Follow Hong Kong Investment Immigration to enjoy life in Hong Kong: Hong Kong hosts an annual arts festival where you can not only see classic performances by world-class masters without leaving the country, but also quickly elevate your social status. Since it is organized by a non-profit organization, international-standard performances that usually cost thousands can be secured for just a few hundred, making the tickets incredibly cost-effective.
1. Bolshoi Theatre: The Tsar's Bride
The Bolshoi Theatre is a world-renowned theater. Its ballet and opera performances, in particular, are signature highlights. As this is the first time the arts festival has invited the Bolshoi Theatre to perform in Hong Kong, they have brought over 360 troupe members. With four troupes and three programs, every performance is a masterpiece of their repertoire. The magnificent lineup is definitely the top recommendation for this year.
Name: Bolshoi Opera: The Tsar's Bride
Date: March 20 - 22, 2015
Venue: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 380-1180
Note: Running time is 3 hours and 10 minutes; performed in Russian with Chinese and English subtitles.
2. Bolshoi Ballet: The Flames of Paris
The Flames of Paris is a ballet set against the backdrop of the French Revolution. Its style is relatively intense and bold, especially in many of the revolutionary struggle scenes, which easily stir the emotions of the audience. This play was also Stalin's favorite ballet. There were originally two versions, and this performance features the newer version adapted by the former artistic director of the theater.
Name: Bolshoi Ballet: The Flames of Paris
Date: March 24 - 26, 2015, 7:30pm
Venue: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 380-1180
Note: Running time is approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes
3. Bolshoi Ballet: Jewels
Unlike The Flames of Paris, Jewels is an abstract ballet work without a specific plot. The three movements of the play, Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds, represent three cities: Paris, New York, and Saint Petersburg, respectively. Each has its own unique temperament: the romance of Paris, the vitality of New York, and the elegance of Saint Petersburg.
Name: Bolshoi Ballet: Jewels
Date: March 28 - 29, 2015, 7:30 pm / 2:30 pm
Venue: Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 380-1180
4. Christian Thielemann and the Staatskapelle Dresden
Christian Thielemann is a prominent figure in the conducting world and is recognized as a successor to the German-Austrian conducting tradition. He frequently collaborates with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic. The Staatskapelle Dresden is an orchestra with a particularly rich history.
Name: Bolshoi Ballet: Jewels
Date: February 27, 2015, 8:00 pm; February 28, 2015, 6:00 pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 400-1680
5. Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
This conductor from Venezuela in South America, Dudamel, has a completely different style from the previous one. Dudamel himself is incredibly talented, becoming the youngest music director in the history of the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the age of 28.
Name: Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Date: March 19-20, 2015, 8:00 pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 450-1680
6. Gate Theatre Dublin: Pride and Prejudice
A noble and aloof scion of a wealthy family (not the one on the right of the picture), a clever and sensitive girl next door, one arrogant, one harboring prejudice—a pair of "arch-enemies" who dislike each other start a romantic chase in an elegant English manor. It still carries that sense of fated romance and comedy. While the ending is a "Cinderella" marrying into nobility, the image of a woman pursuing knowledge, equality, and independence in Austen's writing is very advanced for the current time.
Beyond the plot, the authentic Asian premiere by the Gate Theatre Dublin is a major highlight. If you are obsessed with British accents, you must seize this opportunity.
Name: Gate Theatre Dublin: Pride and Prejudice
Date: March 5-8, 2015 / March 11-15, 2015, 7:30pm / 2:30 pm
Venue: Lyric Theatre, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Ticket Price: HK$ 180-500
7. Jazz Diva Celebrates the Centennial of Billie Holiday
Jazz fans must know the jazz diva Lady Day, Billie Holiday. That slightly sorrowful and magnificent beauty is addictive the moment you hear it. Although there is no chance to hear the diva's voice, you can still listen to the voice of her successor. Cassandra Wilson, the melancholic and sexy voice in Harvest Moon from Wong Kar-wai's My Blueberry Nights, is coming to Hong Kong specifically to celebrate the centenary of Lady Day's birth. Tickets for the first show are already sold out. They are going fast, so those who want to go really need to grab them.
Name: Jazz Diva Celebrates the Centennial of Billie Holiday
Date: March 21, 22, 2015, 8:00 pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 180 - 480
8. Joyce DiDonato: Drama Queen
Joyce DiDonato is definitely the grand finale of this year. Although the performance time is not within the officially announced arts festival period, only 30% of the tickets for May are left now.
Name: Drama Queen
Date: May 6, 2015, 8:00 pm
Venue: Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Ticket Price: HK$ 280 - 1180
