"Matsukaze" to offer unparalleled dance opera encounter in opening programme of New Vision Arts Festival (with photos)

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     German choreographer Sasha Waltz, renowned for her cross-disciplinary collaborations, has teamed up with eminent Japanese classical composer Toshio Hosokawa to bring Hong Kong audiences the remarkable production "Matsukaze", which weaves elements of dance, opera and Noh theatre into a startlingly original theatrical encounter.

     "Matsukaze", to be performed by Sasha Waltz & Guests in October, is the opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival.

     The programme is an avant-garde reinterpretation of the Noh classic "Matsukaze". The story revolves around sisters Matsukaze and Murasame. Their lingering spirits remain entangled in the human realm, where they relate their poignant love story to a Buddhist monk.

     As the enigmatic tale unfolds, singers also become dancers entwined in an eerily apocalyptic landscape. At times, a 17-metre-wide diaphanous web enmeshes the performers beyond time and space while reality is bounded by a 33-beam wooden frame. In such ways, the vivid stagecraft serves as a Noh bridge, crossing from now to the afterlife and taking souls back to the mortal world for ultimate liberation.

     Director and choreographer Sasha Waltz has forged synergy in the roles of soloists, the chorus and dancers in the programme through her innovative concept of choreographic opera. Fusing minimalist Eastern theatre with textured Western opera and fluid choreography, the show offers a radically new and creative experience.

     The Financial Times said Waltz "has melded dancers and singers into one impressive ensemble who fly and swim through space like a strange dream of nature" and described "Matsukaze" as "meticulously made and compellingly beautiful".

     Toshio Hosokawa, one of today's most prominent Japanese composers, is noted for his original envisioning of Japanese music. He has distilled the musical essence of Noh theatre in the programme, unleashing both the pain and the purity of nature with an atmospheric score. His music, moving fluidly between the sonorous and the enigmatic, is filled with dramatic tension.

     "Matsukaze" will be staged at 7.30pm from October 21 to 23 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. The programme is presented in German with Chinese and English surtitles. Tickets priced at $160, $280, $380, $480 and $580 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For credit card telephone bookings, please call 2111 5999.

     Fringe activities including a masterclass, a public showcase, a pre-performance talk and a meet-the-artist session will be held for "Matsukaze" on October 22.

     For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.newvisionfestival.gov.hk.

     Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the New Vision Arts Festival will run from October 21 to November 20 and feature an array of pioneering shows by local and overseas performing groups. Showcasing innovative interdisciplinary collaborations and electrifying new perspectives on the arts, the festival offers new experiences for audiences.

Ends/Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Issued at HKT 16:05

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"Matsukaze", to be performed by Sasha Waltz & Guests from Germany in October, is the opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival.

The opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival, weaving elements of dance, opera and Noh theatre, is an avant-garde reinterpretation of the Noh classic "Matsukaze".

The Financial Times described "Matsukaze", the opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival, as "meticulously made and compellingly beautiful".

Director and choreographer Sasha Waltz has forged synergy in the roles of soloists, the chorus and dancers in "Matsukaze", the opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival, through her innovative concept of choreographic opera.

Toshio Hosokawa, one of today's most prominent Japanese composers, has distilled the musical essence of Noh theatre in "Matsukaze", the opening programme of the New Vision Arts Festival. His music is filled with dramatic tension.