chicago City Ballet (Closed)

1976   Chicago Lyric Opera

1976   Royal Ballet

1977   Balet Hrvatsko Narodno Kazaliste (Croatian National Theater, Zagreb)

1977   Stora Teaterns Balett (Gothenburg, Sweden)

1977   Dutch National Ballet

1977   Paris Opera Ballet

1977   Pennsylvania Ballet

1977   Royal Danish Ballet

1977   Zurich Ballet (Ballett des Opernhauses Zurich)

1978   Ballett der Deutschen Staatsoper (East Berlin)

1978   Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

1978   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1979   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1979   Stora Teaterns Balett (Gothenburg, Sweden)

1980   Ballett der Bayerischen Staatsoper (Munich)

1980    New York Dance Theatre

1981   Dutch National Ballet

1981   Royal Ballet

1981   San Francisco Ballet

1982   Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

1982   Los Angeles Ballet

1982   Royal Swedish Ballet

1983   Ballett der Hamburgischen Staatsoper

1983   Pennsylvania Ballet

1983   Royal Danish Ballet

1983   Ballet du Nord (France)

1983   CAPAB Ballet (Cape Performing Arts Board—Capetown, South Africa)

1984   Cleveland San Jose Ballet

1984   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1984   National Ballet of Canada

1984   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1984   San Francisco Ballet

1984   Theatre & Philharmonie Essen (West Germany)

1985   The Australian Ballet

1985   Ballet Dallas

1985   Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna)

1985   Cincinnati Ballet

1985   Ballett der Deutschen Oper (Berlin)

1985   Dutch National Ballet

1985   Pennsylvania Ballet

1985   Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

1986   Ballet de Basler Theaters (Switzerland)

1986   Ballet del Teatro Lirico Nacional, Madrid

1986   Ballet du Nord (France)

1986   Banff Center (Alberta, Canada)

1986   Finnish National Ballet

1986   L'Opera des Pays de Loire

1986   Minnesota Dance Theater

1986   Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

1986   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)

1987   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1987   Heinz Bosl Stiftung Muenchen

1987   Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

1987   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1987   Washington Ballet

1988   Opera de Nantes

1988   Star Dancers Ballet Company (Japan)

1988   Ballet du Nord (France)

1988   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1988   L'Opera des Pays de Loire

1988   Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna)

1989   Boston Ballet

1989   Cleveland San Jose Ballet

1989   NAPAC Ballet (Natal Performing Arts Council—Durban, South Africa)

1989   National Ballet of Canada

1989   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)

1989   Theatre & Philharmonie Essen (Germany)

1990   Ballet de Nancy (France)

1990   Ballet of Flanders/Koninklijk Ballet Van Vlaanderen/Royal Flemish Ballet

1990   Israel Ballet

1990   Kansas City Ballet

1990   Malmo Stadsteater (Sweden)

1990   Royal Swedish Ballet

1990   Star Dancers Ballet Company (Japan)

1990   Theatre & Philharmonie Essen (Germany)

1991   Heinz Bosl Stiftung Muenchen

1991   Dutch National Ballet

1991   Milwaukee Ballet

1991   NAPAC Ballet (Natal Performing Arts Council—Durban, South Africa)

1991   Pennsylvania Ballet

1991   San Francisco Ballet

1991   Teatro dell' Opera di Roma

1991   Texas Ballet (formerly Fort Worth Dallas Ballet)

1992   Ballet de Santiago

1992   Banff Center (Alberta, Canada)

1992   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1992   Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

1992   National Ballet of Canada

1992   Washington Ballet

1993   CAPAB Ballet (Cape Performing Arts Board—Cape Town, South Africa)

1993   Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo

1993   Miami City Ballet

1993   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1993   Paris Opera Ballet

1993   Sacramento Ballet

1993   Texas Ballet (formerly Fort Worth Dallas Ballet)

1994   Ballet du Nord (France)

1994   Ballett der Deutschen Oper (Berlin)

1994   Milwaukee Ballet

1994   Pennsylvania Ballet

1994   Royal New Zealand Ballet

1995   Ballett der Bayerischen Staatsoper (Munich)

1995   Ballet de l'Opera du Rhin (Strasbourg, France)

1995   Hartford Ballet

1995   Star Dancers Ballet Company (Japan)

1995   Teatro Comunale (Florence, Italy)

1996   Ballett der Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna)

1996   Cincinnati Ballet

1996   Dutch National Ballet

1996   Les Grands Ballets Canadiens

1996   Miami City Ballet

1996   Nashville City Ballet

1996   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1996   Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

1996   Seoul Ballet Theatre

1996   Stuttgart Ballet

1996   Texas Ballet (formerly Fort Worth Dallas Ballet)

1996   Universal Ballet Company (Korea)

1997   American Repertory Ballet

1997   Ballet Arizona

1997   Birmingham Royal Ballet/Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet

1997   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1997   Grand Theatre de Bordeaux

1997   Houston Ballet

1997   National Ballet of Canada

1997   Pennsylvania Ballet

1997   Tulsa Ballet Theatre

1998   Ballet of Flanders/Koninklijk Ballet Van Vlaanderen/Royal Flemish Ballet

1998   Chautauqua Institution (New York)

1998   Den Norske Opera [Ballet] (Norway)

1998   Kansas City Ballet

1998   Miami City Ballet

1998   Pacific Northwest Ballet

1999   Ballet de Nancy (France)

1999   Banff Center (Alberta, Canada)

1999   Boston Ballet

1999   Dance Theatre of Harlem

1999   Milwaukee Ballet

1999   North Carolina Dance Theatre

2000   Ballet West

2000   Dance Theatre of Harlem

2000   Dutch National Ballet

2000   Teatro alla Scala (Milan)

2000   Texas Ballet (formerly Fort Worth Dallas Ballet)

2001   Cincinnati Ballet

2001   Dance Connecticut, Inc.

2001   Pennsylvania Ballet

2001   Sacramento Ballet

2001   Washington Ballet

2002   Dance Theatre of Harlem

2002   Grand Theatre de Bordeaux

2002   North Carolina Dance Theatre

2002   Oper Leipzig

2003   The Australian Ballet

2003   Ballet National de Marseille

2003   Dance Theatre of Harlem

2003   Houston Ballet

2003   Israel Ballet

2003   Miami City Ballet

2003   Paris Opera Ballet

2003   Royal Ballet

2003   Star Dancers Ballet Company (Japan)

2004   Kirov Ballet

2004   National Ballet of China (Central)

2004   San Francisco Ballet

2004   The Scottish Ballet

2004   Stuttgart Ballet

2004   Washington Ballet

2004   Pacific Northwest Ballet

2005   Ballet Arlington

2005   Norwegian National Ballet

2005   Sacramento Ballet

2006   Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo

2006   Oregon Ballet Theatre

2006   Royal Ballet

2007   Boston Ballet

2008   Los Angeles Ballet

2008   Paris Opera Ballet

2008   Royal Winnepeg Ballet

2008   Ballet San Jose

2008   Ballet Arizona

2008   Nashville Ballet

2008   North Carolina Dance Theatre

2009   City Ballet of San Diego

2009   Richmond Ballet

2009   Carolina Ballet

2010   Oregon Ballet Theatre

2010   Pennsylvania Ballet

2010   Pacific Northwest Ballet

2010   Boston Ballet

2010   Deutsche Oper am Rhein

2011   Opera National de Bordeaux

2011   Sacramento Ballet

2012   Alberta Ballet

2012   San Francisco Ballet

2013   Australian Ballet, The

2013   Ballet Arizona

2013   Finnish National Ballet

2013   Grand Rapids Ballet Company

2013   Los Angeles Ballet

2013   Star Dancers Ballet Company

2013   Stuttgart Ballet

2013   Tulsa Ballet Theatre

2014   Charlotte Ballet (NCDT)

2014   Houston Ballet

2014   San Francisco Ballet

2014   Sarasota Ballet

2015   Carolina Ballet

2015   City Ballet of San Diego

2015   Kansas City Ballet

2015   Royal Ballet

2015   Zurich Ballet

2016   Pennsylvania Ballet

2017   Opera National de Bordeaux

2017   Los Angeles Ballet

2017   Sacramento Ballet

2017   Singapore Dance Theatre

2018   Brooklyn Ballet - 3 Themes

2018   Dresden SemperOper Ballett

2018   Indianapolis Ballet Inc.

2019   City Ballet of San Diego

2019   Miami City Ballet

2019   Oklahoma City Ballet

2020   Nevada Ballet Theatre

2020   Paris Opera Ballet

 
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