The 15th "Le French May" arts festival will be held in Hong Kong
from April to July, and the French consul-general in Hong Kong said
yesterday that he hoped the festival will add color to the
celebration of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the
motherland.
"We strongly believe that art and culture are bridges to launch
exchange platforms of any type. We are, in this sense, looking for
more and more artistic co-productions between France, Hong Kong and
the Chinese mainland," said Jean-Pierre Thebault, French
consul-general in Hong Kong. "This specific attention is also a way
for 'Le French May' to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hong
Kong handover."
Grown from an enthusiast idea of a group of Hong Kong and French
art-lovers, "Le French May" is now the largest French arts festival
in the Asia-Pacific region and also one of Hong Kong's major
cultural events. This year's festival will begin in April with jazz
and close with an exhibition in July.
"One of the main goals of our 15th anniversary edition is to
showcase the variety and dynamism of the French art scene over the
country," Thebault said, adding that the festival will bring
together top quality artistic institutions and talented artists
from France.
The Lille National Orchestra, directed by world-renowned
Jean-Claude Csadesus, will celebrate in its own way their return to
Hong Kong. This will be their second trip in 10 years since Hong
Kong returned to the motherland in 1997, with a program including
Berlioz, Bizet, and Ravel.
Directed by Paul-Emile Fourny, the opera Romeo and
Juliet, based on Shakespeare's masterpiece, will be performed
by an international cast with magnificent sets and costumes from
the Opera of Nice.
The Anomaly company from Marseilles will perform their unique
and creative Anatomy-Anomaly, breaking the barriers
between contemporary circus and dance.
The Lyon pianist Ariele Zanini will perform French melodies from
the 19th and 20th centuries with Dominique Moralez, one of today's
most sought-after young tenors in the international scene.
"There is no denying that this 15th anniversary will be a
turning point in the history of 'Le French May'," the French
consul-general said.
(Xinhua News Agency March 30, 2007)