Preview: The 42nd Hong Kong Arts Festival

Pina Bausch’s Iphigenia in Tauris The legendary choreographer Pina Bausch left a huge footprint on the contemporary dance world, before passing away unexpectedly in 2009. The dancers from her company—Tanztheater Wuppertal—have already commemorated her life by performing her finest work as part of a 3D documentary called “Pina,” but their journey to our shores next year will feature one final treat from Ms. Bausch: a restaging of her 1974 version of Gluck’s glorious opera “Iphigenia in Tauris.” The dance company will be joined by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta and world-class singers to bring the grand score to life, exploring themes of love, purity and sacrifice in this emotional Greek tragedy. Act fast, because these tickets are really going to move. Mar 12-15, 7:30pm. Grand Theatre, Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui. $140-780 from www.urbtix.hk. A Midsummer Night’s Dream If you’ve got someone in your life who is a staunch Shakespeare skeptic, then this collaboration between Bristol Old Vic artistic director Tom Morris and Cape Town’s Handspring Puppet Company will be just the thing to sell them on the joys of The Bard. You know Handspring, right? They’re the fine folks behind the global hit “War Horse,” which demonstrated that clever, large-scale puppetry has the ability to elevate the magic of stage performance to brand, spankin’ new heights. So in its Asian premiere, this staging of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is a rare treat, capturing all the love, laughter, friends, foes and fairies that this sexy comedy (I’ve been promised nudity, FYI) has to offer. Don’t miss this imaginative retelling of an already imaginative classic. Feb 21-23, 25-28, 8pm; Feb 22-23, 3pm. Theatre, City Hall, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central. $160-480 from www.urbtix.hk.Magic Piano & The Chopin Shorts The Oscar-winning producers of “Peter & the Wolf” present a cinematic event with live orchestral accompaniment that’s fit for the whole family. The films on offer here are a series of shorts full of goofy characters and slapstick called “The Chopin Shorts,” and “Magic Piano”—an animated film about a young girl named Anna and her cousin Chip-Chip, who embark upon an adventure to find Anna’s dad aboard a flying piano. On hand to provide the soundtrack are International Chopin Piano Competition laureate Colleen Lee, and award-winning teenage pianist Wong Wai-yuen. Is this the live performance that finally convinces your kids that you aren’t evil for making them practice piano six times a week? Hey, it’s worth a shot. Mar 7-8, 8pm; Mar 8, 3pm. Concert Hall, City Hall, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central. $100-360 from www.urbtix.hk.La Scala Ballet: Giselle For those close to the ballet world, the name La Scala needs little introduction. The 230-year-old Milan-based group is one of the most famed ballet companies in Italy—and the world, for that matter—and many of their dancers have gone on to achieve international fame, including Mara Galeazzi, Roberto Bolle, and Carla Fracci. So it’s no surprise that Hongkongers have jumped so aggressively in ticket pre-sales to their staging of “Giselle,” a melancholy masterpiece that’s considered the greatest of all Romantic ballets. Choreographer Yvette Chauviré works with Adolphe Adam’s melody-filled score to capture the joys and dejections of unrequited love—an emotional journey for those lucky enough to score a seat. Feb 18-22, 7:30pm. Grand Theatre, Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui. $160-820 from www.urbtix.hk.108 Heroes III The word “fusion” is often used beside “nuclear” or “cooking,” but this Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taiwan collaboration makes a great case for fusion to apply to the world of music and dance, too. This riotous performative recipe combines rock and roll melodies, hip hop rhythms, hipster outfits, MMA fighting, acrobatics, and a dash of Beijing opera to tell the tale of those Robin Hood-like Chinese folk heroes: the 108 Heroes of the Water Margin. Director Wu Hsing-kuo reunites with rock star Wakin Chau for this trilogy-concluder, wherein the Heroes stand up to a corrupt government with a dizzying array of energetic routines. It’s a fun mix of traditional and contemporary (and just about everything else). Mar 14-17, 8pm. Lyric Theatre, Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Rd., Wan Chai, 2584-8500. $70-400 from http://www.urbtix.hk. Lohengrin by Richard Wagner Had he possessed a superhuman ability to endlessly age, Richard Wagner would have turned 200 this year. While I’m guessing his anti-Semitism may have gotten him into some trouble today, he’s still a great composer, and this full-staged production of Lohengrin (all four hours and fifteen minutes of it) from Finland’s Savonlinna Opera Festival will be just the trick for Hong Kong’s opera lovers to commemorate his birthday. This romantic drama tells the story of Elisa, a young noblewoman who’s accused of murder. The incident threatens to spark a civil war, but then the knight Lohengrin of the Holy Grail comes to her rescue. The whole thing is presented in German, with English and Chinese surtitles. Mar 21, 7pm; Mar 23, 3pm. Grand Theatre, Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui. $240-1,680 from http://www.urbtix.hk.Igor Moiseyev Ballet Ahh, Russia. Your global leadership in the fields of vodka consumption, zany hockey goalies and dashboard camera videos is well-documented, but how could we forget about ballet? Igor Moiseyev is one of the dance world’s most highly decorated choreographers, previously honored as a People’s Artist of the Soviet Union and responsible for single-handedly creating a new form of national dance. Blending traditional ballet, bright costumes, catchy tunes, and pure fun on an impressively large scale, his dancers have performed in more than 60 countries, including at world-class venues like the Paris Opera and Washington’s Kennedy Center. It’s an all-ages affair, and one that shouldn’t be missed. Feb 27-Mar 1, 7:30pm; Mar 2, 2:30pm. Grand Theatre, Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui. $100-520 from www.urbtix.hk. London Symphony Orchestra ”If you’ve seen one orchestra, you’ve seen them all,” said no one, ever. We’re blessed here in Hong Kong to have our world-class Philharmonic and Sinfonietta, but their loyal fans will certainly jump at the opportunity to see the famed LSO—led by principal guest conductor Daniel Harding—tackle Gustav Mahler’s First Symphony, which the composer described himself as “a journey from inferno to paradise.” Also joining the orchestra in Hong Kong is the 26-year-old star pianist Yuja Wang (pictured), who promises an electrifying performance of Rachmaninov’s notoriously challenging Piano Concerto No 3. The pre-sale tickets for this one-night-only affair sold out fast, so snatch up your tickets early. Mar 8, 8pm. Concert Hall, Cultural Centre, 10 Salisbury Rd., Tsim Sha Tsui. $190-1,080 from www.urbtix.hk.