Cultural Presentations

The Cultural Presentations Section organises performing arts programmes in various art forms, including music, dance, Chinese opera, theatre and multimedia. These are performed by both local and visiting artists and arts groups, and range from traditional to modern, cutting-edge programmes. In 2014-15, more than 980 events took place, attracting about 400 600 spectators.

A series of music programmes were presented in 2014 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great composer Richard Strauss. The programmes included a presentation of Strauss’s famous opera Salome by Opera Hong Kong, a mini film series cum forum, a discussion seminar on Strauss’s operas, and performances by local musicians of Strauss’s vocal works and chamber music.

The year 2014 also marked the 25th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. A series of celebration programmes were specially organised in various art forms. On the music front, programmes included a performance by Murray Perahia with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and a new music theatre production, When Petals Fall in Serenity, composed by Law Wing-fai. A number of world-celebrated recitalists were featured as part of the Encore Series, including world renowned pianists Evgeny Kissin, Mikhail Pletnev and Ivo Pogorelich, and guitar quartet Los Romeros.

In dance, Belgium’s Ultima Vez thrilled audiences with their acclaimed work What the Body Does Not Remember. Two visiting dance groups attracted packed houses with stunning programmes: Compañía Antonio Gades from Spain presented their classic work Carmen, while Yang Liping, the legendary ‘Peacock Princess’ from Yunnan, bid farewell to the stage with dance drama The Peacock. Other major visiting groups and artists included Motionhouse from UK, appearing in the new programme series Dance x Multimedia; also from UK came the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company, with Dunsinane.

To celebrate the inauguration of the Ko Shan Theatre New Wing, a new Cantonese opera A Heroic Woman of the Ming Dynasty by well-known local artists and performances by the renowned Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe were presented. A new work Footprints in the Snow by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre was also staged as part of the celebration programme.

The Chinese Opera Festival 2014 featured mainstream genres such as Kunqu opera, Peking opera, Yue opera, and Cantonese opera, as well as regional operas rarely seen in Hong Kong, such as Dian opera from Yunnan, Liyuan opera from Fujian, Baizi opera from Haifeng in Guangdong, and Yu opera from Henan. These performances, each with its indigenous specialties and strong casts, were enthusiastically received. Apart from stage performances, the festival also offered a variety of extension activities in the form of exhibitions, symposia, talks and film screenings.

The Music Delight Series was launched in 2014; it presented a series of innovative programmes at various New Territories venues, specially designed to attract youth audiences. Programmes included the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, the well-known classical music duo Igudesman and Joo, and the Canadian Brass, all enthusiastically received.

Among the other highlights of programmes organised by the Cultural Presentations Section in 2014-15 were a number of specially curated programmes and thematic series staged at alternative venues. The Guangdong Music Series was held at two heritage sites, the Yau Ma Tei Theatre and Kowloon Walled City Park. The Nan Lian Garden Music Series brought Chinese music masters from the Mainland and a Japanese Shakuhachi master to perform to audiences in the garden.

LCSD endeavours to support local artists and arts groups by featuring their performances in a variety of programmes. The New Force in Motion Series showcased new choreographers; the Re-run Run Shows Series enabled theatre groups to rerun their most popular productions; the Playwright Scheme supported young and distinguished playwrights; while the New Energy Series, Our Music Talents Series, Chivalry and Valiance in Chinese Opera Series and Young Cantonese Opera Artists Series introduced budding local talents in the fields of theatre, music and Cantonese opera respectively.

To popularise the performing arts and bring the arts into the community, LCSD organised two large-scale free community events, Cantonese Opera Day and Dance Day. These events brought out many, both young and old, to take part in the activities and performances.

LCSD continued to collaborate with Consulates-General and cultural organisations as well as Mainland cities in cultural exchange programmes, which included the large-scale Le French May arts festival showcasing French artists.