Cesar award winner to perform in Ha Noi

Simple setting: French actress Dominique Blanc will perform in French in The War: A Memoir (La Douleur) with Vietnamese subtitle on Thursday at Ha Noi Opera House. She has received best actress award for her part in La Douleur during the 24th Molieres theatre award ceremony last year. – Photo courtesy of French Cultural Centre

HA NOI — Actress Dominique Blanc will perform her one-woman theatrical odyssey La Douleur (The War: A Memoir) at the Ha Noi Opera House on Thursday night.

Directed by Patrice Chereau, the drama won Dominique a Moliere prize for best theatrical actress last year.

Born in 1956 in Lyon, Blanc trained at the French Drama School. She is one of France's most critically acclaimed actresses, with four Cesar Awards (the French Oscars) already under her belt.

Blanc met director Patrice Chereau while working on a production of Peer Gynt in 1981, and the pair have worked together on several successful productions since.

In 1989, Blanc won her first Cesar for her supporting role in May Fools. She also received Cesars for her supporting roles in Indochina in 1992 and Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train in 1998, while also winning best actress in 2000 for Stand-by. She also won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress in L'Autre at the 65th Venice Film Festival in 2008.

In The War: A Memoir, based on the diary of writer Marguerite Duras, Blanc adds a unique resonance to Duras's script. Her performance style is simple, yet intense.

Blanc will perform in French for one night only at the Ha Noi Opera House on Thursday at 8pm.

Born in 1914 in Gia Dinh, near Sai Gon, Viet Nam, after her parents responded to a campaign by the French government encouraging people to work in the colony, Marguerite Duras was the author of many novels, plays, films, essays and short fiction, including her best-selling, apparently autobiographical work L'Amant (The Lover) in 1984.

The book won the Goncourt prize in 1984. The story of her adolescence also appears in three other stories: The Sea Wall, Eden Cinema and The North China Lover. A film version of The Lover, produced by Claude Berri, was released to great success in 1992.

During World War II, Duras spent a long time waiting for her husband's return from a concentration camp. She wrote a diary as a testimony of her own suffering.

The War: A Memoir is a diary that reflects a punishing absence, a threatfull waiting, despair, the shame of being alive while waiting for a loved one to survive unspeakable horrors.

Despite her success as a writer, Duras's adult life was also marked by personal challenges, including a recurring struggle with alcoholism. Duras died of throat cancer in Paris, aged 81. — VNS

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Piano's journal at Opera House offers glimpse into life

Trang Trinh

Young pianist Trang Trinh will perform her “The Piano's journal” show featuring Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart and other famous composers in Hanoi this Wednesday and Ho Chi Minh City this April.

The show in Hanoi’s opera house at 8pm at 1 Trang Tien Street is designed to display passions in a person’s life cycle from innocence of a child to pain in love and sadness and wisdom in separation, expressed in classical and romantic styles.

Song without word (Mendelsshon), Salut d’amour (Edgar) and the complete three-chapter Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven) will take audience a tour around various human emotions.

Born in 1986 in Vinh Phuc Province, Trang Trinh has just graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in the UK.

She has been invited to work for the London-based All Souls Orchestra, and she has had various performance tours in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Ireland.

In 2007, she won the Francis Simmer Prize for playing solo piano, and the Lilian Davis Prize for her performance of Beethoven‘s Sonatas.

One year later, she was awarded the Gretta GM Parkinson Prize for her outstanding academic records.

Tickets are available at the Opera House at VND300,000, VND500,000 and VND1 million.

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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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Young pianist to celebrate homecoming at Opera House

Home sweet home: Pianist Trinh Mai Trang is returning after eight years abroad and will perform at the Ha Noi Opera House. — File Photo

HA NOI — Young pianist Trinh Mai Trang has returned after eight years abroad and will celebrate the occasion with a concert at Ha Noi Opera House next Wednesday.

"When I came back, I was told that my music might be difficult for audiences to understand," said Trang. "The thought of that scared me. So, I wanted to put together a concert to show people that piano and classical music are not alien."

The programme she selected will include pieces by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Debussy, each chosen to express the emotions of different stages in a man's life.

For an artist, Trang said, the most painful thing was not finding the sympathy of her audience, so she thought of new ways to make her music accessible. There, her concert will be accompanied by elements from other media, including film and photographs that Trang hopes would help bring her music closer to the audience.

"I will perform with my heart and I expect that the audience will open their minds and hearts," she said.

Trang is also celebrating her recovery from an injury in 2009 that temporarily prevented her from playing piano. She wasn't allowed to touch the piano keys and felt a door had closed in front of her eyes. But, with an unstoppable passion for music, she placed a mirror beside her piano and played on the imaginary keys reflected in the mirror.

As her hands recovered, she had to resume practicing as if she were a beginner.

Trang was born in 1986 and began her musical training at the age of four. She received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London in 2004. As a soloist, Trang has won many awards, including the top prize at the Paganini Festival, second prize in the Beethoven Competition in London, and the Jacque Samuel Competition's Mozart Prize. She has also performed in festivals in Austria, Italy, the UK, Hungary and Spain. — VNS

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Piano show by Trang Trinh

New Year concert with National Symphony Orchestra

Pianist Trang Trinh - Photo: The pianist

Pianist Trang Trinh, a graduate from the Royal Academy of Music in the U.K., will have a performance called “Diary of Piano” at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street at 8 p.m. on February 23.

The show is about the ups and downs in life from innocence to pain and wisdom.

Born in Vinh Phuc Province, the pianist was invited to work for the London-based All Souls Orchestra, and she has had various performance tours in Italy, Austria, Hungary and Ireland.

In 2007, she won the Francis Simmer Prize for playing solo piano, and the Lilian Davis Prize for her performance of Beethoven‘s Sonatas.

One year later, she was awarded the Gretta GM Parkinson Prize for her outstanding academic records.

She will perform the show in HCMC early April.

Tickets are available at the Opera House at VND300,000, VND500,000 and VND1 million.

*Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra concert conducted by Tetsuji Honna featuring piano soloist Isadora Kim will play at  Hanoi Opera House February 18 and 19.

Pieces to be played include Overture from Opera “Russlan and Ludmilla” by M.Glinka and Piano Concerto No.2 by S.Rachmaninov.

The painting “Ascending Dragon” by Do Hong Quan depicting Hanoi, past and present, will be on display during the concert. The event will also include a famous waltz and polka by Johann Strauss II and the waltz, Gold and Silver, by Austrian musician Franz Lehar.

Ethnic percussionists will perform with the orchestra to add a traditional Vietnamese flavor to the European classics.

Tickets are available at the Opera House for VND450, 000, VND350,000, VND250, 000, and VND150,000 and discounted 50% for students.

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Opera House to host pianist's homecoming concert

HA NOI – Young pianist Trinh Mai Trang has returned after eight years abroad and will celebrate the occasion with a concert at Ha Noi Opera House on February 23.

"When I came back, I was told that my music might be difficult for audiences to understand," said Trang. "The thought of that scared me. So, I wanted to put together a concert to show people that piano and classical music are not alien."

The programme she selected will include pieces by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Debussy, each chosen to express the emotions of different stages in a man's life.

For an artist, Trang said, the most painful thing was not finding the sympathy of her audience, so she thought of new ways to make her music accessible. There, her concert will be accompanied by elements from other media, including film and photographs that Trang hopes would help bring her music closer to the audience.

"I will perform with my heart and I expect that the audience will open their minds and hearts," she said.

Trang is also celebrating her recovery from an injury in 2009 that temporarily prevented her from playing piano. She wasn't allowed to touch the piano keys and felt a door had closed in front of her eyes. But, with an unstoppable passion for music, she placed a mirror beside her piano and played on the imaginary keys reflected in the mirror.

As her hands recovered, she had to resume practicing as if she were a beginner.

Trang was born in 1986 and began her musical training at the age of four. She received a scholarship to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Music in London in 2004. As a soloist, Trang has won many awards, including the top prize at the Paganini Festival, second prize in the Beethoven Competition in London, and the Jacque Samuel Competition's Mozart Prize. She has also performed in festivals in Austria, Italy, the UK, Hungary and Spain. – VNS

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Symphony ready for Opera House date

In charge: Composer Do Hong Quan at a performance. His latest symphony Ascending Dragon will be performed this weekend. — VNS File Photo

HA NOI — The Viet Nam National Symphony and Orchestra (VNSO) will perform a Lunar New Year's Concert this Friday and Saturday night at the Ha Noi Opera House.

The programme for the night features music by contemporary Vietnamese composer Do Hong Quan and old European masters such as Johann Strauss and Franz Lehar.

Quan's latest symphony, Dang Rong Len (Ascending Dragon), promises to be a concert highlight as the symphony was composed at the request of the VNSO and premiered last year on the occasion of Ha Noi's 1,000th birthday.

The symphony aims to evoke images of modern and ancient Ha Noi, musically celebrating the city's vibrant culture and romantic character, according to the composer.

Quan was born in 1956 into a family with a long musical tradition. His father, composer Do Nhuan, was a well-known composer and former general secretary of the Viet Nam Musicians' Association.

Quan began piano studies at the age of six at the Viet Nam National Academic of Music (VNAM). In 1976 he was sent to study composition and conducting at the Moscow State Conservatory in Russia, where he graduated with honours in 1981. In 1991 and 1992 he studied composition and conducting at the Paris National Conservatory.

Beginning his professional career in Ha Noi in 1986, Quan has served as vice director of the Ha Noi Youth Theatre, conductor of the Ha Noi Conservatory Symphony Orchestras, and is currently the dean of the Composition Faculty at VNAM.

His most well known works are Variations for piano, Four Pictures for oboe (or flute), piano and percussion, Rhapsodie Viet Nam for symphonic orchestra and the ballet The Mists, which won the State Musical Prize.

He has also conducted the symphony orchestras of the Moscow State Film Studio, the Tashkent State Opera House (Uzbekistan) and the VNSO.

The concert at the Opera House will also feature performances of Johann Strauss' operetta from Gypsy Baron, Eljen a Magyar; Tritch Tratch Polka and Emperor Waltz, along with the waltz Gold and Silver by Franz Lehar.

The concert begins at 8pm on Friday and Saturday. — VNS

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Songwriter's love letters to be published

HCM CITY — The letters Trinh Cong Son wrote to his first lover as a young man in the 1960s are set to be published in book form by his family.

One of Viet Nam's greatest modern musicians wrote more than 300 letters to Ngo Vu Dao Anh, with whom he was fervently in love as a 25-year old after he graduated from the Quy Nhon Pedagogy College and chose to live and work as a teacher in B'lao, a mountain town in Lam Dong.

Anh, a Hue native, is said to be the source of inspiration for most of Son's love songs.

He wrote to her between 1964 and 1967. Despite the passage of more than 40 years, the war, her marriage and migration to the US, Anh preserved the letters, envelopes, and dry leaves like a treasure.

Both his first and last letters thank Anh, for her love for his town and for her love for him. Each letter is almost a piece of literature, filled with poetry and his feelings about love and human destiny.

Even after their love ended in 1967, Son and Anh continued to exchange letters, confiding about the sadness and happiness of their lives.

The last letter she received was in January 2001, three months before he passed away.

His family said the letters will be published next month to mark his 10th death anniversary.

Poet Nguyen Duy, who will edit the book, said though Son was excellent at writing love letters, they were not just about two people's love but also a commentary on contemporary society.

Curiously, Anh is the younger sister of Ngo Vu Bich Diem, who inspired Son to write Diem Xua (Diem of the Past). His unrequited love for her began when she was just 15.

The musician's family also plans to organise a series of music shows titled 10 Nam Nho Trinh Cong Son (10 Year Commemorating Trinh Cong Son) from March to April in various parts of the country.

It will begin with concerts at the Ha Noi Opera House, HCM City Opera House, and White Palace in HCM City.

There will be free performances at universities in Ha Noi, Hue, and HCM City and at the Binh Quoi Tourist Village.

The event will give Son's family the first opportunity to display 30 of the multi-faceted genius' paintings.

At White Palace on April 10, Trinh Vinh Trinh, Son's sister, will release two albums of her brother's music. — VNS

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French monochrome photos connect communities

HA NOI – A photo exhibition by French professional Sebastien Laval, entitled Communities through Time, will open tonight in Ha Noi.

The black-and-white photos tell stories of the lives of ethnic people in three countries: Cambodia, Laos and Viet Nam.

Through the photos, Laval shows portraits, traditional customs and changes in people's lives. Without titles, visitors could think, feel and freely discover the characters, "try to meet them, talk to them, look at them and understand them", Laval said.

Born on March 11, 1973, in Alfortville, Laval discovered photography when he was given a black-and-white camera by his father. He moved to Paris to work as an assistant for a photo studio in 1992 and cultivated his knowledge by studying black-and-white photos. He began working as a professional in Poitiers.

Laval visited Viet Nam for the first time in 1995 and is acclaimed by Vietnamese and tourists for his outstanding and lively views.

The exhibition runs until February 11 at L'Espace, the French Cultural Centre, Trang Tien Street.

Ha Noi-based music academy students to perform in HCM City

HCM CITY — The HCM City Ballet and Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) will present a concert featuring Vietnamese students from the Ha Noi-based Viet Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) at the Opera House tomorrow.

The concert will open with a performance by Do Hoang Linh Chi, who won first prize in a piano contest at the 2009 ASEAN International Competition in Jakarta, Indonesia.

HBSO conductor Nguyen Anh Son, a graduate of Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory in Opera and Symphonic Conducting, will lead the performance.

Renowned violinist Bui Cong Duy will play the Concerto Grosso for Violin, Piano, Percussion and String Orchestra by Nguyen Manh Duy Linh, who has an MA in composition from Russia's Magnitogorsk State Conservatory.

Chorus master Tran Nhat Minh, a graduate of Russia's Tchaikovsky Conservatory, will wield the baton.

The show will open at 8pm on January 19 at the HCM City Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.

Tickets cost VND150,000-VND250,000 and are available at the theatre.

Project promotes youth's awareness of reproductive health

HA NOI — The Rutgers Nisso Groep (RNG) and World Population Fund (WPF) have formed a new organisation to promote sexual and reproductive heath for young people.

Through the Rutgers WPF projects, young people will be able to exercise their creativity to express their thoughts on the issues of sexual and reproductive heath and rights through such artforms as mime, painting, fashion, dance and drama.

The WPF has been active in Viet Nam since 1995, connecting with young people to address such issues as the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS. The Netherlands-based RNG has focused on research, knowledge transfer and developing and implementing effective and innovative interventions in sex education and counselling.

Rutgers WPF representative Jerry Clewett said that if sexual and reproductive rights are realised, "then we can enter a happier world where there are less unplanned pregnancies, less abortions, less discrimination against people living with HIV and greater understanding by the youth of their sexuality." — VNS

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HBSO launches spring season

HCMC Ballet and Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) will put on two concerts to open their spring program at HCMC Opera House at 8 p.m. on January 9 and 19. The first show features choral music and dance from America and South America, while the second will be classical music performed by students from Vietnam National Music Academy.

The performance on January 9 begins with the three folk songs from America, Ecuador, and Mexico,
followed by the song Maria from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein, Don’t cry for me Argentina by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Choral Selections from Porgy and Bess by George Gershwin. Joined with the HBSO Choir in the first part, HBSO Ballet will perform dances from Spain, Russia, Mexico.

The performance on January 19 features classical works by Haydn (Piano Concerto in D dur), Jules Massenet (Thais), Edward Elga (Salut d’amour), Piotr Tchaikovsky (Violin Concerto), Pablo de Sarasate (Zigeunerweisen), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Piano Concerto No.21 in C dur, KV 467), and Nguyen Manh Duy Linh (Concerto Grosso for violin, piano, percussions, and string orchestra).

 Tickets are available at HCMC Opera House at VND250,000, VND150,000 for general public, and VND60,000 for students.

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Insect world bursts into song

Guitar hero: Le Minh Son will perform at the Opera House on Saturday in a programme entitled Guitar for Myself. — File Photo

HA NOI — Songwriter Le Minh Son will perform at the Ha Noi Opera House on Saturday, in a New Year's Day programme entitled Guitar Cho Ta (Guitar for Myself).

As part of the show, Son will perform songs with singer Ha Linh from their upcoming album together which, he said, "will feature songs about insects, inlcuding the spider, bee, beetle, ant and grasshopper".

Singers Thanh Lam and Tung Duong will also perform, and the show will feature the debut performances of new pieces by Son entitled Giot Nuoc Mat (Teardrop), Mat Trang To (Big Moon), and Hay Uong Gio Bien Khoi Mot Lan (Try to Drink the Ocean's Wind Once).

The night's programme will be rounded out with performance of jazz and Latin pieces which have been re-arranged by Son for his guitar with an ensemble of musicians.

Son, 35, was voted "Musician of the Year" by The Thao & Van Hoa (Culture & Sport) daily in 2004. His song A I A won the Song of the Year award in 2005 at the annual Bai Hat Viet (Vietnamese Songs) competition.

Son's albums include Gieng Lang (Village's Well) and the recent Mot Khuc Song Hong (A Melody of Red River), as well as Guitar for Myself. His most popular hit was Chuon Chuon Ot (Red Dragonfly), recorded by singer Ngoc Khue in 2003.

Son, a graduate of the Viet Nam National Academy of Music, now teaches at the Ha Noi Arts College.

Saturday's performance begins at 8pm, with tickets available at the Ha Noi Opera House. — VNS

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Revolution symphony at HCMC Opera House

The famous symphony by composer Vo Dang Tin called “Memories of Dong Khoi Revolution” will be performed at the Author Concert at HCMC Opera House in HCMC’s District 1 at 8p.m. November 9.

The symphony that Tin wrote in 1981 was inspired by his childhood memories of the 1960 revolution in Ben Tre Province.

In the second part of the concert, HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will perform a ballet suite called “Sun in Our Heart”.

Vo Dang Tin graduated from the faculty of composition of the HCMC Conservatory of Music under the instruction of Professor-Composer Ca Le Thuan. Now director of HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera, he was the former artistic director of Bong Sen Theater of Traditional Music and Dance. In 2001, he was awarded the Gold medal for conducting at the National Arts Festival

Following that, in 2004, Tin received second prize for “Memories of Dong Khoi Revolution” by Vietnam Composers Association.

Tickets are on sale at the Opera House box office for VND200,000; VND150,000 and VND100,000.

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Toyota Classics brings Florentine orchestra to Hanoi

Toyota Motor Vietnam (TMV) on Tuesday announced the lineup for this year’s Toyota Classics concert at Hanoi Opera House.

This year, Toyota presents the Città di Firenze  orchestra from Florence (Italy) conducted by Lorenzo Castriota Skanderbeg. The orchestra featuring tenor, Leonardo Melani, and young pianist, Luu Hong Quang, will play music by Verdi, Puccini and Rossini.

Quang has won several awards “The Piano Recital Award” in 2008 and first prize at “Chopin Piano Competition” in Australia in 2009.

It will be the 13th Toyota Classics in Vietnam supported by  the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“We granted total ticket proceeds of the 12 previous Toyota Classics concerts to support cultural activities and charity in Vietnam. This year TMV will continue what it started last year by using all ticket proceeds for the Toyota Scholarships for Vietnamese Young Music Talents,” said Akito Tachibana, President of TMV.

Since 1990, the humanitarian Toyota Classics has been held annually bringing classical music to the country and enhancing cultural exchange.

So far, the Toyota Classics has attracted audiences of more than 200,000 to154 concerts in the Asia-Pacific. In its 21st year, the event will be held from Oct. 23 to Nov. 12 in Kuala Lumpur, Hanoi, Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei (Taiwan), Manila and Bombay. 

Tickets cost VND300,000, VND600,000 and VND800,000 and are available at  the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street., Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi, or at TMV’s Hanoi branch, eighth floor, Viglacera building, No,1 Thang Long Avenue, Me Tri, Tu Liem, Hanoi.

Vietnamese poet wins Romanian Academy prize

HA NOI — Acclaimed Vietnamese poet Nguyen Duy has been awarded this year's Grand Prize for Poetry by the Romanian Academy.

Founded by famous Romanian writers and poets, including two Nobel-prize holders, the prize is awarded to a foreign poet every year.

Duy was unable to be present at the awards ceremony in Bucharest, Romania last Friday due to health problems.

The 62-year-old poet, whose real name is Nguyen Duy Nhue, has published several works, including six volumes of poetry, a number of personal narratives and one novel. Many of his works have been translated into English.

He has given several lectures at universities in the US and has won several national poetry awards.

He recently finished a poetry collection that was published by the Nha Nam Publishing House.

City Opera House hosts rhythm and blues concert

HCM CITY — A rhythm and blues trio led by Roland Tchakounte will present a concert at HCM City's Opera House this evening.

Born in Cameroon, Tchakounte learnt percussion, guitar, piano and harmonica and creating a synthesis between his African roots, blues influences and his native dialect.

He has released four albums, the latest being Blues Menessen.

The trio with Tchakounte as the main vocalist, Mick Ravassat guitarist and Mathias Bernheim percussionist, has performed in many countries.

They were last in Ha Noi in 2008, organised by the French Embassy in Viet Nam. This tour is organised by the Institute for Culture Exchange with France. Tickets for the 8pm performance range from VND50,000 (for students) to VND100,000; they are available at the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, District 1.

Painting contest for Asian teenagers kicks off

HA NOI — The Mitsubishi-Enikki Arts Festival for Asian Teenagers was launched yesterday in Ha Noi.

The contest was jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's Department of Arts, Photography and Exhibition and UNESCO's Unions in Japan.

Teenagers aged from six to12 nationwide can join the contest which aims to encourage their understanding of daily life.

Under the main theme, Here Is Your Life, contestants can describe any aspects of daily life, such as their family, school, their entertainment, local traditional customs, city and people.

Entries should be sent to the Department of Arts, Photography and Exhibition, 36 Cao Ba Quat, Ha Noi, by November 15-18.

A grand prize will be provided by the Japanese organising board.

Four special prizes will be given to each country or each region and many other prizes will be given to groups and individuals by Viet Nam. — VNS

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