A pure white stage, tantalising with its bright emptiness, sits waiting to be filled. To the left, a grand piano, shiny and expectant, sits waiting to be played. As for us, we’re waiting to see how Elisabeth Schilling will bring these two factions together in her choreographic love letter to György Ligeti. More specifically, his 18 études for solo piano, composed between 1985 and 2001, and overflowing with virtuoso technical challenges for any pianist brave enough to tackle them. Which, in this case, is Cathy Krier, whose contribution to Hear Eyes Move. Dances With Ligeti cannot be overstated.

While she pounds the keys, crosses her hands and moves her fingers at a lightning pace, sending a ferocious volley of notes flying into the air, five dancers attempt to catch them with their bodies. Schilling spent years fixating on the études, searching for a way to capture them in movement. The result is 70 minutes of stylish contemporary dance that inhales Ligeti’s music and breathes out an assortment of sharp angles, sudden drops, choreographic canons and gentle sways. Each outstretched arm, meaningful pause, quick-footed side step or point of connection feels like the perfect embodiment to this complex score. Whether they’re dancing in brief solos or finding solace in each other’s arms, the performers match Krier’s playing every step of the way. 

Bearing some of the hallmarks of contemporary dance’s postmodern giants, this may not be an entry-level piece for newcomers needing a narrative or deep emotional resonance. But for those with an appreciation for cleverly constructed, beautifully articulated movement with musicality at its core, Schilling’s latest work once again seals her status as a proponent of thoroughbred contemporary dance.

Hear Eyes Move. Dances With Ligeti, Music Hall, Aberdeen, Saturday 21 October; reviewed at Byre Theatre, St Andrews.