Vietnamese folk songs resound in the world's most famous concert hall

At the "music cathedral" Berliner Philharmonie - one of the most prestigious concert halls in the world, for the first time in history a German chamber choir performed Vietnamese folk songs.

Artist Tran Phuong Hoa (first, right) and artist Le Manh Hung (second, right) play traditional instruments in the performance “Ngua o thuong nho” (Black Horse of Memories) performed by the German Chamber Choir at the Berlin Philharmonie Theater. Photo: Phuong Hoa/VNA correspondent in Germany

This is the result of the Berlin - Hanoi 2023 music project of the German chamber choir Lichtenberger Piekfeine Töne - the result of the idea and collaboration between German conductor Katrin Hübner and the Vietnamese folk music artist couple Tran Phuong Hoa and Le Manh Hung, combining a number of Vietnamese singers to present musical works from Vietnam, Germany and the world in many languages.

Vietnamese folk songs such as “Cay truc xinh”, “Qua cau gio bay”, “Bèo dat may troi” and “Ngầu ô thuong nho” were specially arranged for the choir by Professor - musician Dang Ngoc Long in Berlin, musician Jezzy Da Lam Huong Thao Nguyen in Munich and female conductor Katrin Hübner. In addition to classical instruments, there was also traditional accompaniment performed by artists Tran Phuong Hoa and Le Manh Hung, which is very rare in classical four-part choir singing. The above choir compositions were performed by more than 100 male and female singers from 3 German choirs in Berlin.

If it is difficult to integrate traditional music into the modern music stream, it is even more difficult for Vietnamese folk songs to resound in a famous "music cathedral", in a grand, elaborately and skillfully staged concert program. In addition, the appearance of Vietnamese traditional music for the first time in many different countries in Europe, big cities, famous historical sites, many international music festivals, in a number of plays, feature films, documentaries, television programs, orchestras of many different music genres..., further shows that Vietnamese culture has stood shoulder to shoulder and integrated with the world.

With the German Lichtenberger Piekfeine Töne Symphony Orchestra performing Vietnamese works, this will also be a continuation of the series of "firsts" of Vietnamese folk music in Germany. Previously, in 1998, a Vietnamese folk concert was performed in the Berlin City Hall. In 2000, Vietnamese folk music appeared at the World Culture House in Berlin. In 2001, Vietnamese folk music was performed at the Beethoven Haus in Bonn. In 2007, Vietnamese folk instruments began to be taught in the Berlin music school system and have been maintained regularly until now. In 2014, the Bremen Symphony Orchestra combined the zither, bau, and flute to stage the opera "Con Rong, Chau Tien". In 2015, the opera "Con Rong, Chau Tien" was performed at the German Presidential Palace in Berlin. In 2022, the choir of the Gymnasium Max Planck Berlin performed the works "Drum Rice", "Inh La Oi", "Pretty Bamboo Tree"...

The performance “Floating Water Fern and Floating Clouds” by the German Chamber Choir at the Berlin Philharmonie Theater. Photo: Phuong Hoa/VNA correspondent in Germany

Speaking to VNA reporters, Music Professor Dang Ngoc Long - who composed the work "Beo dat may troi" for choir - expressed his joy when Vietnamese folk songs were selected to perform at the Berliner Philharmonie. He shared: "Vietnamese folk songs, through this, will develop and resonate far and wide across all regions. Especially in a performance program that was meticulously and vividly staged, my song "Beo dat may troi" was selected, which is a source of pride and emotion."

Mr. Nguyen Huy Liem, an audience who loves classical music, especially Vietnamese folk songs arranged for choirs or instruments in general, shared: “For me, 'Beo dat may troi' is one of the successful performances. The choir and the artists, although not professional, brought unique and new performances, but still kept the Vietnamese soul in each work”. Another audience from Frankfurt said: “Under the direction of female conductor Katrin Hübler, the choirs and two Vietnamese folk music artists, Tran Phuong Hoa and Le Manh Hung, brought the audience lively performances with strong Vietnamese colors. Thousands of audiences stood up, with endless applause, proving that they welcomed Vietnamese music with passion”.

Even more proud was the fact that in the packed auditorium, there were many Vietnamese people who had studied, lived and worked in Germany, who came to watch this special concert. Even many people who lived in states far away, hundreds of kilometers away, came here "to listen to the German chamber choir perform Vietnamese folk songs".

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/dan-ca-viet-nam-vang-len-trong-phong-hoa-nhac-danh-tieng-bac-nhat-the-gioi-post384372.html