This psychedelic video will change everything you think you know about ballet

14 May 2021, 14:02 | Updated: 14 May 2021, 14:04

Hong Kong Philharmonic and Ballet Amadeus
Hong Kong Philharmonic and Ballet Amadeus. Picture: Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Ballet

By Kyle Macdonald

Mozart meets cyberpunk in Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Ballet's dreamy, carnivalesque, cityscape performance of 'Eine Kleine Nachtmusik'.

A little hallucinogenic night music, from Mozart and a leading ballet company. And it really needs to be seen to be believed.

This incredible video begins with the alluring line, “One night in Hong Kong, sometime in the past... or in the future.” What follows is pure cinematic virtuosity, with Mozartian chamber music, dance, and a hefty dose of the urban retrofuturistic, as a velvet-clad dancer passes through a fantastical drama in bars, streets and alleyways.

Watch: This stunning video will challenge all your preconceptions about ballet >

Throughout, violins and cellos play Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in outlandish yet inspired arrangements, again fusing old and new.

Watch below as the beauty of music, movement and art shine through every alleyway and illuminated sign, in one of the world’s global cities. This is what we live for...

HK Phil x HK Ballet- Amadeus (a cyberpunk dream)

Mozart’s night music masterpiece is played by the HK Phil, with accompanying choreography from HKB’s Artistic Director Septime Webre, featuring the company’s dancers.

And it’s not the first time our friends in Hong Kong have created an effortlessly chic and intoxicating vibrant ballet video.

Take a look at this performance to Ravel’s Boléro, which melds together ballet tradition and modern dance in a two-minute masterpiece.

Watch these striking ballet dancers revolutionise Ravel's Boléro

Bravo to all those involved.

Here’s where you can find out more about the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and Hong Kong Ballet. Join us in following them on YouTube too – we can’t wait to see what they do next.