In an interview with TG&VN Newspaper on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan, Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji said that it was fate that brought him to the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.
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| Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji. |
You were very successful in Japan and Europe, won many awards, and received invitations from all over the world. So what made you come to Vietnam and stick with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra for so many years?
In October 2000, I and the Nagoya Philharmonic Orchestra conducted a tour called Toyota Classic, bringing symphonic culture to Asian countries, held in 8 countries.
I remember Hanoi as the fourth destination. On the bus from Noi Bai airport to Nikko Hanoi Hotel (now Hotel du Parc Hanoi), I was captivated by the scene created by the yellow lights of the shops on the street. The scene on the way to the pho restaurant at night was the same.
| On the evening of November 28, at the ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations in Tokyo, the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Concert took place, organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan, under the direction of conductor Honna Tetsuji. |
The concert venue was the Hanoi Opera House. While sitting in the audience preparing for the rehearsal, I suddenly looked up at the logo and saw the number “1911”. This was the year that the beloved composer Gustav Mahler passed away. At that moment, I thought: 2011 marks the 100th anniversary of Mahler’s death and the 100th anniversary of the Hanoi Opera House, and I was determined to somehow return here to perform Mahler’s 9th Symphony in 2011!
That day, the soloist for the concert was cellist Ngo Hoang Quan (then principal cellist and deputy director of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra - VNSO). After the performance, Mr. Quan came to see me in the dressing room and said: “Help us, come back here!”. I asked Mr. Quan: “What can I do?” and he replied: “Conducting, teaching, everything! But we don’t have much money to pay.”
I accepted immediately, not thinking that I could return to Vietnam so soon. In 2001, I ended my contract with the Nagoya Orchestra and my relationship with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra began in February 2001. In 2011, we were able to perform Mahler's Symphony No. 9. Looking back now, I can only say that it was fate.
What are your impressions and feelings about the activities and projects with the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra?
There are so many that I can’t even count them all. In 2003, we performed with the Osaka Symphony Orchestra to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations. In 2004, we performed for the first time in Japan as part of the Asian Orchestra Week.
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| Conductor Honna Tetsuji and artists participating in the concert with the Osaka Symphony Orchestra on April 6, 2023 at the Fenice Sakai Theater. |
In 2005, we started regular concerts. Next was the Toyota Concert Program, which started in 2007 and has been held in many localities in Vietnam. There were also tours in Laos and Cambodia. From 2007 to 2012, we performed all of Mahler's symphonies. In 2008, we toured for the La Folle Journee Music Festival at the Tokyo Global Forum. From 2009 to 2011, we performed all of Beethoven's symphonies. Those are all beautiful memories.
In 2010, we performed with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and welcomed the New York Philharmonic. That same year, we performed Mahler's Symphony No. 8 to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi, with guest soloists, choirs and orchestras from around the world.
2011 was the first tour in the United States called “Harmony Concert”, held at Carnegie Hall (New York) and Boston Symphony Hall (Boston). The performance in Boston had many veterans in attendance.
In 2013, the orchestra toured 7 cities in Japan to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam. At the Tokyo premiere, we welcomed Crown Prince Narahito (now the Emperor of Japan). The orchestra played Entering the Temple, Spider's Thread, Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 at Todaiji Temple - Nara. The Spider's Thread had the participation of artist Le Khanh representing Vietnam.
In 2014, a concert was held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu victory. In 2015, the “Autumn Melody” program took place at My Dinh National Stadium. In 2018, we toured Japan to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and Vietnam, with the participation of the Emperor and Empress of Japan in a concert at Suntory Hall.
In June 2020, the concert program called We Return was jointly organized by the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, the Vietnam National Academy of Music and the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet with the participation of 160 leading artists. It was a great memory, because we had a sublime performance at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic was almost over.
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| The We Return concert was held at the Vietnam National Academy of Music on the evening of June 19, 2020, with the participation of Minister of Public Security To Lam. |
In 2001, I was appointed as “Musical Advisor and Orchestra Conductor in the VNSO Upgrade Project”. The first contract was valid until 2005 with the goal of bringing VNSO to the Asian level; and the contract signed in 2005 set the goal of bringing VNSO to the international level by 2010. Of course, this is not an easy task and I certainly cannot carry out such a great task alone. Therefore, up to now, I regularly invite good musicians to Hanoi to perform together. We have also received support over the years from the International Exchange Fund (Japan), Goethe Institute (Germany), French Cultural Center (France), Transposition Project (Norway)...
Could you please tell us what needs to be done to enhance cultural exchange and mutual understanding between Vietnam and Japan through music?
Nowadays, the exchange between people working in the music-related field is growing. I think it would be great if it became common for orchestras, operas or ballets to fly from Vietnam to Japan to perform, or vice versa from Japan to Vietnam.
Do you have any special plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Japan-Vietnam diplomatic relations?
The new opera “Princess Anio” which has been in development for 3 years will be performed for the first time on September 22-24, 2023. The love story between the Princess of Hoi An (Ngoc Hoa) and the merchant of Nagasaki (Araki Sotaro) 400 years ago is recreated by leading opera singers and theater experts representing Vietnam and Japan.
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| The opera “Princess Anio” is based on the true love story between Princess Ngoc Hoa from Hoi An, Vietnam and merchant Araki Sotaro from Nagasaki, Japan about 400 years ago, at the beginning of Japan's Edo period. |
There are many special things about this play – there are many famous songs, musician Tran Manh Hung is the composer of the music, director, scriptwriter Oyama Daisuke and poet Ha Quang Minh wrote beautiful lyrics in Japanese and Vietnamese. The performance in Japan was held on November 4 at Hitomi Memorial Hall, Showa Women's University.
Can you share your memorable experiences in Vietnam?
I found a mysterious beauty when composing music with Vietnamese musicians. They were sounds that had never been heard in orchestras of other countries. Is this due to the sensitivity of the Vietnamese people or the beauty of the words? There are things like the imprint of the heart that appear in the sound. In a concert, sometimes you can hear beautiful sounds that cannot be described in words.
The work of young musicians in recent years has been remarkable. Our talented students have gone to study abroad in countries such as Austria, Hungary, Germany, Scandinavia, the United States, Russia and Canada. There are many talents to behold and I believe that the day will come when Vietnam will join the world's musical powers.
Conductor Honna Tetsuji was born in 1957 in Japan. He came to Vietnam in 2000, when he performed the Toyota Classic concert tour. He then accepted the position of music advisor and conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. Currently, he is the principal conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. He is considered to have made many technical and aesthetic contributions to the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, directly bringing to Vietnam many training projects and collaborating with international artists. |
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