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THE year 2022 marks the 50th edition of the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF), one of Asia’s premiere international cultural festivals. The HKAF is presenting an array of online performances covering music, dance, theatre and more from late February through March for the enjoyment of a global audience.
Underpinning the significance of staying in touch with the world in the Covid era, this year’s HKAF uses 'connections' and 'arts and technology' as key themes. It continues to pivot to more online offerings, like last year, which should come as music to the ears of a global audience, as they can enjoy the specially curated performances regardless of geographical boundaries.
Highlights include:
Opera
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series
Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera) (Germany)
Shostakovich’s The Nose
Acclaimed Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov’s brand-new interpretation of a classic comedic opera, exploding with surreal imagery and human absurdity.
Date: March 10 – 17
Free registration: https://go.hkaf.org/thenose-en (N/A in Russia)
National Theatre Brno (Czech Republic)
Martinů’s The Greek Passion
The 150-strong cast explores the universal themes of humanity and justice in this provocative four-act opera recorded live in Brno in November 2021.
Date: March 17 – Mar 24
Free registration: https://go.hkaf.org/the-greek-passion-en (N/A in Europe, the US and Korea)
Music
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (Germany)
Three live-streamed concerts
Under the baton of Czech chief Jakub Hrůša, the concerts celebrate life, death and tradition with Smetana’s stirring Má Vlast and Bruckner’s and Mahler’s epic Ninth Symphonies.
Date: March 4, 9 & 12
Free registration: https://go.hkaf.org/bamberg-en
The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series
Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (Germany)
Family Concert
The perfect pastime for children (and the young at heart), featuring Saint-Saëns’s delightful The Carnival of the Animals and Haas’s Little I-Am-Me.
Date: April 11 – 25
Free registration: https://go.hkaf.org/bamberg-family-concert-en
Theatre
Ontroerend Goed (Belgium)
TM
A live interactive one-on-one experience exploring media manipulation, populist ideology and conspiracy theories.
Performed in English
Date: February 26 – March 27 (Every Sat and Sun, HK Time)
Tickets: https://go.hkaf.org/ontroerend-goed-tm-en
Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe (France)
Molière: Tartuffe and The School for Wives
Radical interpretations of two of the great French playwright’s major works in celebration of the 400th anniversary of his birth. Directed by Stéphane Braunschweig – renowned Molière specialist and Artistic Director of the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, these landmark productions explore the depths of timeless human frailty and foolishness.
Date: March 18 – 25
Free registration: https://go.hkaf.org/moliere-en
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Dead Centre (Ireland)
To Be A Machine (Version 1.0)
A theatrical adaptation of a prize-winning non-fiction book of the same title to be live-streamed by Game of Thrones star Jack Gleeson from a stage in Dublin.
Date: March 23 – 26
Tickets: https://go.hkaf.org/to-be-a-machine-en
– The Vibes, March 6, 2022
