Symphony music steps out of the auditorium

But in recent years, many art units and organizers have boldly brought the symphony orchestra out of the auditorium, to new spaces, attracting and bringing unique artistic experiences to the audience. When classical music is integrated into life, there will be more audiences and from there there will be sustainable development.

Conductor Dong Quang Vinh and the New Vitality Orchestra perform at Ngoc Rong Cave in the Vung Duc Historical and Scenic Area (Quang Ninh Province). Photo: APC

Symphony resounds in public

In early spring this year, conductor Dong Quang Vinh and the New Vitality Orchestra performed a symphony, folk music and choir in a cave hundreds of millions of years old - Ngoc Rong Cave in the Vung Duc historical and scenic area (Cam Pha, Quang Ninh). More than 30 artists performed extremely sublimely famous works such as "Trong Com" - a traditional Northern folk song renewed in a symphonic style, "Mua Xuan Oi" - a song welcoming spring and "Vietnam Style" - a creative version of the song "Gangnam Style" with content honoring the qualities of Vietnamese people.

Previously, in 2023, this conductor and the New Vitality Orchestra had a symphony concert on a floating stage on a cruise ship in the middle of Ha Long Bay. The audience enjoyed famous opera excerpts, Vietnamese music and film music in an impressive and new space.

More intimate and popular, recently, the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum has coordinated with the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra and academic music artists to perform the program "When music blends with art" with free outdoor concerts on the last Sunday afternoon of each month, attracting more and more audiences. In particular, the program "Four Seasons Melody" every quarter has become a unique musical event of the Capital.

The talented artists of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra, conductor Nguyen Khac Thanh and sopranos Lan Nhung, Bao Yen... brought the music to life in a garden space surrounded by French architecture - a place that is preserving priceless works of art of Vietnam, truly a rare sight for this genre of music that is often picky about its listeners.

Symphony music is now spreading more widely through the efforts of young people like conductor Phan Do Phuc and the Vietnam Youth Symphony Orchestra (VYO). In addition to performing at the Hoan Kiem Theater and the Hanoi Opera House, these young people have organized symphony concerts at many public places in Hanoi such as the Green Space 65 Cam Hoi (Hai Ba Trung District), the Cultural and Art Center 22 Hang Buom (Hoan Kiem), the walking space around Hoan Kiem Lake and its vicinity... The public who loves novelty must still be impressed with the concert program "Reo vang binh minh" held in the outdoor area of ​​the Hanoi Children's Palace within the framework of the Hanoi Creative Design Festival 2024 last November, performed by the Vietnam Youth Symphony Orchestra...

In addition, many bands and symphonic artists have performed in pedestrian spaces, squares, schoolyards... to reach a wide audience.

Conductor Phan Do Phuc and the Vietnam Youth Symphony Orchestra perform at the Hanoi Children's Palace. Photo: VYO

Expanding the development direction for symphonic music

For artists, bringing symphonic music to perform outside the auditorium also brings them new inspiration. Conductor Dong Quang Vinh shared that bringing symphonic music, usually performed in theaters, to a unique space like Ngoc Rong Cave, was a wonderful experience for the artists and the orchestra. Everyone felt excited and felt the connection between music and nature between the majestic rocks and the echoes of sound. Similarly, performing on a floating stage in the middle of the sea and sky is the same.

Returning to Vietnam after many years of studying and performing in famous symphony orchestras around the world, cellist and conductor Phan Do Phuc was determined to find a new direction for symphonic music, so that this selective music would not only be for those sitting in luxurious auditoriums. With the support of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra, the Vietnam Youth Symphony Orchestra with its multinational members was born, bringing academic music to public spaces.

“Classical music is beautiful and everyone, regardless of age or profession, can feel it. We hope that classical music will gradually have the opportunity to become a spiritual friend to many people and erase prejudices that it is only for the upper class or requires extensive knowledge to feel,” said conductor Phan Do Phuc.

With a new combination of fine arts and symphonic music, Director of the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum Nguyen Anh Minh said that from the initial idea of ​​​​showing gratitude to art lovers and creating a new art space, the outdoor symphony concert program was successful beyond expectations with thousands of direct participants and millions of views on digital platforms. From here, more people came to the museum, especially the young generation who love public cultural and artistic activities.

Enjoying a symphony concert at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum with her family, Ms. Nguyen Mai Anh (Giang Vo Ward, Ba Dinh District) expressed: “This is an interesting experience for the whole family. We feel that symphony music is beautiful and close. I think I will continue to go to the theater to listen to symphony music.”

By opening different doors to reach the public, symphonic music will have more audiences, thereby developing sustainably. At the same time, these creative ways will contribute to making Hanoi one of the most diverse and attractive music cities.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nhac-giao-huong-buoc-ra-ngoai-khan-phong-da-dang-trai-nghiem-nghe-thuat-cho-cong-chung-696598.html