The State Ballet Company of Astana Opera Theater - L’Arlésienne and Carmen by Roland Petit

Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Grand Theatre, Hong Kong, China

Scene 8 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 1

Scene 1 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 2

Scene 2 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 3

Scene 3 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 4

Scene 4 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 5

Scene 5 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 6

Scene 6 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 7

Scene 7 from the ballet "Carmen", photo 8

All photos (8)

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7:30 PM

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US$ 140

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Important Info

Festival: Hong Kong Arts Festival 2027

Type: Ballet

City: Hong Kong, China

Starts at: 19:30

Duration: 1h 30min

Ticket delivery: E-Tickets

E-tickets: Print at home or at the box office of the event if so specified. You will find more information in your booking confirmation email.

Can I choose my seats?

Cast

Performers

Ballet company: Ballet of the Astana Opera

Creators

Composer: Georges Bizet

Choreography: Roland Petit

Festival

Hong Kong Arts Festival 2027

The 55th Hong Kong Arts Festival takes place in February and March 2027, featuring nearly 1,500 international and local artists in more than 190 performances across approximately 45 programmes.

Overview

Two ballet masterpieces of passion and obsession set to Bizet’s music

Roland Petit (1924–2011) was one of the most important choreographers of the 20th century. Like George Balanchine in the USA or Frederick Ashton in Britain, he was a pioneer who revolutionised ballet in his native France from the late 1940s onward. His work is seldom seen in Hong Kong and this double bill offers a rare opportunity to see two of his finest ballets.

L’Arlésienne, created in 1974, is a haunting story of unrequited love leading to madness, despair and death. The hero’s tragic downfall is contrasted with the sunshine and bright colours of Provence, evoked by Bizet’s rhythmic, folk-influenced music and designs inspired by Van Gogh’s paintings of the region.

Carmen, created in 1949, is Petit’s most iconic work and a landmark in ballet history. Stripping down the story of Bizet’s opera to five dramatic scenes, it caused a sensation with its unflinching portrayal of sexuality and its fusion of classical technique with Spanish dance. Petit danced the tragic, obsessive Don José at the premiere, with the legendary Zizi Jeanmaire as the provocative Carmen.

The Roland Petit Foundation sets strict standards for which companies can perform his work. The State Ballet Company of Astana Opera Theater Artistic Director Altynai Asylmuratova danced both ballets under Petit’s own direction, and her firsthand knowledge of his choreography is reflected in her company’s stagings.

Roland Petit’s Carmen from 1949 is an amalgamation of classical ballet, modernism and Spanish rhythms. It never ceases to fascinate audiences all over the world. Carmen was not part of Les Ballets Suèdois repertoire. However, Petit was fond of blending different art

History

Premiere of this production: 21 February 1949, Shaftesbury Theatre, London

Carmen is a ballet created by Roland Petit and his company 'Les Ballets de Paris' at the Prince's Theatre in London on 21 February 1949, which has entered the repertory of ballet companies in France and around the world. This version is in five scenes and represents a striking admixture of classical ballet, Spanish-style movement, mime, and freshly invented dramatic dance action. It opened "scandalously and brilliantly, with the fabulously sexy Zizi Jeanmaire in the title role" in London and has been regularly performed ever since.

Synopsis

The first scene is set in a street in Seville, where the dancing of a crowd is interrupted by a girl being chased by Carmen. Their fight is only stopped by the arrival of Don José, who assists Carmen's defeated opponent. As he is about to arrest Carmen he is struck by her allure and arranges an assignation for later. That evening in the tavern Don José enters and dances a zapateado to the music of the habanera. Carmen next appears and dances, ending at Don José's feet; he lifts her up and they go up to the bedroom. The customers dance and when Carmen and Don José return they join in before José wraps Carmen in his cape and they go off.

The third scene is in Carmen's bedroom. After a passionate duet, three of Carmen's friends come in and invite her to go outside. At night in the street, Carmen, Don José and the friends prepare to rob a passer-by. Using a dagger Carmen has given him, Don José stabs a man, and after the women have taken his purse, they all flee.

The final scene is set outside the bull-ring where girls await the arrival of their hero, the toreador. He enters and greets them but is fascinated by the indifference shown by Carmen. José enters and notices their looks. The toreador moves into the arena whereupon Don José threatens Carmen, and in a fight to the death he overcomes her. As she dies, hats are tossed from the bull-ring to land at his feet.

Venue Info

Hong Kong Cultural Centre - Hong Kong
10 Salisbury Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Hong Kong Cultural Centre is one of Hong Kong’s leading performing arts venues, occupying a prominent waterfront position in Tsim Sha Tsui beside Victoria Harbour. Opened in 1989, the centre was created as a major cultural complex for music, opera, dance and theatre, and has since become an important stage for both Hong Kong companies and international artists.

The building is instantly recognisable for its striking modernist architecture. Its sweeping, sloping exterior has been compared to a vast wing, while the spacious piazza in front opens towards the harbour and the historic Tsim Sha Tsui Clock Tower. Together with the neighbouring Hong Kong Museum of Art and Hong Kong Space Museum, the Cultural Centre forms one of the most prominent cultural areas on the Kowloon waterfront.

The centre contains three principal performance venues. The Grand Theatre, with 1,734 seats arranged over three tiers, is designed specifically for large-scale opera, ballet, musicals, dance and theatrical productions. Its sophisticated stage machinery includes a revolving stage wagon and an electrically operated orchestra pit, allowing it to accommodate demanding international productions.

The Concert Hall, with almost 2,000 seats, is an important venue for orchestral and vocal music. Its oval auditorium features adjustable acoustic elements designed to optimise sound projection, while its impressive Rieger organ, with 8,000 pipes, is one of the defining features of the hall. The smaller Studio Theatre provides a more flexible environment for intimate and experimental productions.

With its combination of advanced performance facilities, international programming and exceptional harbour-side setting, Hong Kong Cultural Centre occupies a special place in the city’s cultural landscape. A performance here offers not only the experience of world-class music, opera or ballet, but also an unforgettable encounter with the energy and spectacular waterfront scenery of Hong Kong.

Important Info

Festival: Hong Kong Arts Festival 2027

Type: Ballet

City: Hong Kong, China

Starts at: 19:30

Duration: 1h 30min

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