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)