Still Reaching for the Sky
The HKAF reaches a mature milestone as it steps into its 55th edition. Yet, looking up at the vast sky of artistic possibilities, we remain as humble as ever, committed to upholding our original mission to bring the world’s finest artists and works to Hong Kong while seeking out new voices, perspectives and forms of creativity.
This year’s line-up showcases a range of artists renowned for pushing boundaries. Highlights include visionary choreographer Alexander Ekman’s visually stunning contemporary ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the late American theatre pioneer Robert Wilson’s singular aesthetics in UBU and Emma Rice’s groundbreaking music theatre Tristan & Yseult featuring a fresh cast.
Other masters also re-interpret enduring artistic legacy in original ways throughout the Festival, with a Sino-French production of Macbeth, led by the celebrated actor Hu Jun, that will echo Robert Lepage’s dance-centric Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, contrasting with Lost Dog’s stand-up comedy-inspired The Last Hamlet.
New interpretations of literary and theatrical masterpieces, such as the Cantonese drama The True Story of Ah Q (after Christopher Hein’s original script) and the Cantonese opera The Orphan of Zhao—both commissioned by the HKAF—also offer fresh encounters with classics.
The Festival’s artistic map this year extends further than ever before, reaching into Central Asia, Central Europe and the Caucasus, opening windows onto rich artistic traditions and creative voices that are seldom seen in Hong Kong. Kazakhstan’s State Ballet Company of Astana Opera Theater closes the Festival with the majestic Spartacus, Slovenia’s National Theatre Opera and Ballet Ljubljana brings Die Fledermaus, while Bulgaria’s Eva Quartet collaborates with singers from Guizhou’s Dong minority. Rare perspectives also arrive in the form of magical marionettes from Georgia’s Gabriadze Theatre and Romania’s Radu Stanca National Theatre in Sibiu.
Music lovers can look forward to cello master Steven Isserlis and the Thomanerchor Leipzig and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig performing Bach’s monumental St Matthew Passion. The Festival also features a new generation of artists in leagues of their own: Chopin competition winner Bruce Liu and pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko will perform with conductor Rafael Payare and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. Berliner Philharmoniker‘s Principal Horn Yun Zeng makes his festival debut, alongside star pairings including violinist Esther Yoo with pianist Haochen Zhang, and organists Anne Lam and Ryan Chan. There’s even an innovative crossover between South Korea’s Hankyung arte Philharmonic and two K-pop icons Ryeowook and Wendy.
The Festival continues to push the boundaries of arts technology. The world-class Steinway Spirio player piano “performs” Yuja Wang's pre-recorded artistry in the VR experience Playing with Fire, along with a lifelike holographic image of the pianist. And Ulf Langheinrich’s SHIFT offers a mind-bending experience through light and sound.
To celebrate our 55th anniversary, we’re also delighted to present Deep Space Hong Kong, an immersive community experience in partnership with Ars Electronica and local artists. Together with our longstanding series of PLUS and education events, the Festival continues our commitment to fostering deeper engagement with the arts beyond the stage.
As we move together into the future, let’s keep our curiosity and imagination alive while we look collectively toward the endless sky of the arts.
Flora Yu
Executive Director
Hong Kong Arts Festival