Music

Russian folk dance troupe to perform at Hue Festival 2018Hoang Phong Russia’s folk dance troupe “Siberian Patterns” will come to Vietnam for a performance at the Hue Festival 2018 scheduled to take place from April 28 to May 2 in the former imperial capital of Hue in the central province of Thua Thien-Hue, the organizing committee of the festival told the Daily in an email on January 23. Founded in 1995 by the award-winning Russian artist Irina Ovechkina, who has got the Award of the Russian Federation for her contributions to the development of Russian folk dances, the ensemble is expected to bring unique folk dances to the forthcoming festival.  The dance troupe has earned international recognition and become a member of the international dance committee of UNESCO. Earlier, the “Berywam” beatbox band and the “Lysistrata” rock band from France and the “Urpin” folk ensemble from Slovakia also confirmed their participation in … [Read more...] about Russian folk dance troupe to perform at Hue Festival 2018

HBSO to kick off New Year concertNguyen Quy The HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will organize a classical concert entitled “A night of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich” under the baton of well-known Vietnamese conductor Le Phi Phi at the Opera House at 8 p.m. tomorrow.  The first concert of the New Year is an occasion for HBSO to honor great masterpieces by Russian leading composers P.I.Tchaikovsky and D.Shostakovich, who have made significant contributions to the world’s classical music.  Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23 is one of the most popular compositions by Tchaikovsky. The piece was composed in 1875 and first performed by German pianist Hans von Bulow. It was revised in 1889 and has been played by many famous pianists, including Vladimir Horowitz, Lang Lang and Van Cliburn. Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47, was premiered in 1937 in Russia by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of … [Read more...] about HBSO to kick off New Year concert

Shostakovich the enigma, Tchaikovsky the crowd-pleaserBradley Winterton Dmitri Shostakovich is one of the great enigmas of classical music. He was the most celebrated composer of the Stalin era, but his music is almost invariably morose and darkly brooding. Was this because he was himself a clinically depressive, or was he trying to say things that the Stalinist tyranny wouldn’t allow him to say openly, or even at all? Anyway, the HCMC Ballet and Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) is certainly making a starkly contrasting program in pairing his Fifth Symphony with Tchaikovsky’s famous First Piano Concerto at the Saigon Opera House on January 9. Tchaikovsky certainly had his own problems, his homosexuality in particular, but he was nonetheless a popular and largely sunny figure, if suspicious of criticism, on the musical scene. His relationship with the Russian emperor certainly had none of the tensions that Shostakovich was later to feel with Stalin and his … [Read more...] about Shostakovich the enigma, Tchaikovsky the crowd-pleaser

Music concert to be held to mark 45 years of Vietnam-Japan relationsHoang Phong Popular Japanese music band “Kuricorder and Friends” will come to Vietnam for a music concert in Hanoi on January 12 and in HCMC on January 14. Organized by the Japan Foundation Center for Cultural Exchange in Vietnam (Japan Foundation Vietnam), the concert is part of a series of activities in commemoration of the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. “Kuricorder & Friends” is a music exchange project by a group of Japanese musicians including well-known music band Kuricorder Quartet, the duet Beautiful Hummingbird and singer Chiku Toshiaki. Established in 1994, Kuricorder Quartet has gained popularity as a recorder ensembles group thanks to their exceptional ability to play various musical instruments such as recorders, saxophone, melodions, percussion and ukuleles. The music band, whose works have been heard by most Japanese … [Read more...] about Music concert to be held to mark 45 years of Vietnam-Japan relations

A kind of high-quality relaxationBradley Winterton Suddenly I thought the young conductor had hit the nail on the head. “It has a kind of high-quality relaxation about it,” he said. “It brings the gift of optimism to those lucky enough to be listening to it.” The speaker was Tran Nhat Minh, Interim Head of Opera for the HCMC Ballet and Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO), and the music he was talking about was the operetta Die Flederaus by Johann Strauss II. The HBSO production of this work was premiered earlier this year, and now it’s being revived for a single performance in the Saigon Opera House on December 29. I began by asking Minh why it was being revived at all, and why for just a single performance. He replied that HBSO was thinking of making it a traditional New Year event. In the same way that Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker had for seven years now been its regular Christmas offering, so too, possibly, Die Fledermaus might become its … [Read more...] about A kind of high-quality relaxation

The Iceman ComethBradley Winterton The first review I ever wrote ffor the Saigon Times was of the Sibelius’s Violin Concerto performed by the 16-year-old Singaporean violinist Gabriel Ng. That was in 2010, and the event, apart from the young prodigy’s exceptional performance, was marked by Ng joining the first violins for the item that followed, Elgar’s Enigma Variations. I went up to the gallery for the Elgar and found myself sitting next to Gabriel Ng’s father, who was making a video recording of the whole concert. He told me that when his son won a place at the Yehudi Menuhin Violin School he and his wife moved lock stock and barrel to London to provide their super-talented son with a UK home. This was in fact my introduction to Sibelius’s concerto, and my second contact was watching a DVD of the work played by the French violinist Christian Ferras in which he appeared to break down in tears during the second movement. This was perhaps not altogether … [Read more...] about The Iceman Cometh

An awesome Nutcracker once againBradley Winterton There are many reasons why Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker makes such a compelling entertainment. There’s the Christmas element, of course, a Christmas Eve party followed by a scene in a veritable winter wonderland. Then there’s the color and the exoticism – dances from supposedly distant lands and flights of imagination among falling snowflakes. Variety, too, plays its part, with social party dances alternating with mythic figures out of a land of dreams. All these add up to making Nutcracker an unfailing attraction worldwide. This is the seventh time the classic ballet has been staged by HBSO in Saigon. There were three performances, and each one was sold out. Last Friday I couldn’t see an empty seat anywhere. It’s hard to say which scene was best. My feeling was that each one was better than the one before. Even so, it would be hard to beat the second, the wintry pine forest with glittering snow … [Read more...] about An awesome Nutcracker once again

Nutcracker heralds the Christmas seasonBradley Winterton Christmas is coming, and so is HBSO’s Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky’s famous 1892 ballet associated with the festive season all around the world. The story, sometimes difficult to follow, concerns an aristocratic Russian family who stage a party on Christmas Eve. A character called Drosselmeyer brings some dolls as presents for the family’s daughter, Clara, including a wooden nutcracker, a small device used for cracking nuts. After the party guests have gone home the clock strikes midnight and Clara sees her dolls come to life, including the nutcracker which eventually becomes transposed into a handsome Prince. Mice, gingerbread soldiers and the famous Sugar Plum Fairy also feature in this new, fantasy world. The next scene takes place in a moonlit pine forest with snow falling. The scene then changes to a fabulous Land of Sweets, and dancers representing culinary delights from around the world – coffee from … [Read more...] about Nutcracker heralds the Christmas season

Nutcracker ballet returns for festive seasonHoang Phong Since its debut in HCMC in 2011, the classical ballet “The Nutcracker” has become a popular early Christmas gift to audiences. This year, the show will make a comeback at 8 p.m. on three nights of December 8-10 at the Opera House in HCMC’s District 1 under the baton of Norwegian conductor Magnus Loddgard.     The show, based on the classic story ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E.T.A. Hoffman, tells about a dream of Clara, a dreamy and emotional little girl, on the Christmas Eve. The dream opens a magical fairy world where she meets the brave and handsome prince who comes out of a nutcracker. He rescues Clara from dangers and accompanies her in the adventure through wonderland. The forthcoming show, hosted by the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO), is to have the presence of some international artists, including Chloe Glemot from France and two Japanese young … [Read more...] about Nutcracker ballet returns for festive season

Nguyen Hong Son runs music concert to raise funds for Truong SaTruc Nhu Major General/Musician Nguyen Hong Son, who serves as director of Military Hospital 175, will organize a concert to raise funds for Vietnam’s Truong Sa islands off Khanh Hoa Province at the Army Theater in HCMC’s Tan Binh District on December 2 and at the Hanoi Opera House on December 10. The first part of the concert is expected to feature songs praising the love for the country and Vietnamese people, performed by some famous artists such as People’s Artist Tran Hieu, People’s Artist Quang Tho, Meritorious Artist Quang Huy, and Meritorious Artist Ta Minh Tam among others. During the rest of the show, audiences can listen to the songs composed by musician Nguyen Hong Son himself, who has used music as a means to express his love for the country’s seas and islands. All the proceeds raised from the concert will be used to purchase medical equipment for Truong Sa medical center. … [Read more...] about Nguyen Hong Son runs music concert to raise funds for Truong Sa