A decade since Trinh Cong Son’s death

A painting by the late Trinh Cong Son whose songs are known and loved throughout Vietnam Photo: Provided by the artist’s family

Events will be held around the country to mark the 10th death anniversary of famous Vietnamese songwriter, Trinh Cong Son, for a month from March 5 to April 4.

The program will start with two music nights directed by Pham Hoang Nam at the HCMC Opera House on March 18 and Hanoi Opera House on March 24.

A free touring live show by the Quang Dung singers will be start at Vietnam National University, Hanoi on March 27, before going to Nghinh Luong pavilion on March 3 and Vietnam National University HCMC on April 4. A music night called Hue-Saigon-Hanoi will follow at the Hoi Ngo club-house at Binh Quoi Tourist Area in HCMC’s Binh Thanh District. The event is being organized by his younger sister, singer Trinh Vinh Trinh, MC Do Trung Quan and Cao Lap.

On April 10, paintings made by the late song writer will be displayed at the White Palace in HCMC. The same day, Trinh Vinh Trinh will debut a website about Trinh Cong Son made by his family.

There will also be a painting exhibition featuring more than 30 paintings at HCMC Fine Art Museum in District 1. The show will tour to the Morin Hotel in Hue City.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Trinh Cong Son wrote over 600 songs. His songs have been translated into English, Japanese and French.

He died April 1, 2001.

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Youthful stars in concert

Violinist Bui Cong Duy - Photo: Courtesy of HBSO

A shock began last Wednesday’s HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) concert in the Saigon Opera House – a ten-year old boy, Nguyen The Vinh, sitting at the keyboard waiting to begin the opening movement of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D. It was the start of an evening mostly devoted to star students from Hanoi’s National Academy of Music, though set to conclude with the appearance of the tutor of many of them, celebrated violinist Bui Cong Duy.

Vinh, both formal and breath-takingly nonchalant, was warmly received. A harder task confronted violinist Nguyen Linh Uyen (16) with the second and third movements of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Romantic works demand an expressive emotional commitment many believe even 16-year-olds can’t come up with. But her high notes proved sweet, and her technique allowed her to get away nicely with the difficult third movement.

Bui Cam Ly (18) followed with two short crowd-pleasers, Massenet’s Meditation and Elgar’s Salut d’amour, the second taken at a surprisingly brisk pace. But the best of the youthful violinists was saved until last. Nguyen Thien Minh (17) immediately established his pre-eminence by his confidence and assured stage presence, and gave Pablo de Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen with great brilliance. A mature interpretative disposition and a strong sense of style together brought the first half of the evening to a close with an ovation, and rightly.

But the second half began with an equally stellar performance – Do Hoang Linh Chi (13) playing the opening movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in C, K.467. Here was another indubitable stylist, lovingly playful, and showing in her phrasing and emphases a mastery that would have graced a pianist of any age. The orchestra, too, recognized her star quality and dutifully rose to the occasion.

Finally Bui Cong Duy appeared, playing the solo violin part in Nguyen Manh Duy Linh’s Concerto Grosso for violin, piano, percussion and string orchestra. It proved a difficult work to come to terms with for the audience, but, with the composer himself present, this was clearly an important occasion. And if what we shall remember are first and foremost Hanoi’s young instrumentalists, this nevertheless proved a successful and happy event all round.

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Fans give local series thumbs down

HCM CITY — An increasing number of locally made series are being aired on national TV networks, but audiences are displeased with the quality of the offerings and the broadcast schedules.

Many viewers, mostly youth, have complained about the quality of the TV series Full House and Doctor Brothers, remakes of Korean hits by domestic companies BHD and VietcomFilm.

"The Vietnamese versions are not interesting although several well-known artists were for the productions," said Tran Thi Mai, a second-year student at HCM City University.

"With more and more TV series produced each year, studios face a shortage of interesting scripts. Many studios have bought the copyright for several series from other countries," Do Thanh Hai, director of Viet Nam Film Company, said.

"Several series have many similarities," said Phan Chau, a second-year student at HCM City's University of Social Science and Humanities.

"We've seen dark schemes and revenge in Doi Mat (Confrontation) and Niem Dau Chon Giau (Hidden Pain)," he said. "We also don't like to see the same faces in series after series."

"We see Dinh Hieu and Ngoc Lan in Cong Mat Troi (The Sun Gate) and we're seeing them again in Cuoc Goi Luc Khong Gio (The Phone Call at Midnight)," Chau said.

Several film studios in Ha Noi and HCM City have made at least five historical TV series about King Ly Thai To, the founder of the city Thang Long-Ha Noi, to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of the nation's capital.

The 30-episode series Thai Su Tran Thu Do (The Great Tutor Tran Thu Do) and Ly Cong Uan – Duong Toi Thanh Thang Long (Ly Cong Uan-The Road to Thang Long Capital) were among the series that began filming in 2009.

Viet Nam Televsion (VTV) announced the series would be aired during the millennium celebration.

"We're waiting for these series since producers have said they will have interesting content," 12th grader Nguyen Thi Hoa said. "However, until now, nobody knows when both the series will be aired."

The filming of Tran Thu Do was estimated to cost around VND50 billion (US$2.5 million), while Ly Cong Uan cost VND100 billion.

Ly Cong Uan was shot in many locations in Viet Nam and China. The showing of the series was postponed after concerns were raised that they contained many scenes that made it look like a Chinese production.
"We can't launch it during the millennium celebration, especially because it's controversial," producers said.

The producers of the Great Tutor Tran Thu Do have not explained why the series was not shown last year.

Last week, the 40-episode Ve Dat Thang Long (Arriving in Thang Long) began showing on HTV 9 to greet the Ha Noi millennium celebrations.

"After several months' delay, we can now see one of the first historical series about King Ly Thai To made to greet the millennium," Minh Nga, a film fan, said.

The series describes historic events taking place in the country and the capital Hoa Lu before and after Ly Cong Uan was enthroned as the first king of the Ly dynasty. — VNS

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Cartoon on legendary Hanoi founder to screen

Photo: VNA

A cartoon on a legendary Emperor, who founded Thang Long capital, now Hanoi, is scheduled to air this Friday.

The film, entitled “Dragon’s Son”, is the first long cartoon using 3D technology in Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Hong Ngat, Executive Director of the Cinematography Association Studio said at a press briefing in Hanoi Monday.

The 90-minute footage is about the childhood of King Ly Thai To, or Ly Cong Uan at birth, who founded the 216-year-long Ly Dynasty in 1009.

Painters have animated over 30 characters, designed 20 major scenes and conducted almost 850 acts.

Director Pham Minh Tri said the “Dragon’s Son” is “100 percent Vietnamese”, from sounds to music and costumes. The cartoon is characterized by northern countryside sceneries such as banian trees, ferry stations, pagodas and buffalo boys playing and fishing.

Ly Cong Uan was born at Co Phap Pagoda, in the village of same name, Bac Ninh province, in 974.

At the age of 3, his mother took him to the pagoda for monks there to bring him up. He was named Ly Cong Uan by the monks and became a monk.

Under the protection and support of Ly Van Hanh, also known as Van Hanh monk, who was a respected monk in the holy Anterior Le Dynasty court, Uan came to the capital and took several promotions to the Left Guard-Commander of the Anterior Citadel, a high rank in the army system. In 1009, Le Ngoa Trieu, the last king of the Anterior Le Dynasty died under the wrath of the people because of the ferocity and cruelty brought on them in his time. Dao Cam Moc, a senior official, and Van Hanh monk used their power to enthrone Ly Cong Uan without any debate, beginning the Ly Dynasty.

The then capital Hoa Lu in the northern province of Ninh Binh was a tiny area with craggy geography bounded by mountain ranges, which had been suitable for a turbulent era but was not conducive to peacetime development and growth. Ly Thai To chose to move the capital to a broader area lying in the flat alluvial delta named Dai La, now Hanoi. In 1010, he began the move and while travelling from the former capital to the new land, he saw a Yellow Dragon ascending, so he changed the new land's name from Dai La to Thang Long.

Vietnam is celebrating the millennium anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi on October 10, which is called the Grand Festival.

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