National Concert 'What Lasts': Balancing Entertainment, Art and Academia

The national concert “What remains forever” will take place on the afternoon of September 2 at the Hoan Kiem Theater, Hanoi , at the exact moment Uncle Ho read the Declaration of Independence giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam 80 years ago.

In order to bring a new color to the program after nearly 2 decades of organization, this year's "Dieu con mai" has many singers participating for the first time such as: Ha An Huy, Dinh Trang, Bach Tra, Viet Danh, Luong Khanh Nhi, Phan Phuc. Along with that, the program welcomes the return of diva Hong Nhung, divo Tung Duong and singer Lan Anh - familiar faces of the program since the early days but absent in recent years.

Vocal and instrumental performances were carefully selected and arranged by Music Director, musician Tran Manh Hung and VietNamNet, interspersed with the participation of the Sun Symphony Orchestra (SSO) under the direction of French conductor Olivier Ochanine.

Music director Tran Manh Hung. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

Music director Tran Manh Hung not only arranged all the works of “Dieu con mai” but also selected the works to be performed with a purpose in space and time. It is a musical journey honoring the beauty of the lands that the liberation army passed through: “Towards Hanoi,” “Hanoi Song,” “Sending You the Poem Con Hat,” “Nha Trang in Autumn,” “Wind Blows in Four Directions,” “Sai Gon is Very Beautiful,” “ Hue -Sai Gon-Hanoi” and “A Circle of Vietnam.”

The closing performance “As if Uncle Ho were here on the great victory day” by musician Pham Tuyen will close the concert “What remains forever.”

This is the first year that VietNamNet Newspaper is under the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities and Religions, so the program's Organizing Committee has cleverly incorporated ethnic elements. In addition to "Dak Krong River in Spring" performed by Tung Duong, the program also brings melodies of "Singing in the Pac Bo Forest," Cham Pa Thei Mai folk songs, folk songs and Hue royal court music...

Returning to the program this year, singer Tung Duong expressed his pride because the country is entering a new era and the concert takes place on the 80th anniversary of National Day. As a generation of artists born in peacetime, Tung Duong always feels responsible for preserving and inheriting the values of the veteran artists who have contributed to Vietnamese music as well as connecting artists of the present time.

“When I get to sing on the country’s important day, I feel more proud than ever. I sing with the heart of a patriot, always wanting to build the country, wanting the country to become more prosperous and beautiful,” Tung Duong confided.

Pianist Luong Khanh Nhi will return from the US to participate for the first time in the national concert “Dieu con mai 2025” with the work “Song Lo” with the Sun Symphony Orchestra. She shared that participating in Dieu con mai is a great honor for her.

Editor-in-Chief of VietNamNet Newspaper Nguyen Van Ba. (Photo: PV/Vietnam+)

“ 'Sông Lô' is deeply symbolic of Vietnamese music, history and national spirit. Bringing the work to the symphony stage is both a challenge and an opportunity to retell a familiar story in a new language - the resonance between piano and orchestra,” the artist shared.

She carefully studied the original, listened to different interpretations and discussed with conductor Olivier Ochanine to preserve the original emotion, while creating a new breath through the arrangement by musician Tran Manh Hung.

Sharing at the press conference, Editor-in-Chief of VietNamNet Newspaper Nguyen Van Ba said that this year there are many music programs and art performances, so the Organizing Committee had to work for many months to develop ideas.

"We realize that we need to balance between novelty, audience expectations and academic value. There are songs that are very heroic on the big stage, but when put into a symphony space, they are not suitable. Therefore, we have to consider carefully, both maintaining the artistic identity and meeting the professional requirements set by the Music Director," said Editor-in-Chief Nguyen Van Ba./.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/hoa-nhac-quoc-gia-dieu-con-mai-can-bang-giua-giai-tri-nghe-thuat-va-han-lam-post1057840.vnp