Japanese artist sings opera in Vietnamese in play about Nguyen Dynasty princess

This is a very special play, not only for its diplomatic significance towards the 50th anniversary of the establishment of relations between Vietnam and Japan, with the dedication of Mr. Yamada Takio, Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam, but also for its unique story in history from 400 years ago, telling about the love of a Vietnamese princess for a Japanese man after a chance meeting on a boat drifting at sea.

In the 17th century, Princess Ngoc Hoa of Dang Trong and Japanese merchant Araki Sotaro met on a trading ship, the Chau An ship (a type of Japanese trading ship that was granted a passport (Chau An state) by contemporary politicians allowing ships to go abroad, mainly to Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, between the two countries from the late 16th century to the early 17th century).

10 years later, guided by fate, the two fell in love and agreed to marry. Lord Nguyen initially did not agree, but later was moved by his daughter's deep love for the foreigner, agreed to marry them and sent them to Nagasaki, Japan.

In Japan, Princess Ngoc Hoa often called her husband "Anh oi", from then on the people of Nagasaki town called her with the intimate name "Anio san". Both were loved, lived happily and had a daughter.

However, the changes of the times have come and the two cannot resist. The order to close the port was issued in Nagasaki. It is unknown what fate will befall the princess and the merchant!

The show, directed by famous conductor Honna Tetsuji as General Director and Music Director, brings together many famous artists from both Vietnam and Japan such as Dao To Loan, Bui Thi Trang, Koburi Yusuke, Yamamoto Kohei...

The music composer is producer Tran Manh Hung, the Japanese lyricist is director Oyama Daisuke, and the Vietnamese lyricist is writer, musician, and journalist Ha Quang Minh.

The play has been prepared quite elaborately since 2020. Author Tran Manh Hung said that he has cherished the desire to write music for an opera for a long time, but only now has that desire become a reality.

He also shared that he had never worked with such a strong team, and he was very happy to participate in the project.

Japanese artist sings opera in Vietnamese in play about Nguyen Dynasty princess — *The crew made the play.*

Director Oyama Daisuke said that the opera was first written in Japanese, then translated into Vietnamese, and from this translation, author Ha Quang Minh converted it into lyrics. These lyrics were once again translated into Japanese to serve as subtitles for the play.

Director Oyama Daisuke also said that he does not know Vietnamese, but based on the translations, he feels that the way Vietnamese people express love is very rich, expressed through the language and intonation of the lyrics. "I have to edit this subtitle a bit to better suit Japanese culture," the director said.

The author of the Vietnamese lyrics, Ha Quang Minh, shared that he had written lyrics for many musicians and was very familiar with this job, but writing lyrics for the play "Princess Anio" this time had to follow a very strict standard framework. "I had the opportunity to work and learn very useful lessons in how to work with the Japanese," he said.

Author Ha Quang Minh also said that in this play, he absolutely respects the music, and does not ask the musician to "adjust" it to make it easier to compose the lyrics. "I understand that when they finish their work, the music composer and artist will also respect my lyrics like that," he said.

The play features four artists playing two main roles, also known as a double cast (two people playing one role). Playing the role of Araki Sotaro are two Japanese Teno voices Koburi Yusuke and Yamamoto Kohei.

In the excerpt of the play, two Japanese artists surprised the audience when they sang in Vietnamese quite fluently. The two artists shared that they had learned Vietnamese and learned to sing Vietnamese with their teachers since they were in Japan. Artist Koburi Yusuke shared that the most difficult thing about learning Vietnamese is the pronunciation of vowels, as just changing the shape of the mouth will change the vowels.

When the artists came to Vietnam, Vietnamese artists Dao To Loan and Bui Thi Trang, after the initial moments of confusion and hesitation, quickly got used to the two Japanese artists and together taught them how to sing in Vietnamese. Artist Bui Thi Trang said she was very impressed with the Japanese artists because of their beautiful voices and their fluency in Vietnamese.

Artist Dao To Loan believes that music and historical stories have contributed to connecting artists from both sides, helping artists understand each other and work effectively.

Talking about the play "Princess Anio", Ms. Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director of the Department of International Relations, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: "Inspired by a true historical story between the two countries, the opera "Princess Anio" tells the love story between a Vietnamese princess and a Japanese merchant, symbolizing the increasingly strong relationship between our two countries.

Through creativity in culture, art, music, painting, and lyrical language, I believe that joint stage works between artists of the two countries are a celebration of the common values of our two peoples."

The play about a historical love story was chosen as a theatrical symbol of the long-standing diplomatic relationship between the two countries. The organizers hope that the play will be widely distributed, helping people of both countries understand more about the history and the long-standing good friendship between the two countries.

The opera "Princess Anio" will be performed next September, co-produced by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet. It is scheduled to perform two shows in Hanoi, one show in Hung Yen and possibly in Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City.

(According to nhandan.vn)

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