Music

A fine Carmen Suite from HBSOBradley Winterton A scene from the “Suite Ballet Carmen” ballet - PHOTO: HBSO I would like to place on record what a fine show HBSO Ballet’s Suite Ballet Carmen actually is. When I wrote about it last year in The Saigon Times Daily I called it “muted”. This was almost entirely because the 1967 music by the Russian composer Shchedrin was far removed from the flamboyant Bizet original that I’d expected. Seeing it again at the Opera House last Saturday, however, I quickly became awed by the subtlety, masking real passion that this music, and this dance version, presented. Everything about it fell into place this time, for me at least. The iconic image of a bull’s head that stared down on the proceedings from a red background was potent, if silent. The line of motionless costumed figures that featured several times was always surprising and always effective. And then, of course, … [Read more...] about A fine Carmen Suite from HBSO

High jinks and new wealthBradley Winterton (From L-R) Young conductor Askan Geisler and three soloists including Pham Khanh Ngoc, Cho Hae Ryong and Pham Duyen are seen in the rehearsal of Die Fledermaus - PHOTO: THAM TRAN “She has a husband, but she also has a boyfriend!” So said someone at a rehearsal of Die Fledermaus earlier this week, and the same could be said, with the words appropriately adjusted, for several of the characters in this frivolous, bourgeois romp due to be performed at the Opera House on August 19 and 20. Die Fledermaus is an operetta, in other words a light-hearted opera not meant to be taken too seriously. The characters are for the most part well-off, affairs are commonplace if not always spoken about, and the champagne flows freely. But rather than Vienna in the 1860s, this new production will set the comic cavortings in modern-day Vietnam. “There are plenty of parallels,” said director David … [Read more...] about High jinks and new wealth

High-school students perform classical music on book streetHoang The Phong Members of the “Classics On The Go” Group perform on Nguyen Van Binh book street in downtown HCMC on Sunday A group of high-school students who are members of the “Classics On The Go” Group on August 6 staged a classical music performance on Nguyen Van Binh book street in downtown HCMC. Leader/founder of Classics On The Go Quach Nguyen Minh Anh, a 12th grader of Tran Dai Nghia High School for the Gifted in District 1, HCMC told the Daily that the non-profit group was established in the summer last year to connect high school students in the city and those having passion for music, especially classical music. “I came up with the idea of launching the group to stage interesting and lively classical music performances to serve the public as it is commonly thought this genre of music is boring and tedious,” Anh said. “The group’s … [Read more...] about High-school students perform classical music on book street

HBSO to host major concert festival late this monthHoang The Phong HBSO director Tran Vuong Thach speaks at a news conference on the “Arts Festival Autumn Melodies 2017” on August 2 in HCMC’s District 1 - PHOTO: NGUYEN QUY More than 200 local and international artists will gather at the 11th “Arts Festival Autumn Melodies” held by the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) in partnership with the HCMC Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism at the HCMC Opera House from August 19 to 27. According to the organizers, this event will feature indoor and outdoor performances in various art genres such as symphony orchestra, musical ensemble, contemporary dance and vocal music. Speaking at a news conference to present the festival on August 2, HBSO director Tran Vuong Thach, a well-known conductor, said HBSO hopes the upcoming festival will contribute to promoting not only symphony orchestra music but other … [Read more...] about HBSO to host major concert festival late this month

Vietnam version of Broadway classic Chicago comes back in mid-AugustHoang Phong Young actors of the Buffalo Theatre Club will perform the Vietnamese version of Broadway classic Chicago in HCMC in mid-August - PHOTO: COURTESY OF BUFFALO THEATRE CLUB The Vietnamese version of Broadway classic Chicago will make a comeback in HCMC in the middle of this month, the Buffalo Theatre Club says in a statement sent to the Daily on August 1.  The Broadway-style show, directed by Nguyen Khac Duy, one of the founders of the Buffalo Theatre Club, was his final project at the University of Movie and Theater in HCMC. Chicago won the hearts of the judging panel at the 2013 Young Talent Stage Director Awards and brought Duy a consolation prize. Created in 1975, Chicago has become one of the longest-ever musicals in Broadway, New York and West End, London. Over the past 30 years, there have been many international versions of Chicago played worldwide. The … [Read more...] about Vietnam version of Broadway classic Chicago comes back in mid-August