Oct
30
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Welcome Nutcracker back
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VietNamNet Bridge – HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will host the ballet ‘Nutcracker’ at the HCMC Opera House at 8 p.m. on November 11, 16 and 18. The program is collaborated by Norwegian Embassy in Vietnam, the Music Information Center Norway and sponsor Diamond Island.
The concert will take place under the baton of Magnus Loddgard who is an experienced pianist and conductor in Norway.
Nutcracker is based on the classic story ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E.T.A. Hoffman, is set to music by Tchaikovsky and features dancing sugarplum fairies, valiant toy soldiers and dueling mice, twirling snowflakes, waltzing flowers, and, of course, a Nutcracker prince. The concert is always a favorite in the Christmas holiday season.
Now, it is available to Saigonese in a special version staged by Norwegian choreographer Johanne Jakhelln Constant with the dancers of HBSO. Last year, the ballet debuted in HCMC for the first time and gained much appreciation from experts and audiences alike.
The ballet promises to bring joyful and artistic moments not only to young audiences but also to ballet lovers, bringing them to legendary and poetic scenery.
Tickets, priced from VND200,000 to VND500,000 are available at the Office of the HBSO, 3 Phan Van Dat Street in District 1 and at the Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square in HCMC’s District 1. For booking and home delivery call (08) 3823 7419.
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Oct
30
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Streetcar singing concert
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VietNamNet Bridge – For nearly a century beginning in 1900, streetcars plied the streets of Ha Noi and featured live entertainment. So-called xam tau dien singers, mostly itinerant blind artists accompanied by dan nhi (two-string violin) or dan bau (monochord), used to charm commuters daily, but when the streetcar lines were abandoned in the late 1980s, xam tau dien disappeared and this style of singing fell into oblivion.
Xam tau dien is performed at the Women's Museum in Ha Noi last Friday.
But the strains of xam tau dien were heard again in the capital city over the weekends, with a series of concerts at the Women's Museum from Friday to Sunday. Performers included veteran artists Thanh Ngoan, Hoang Anh Tu and The Dan, as well as 10-year-old singer Thanh Thanh Tam.
Additional performances will take place this coming Saturday evening at the Dong Xuan Night Market.
Last weekend's shows attracted hundreds of all ages, but mostly elderly who wished to relive the memories of their youth when they used to hear the bells of the streetcars and the melodies of this style of folk music.
Audiences once again heard the familiar melodies that used to resound on streetcar trips from the central station at Hoan Kiem Lake to various destinations, including the Mo and Buoi markets, Cau Giay and Ha Dong.
The melodies of xam were borrowed from other styles of Vietnamese folk music such as trong quan or quan ho (love duets). Through the content and performance of the songs, xam artists told of their tragic lives or the misery of the poor and evoked sympathy from audience.
However, different from songs performed at markets, the streetcar songs were often had more elegant lyrics tailored to the tastes of city dwellers. And there were always humourous songs that aimed to advertise products being sold by the performers, such as toothpicks, balm, and herbal medicines.
For this weekend's shows, the stage is decorated with a 3D photo of old Ha Noi with an image of a streetcar.
According to researcher Nguyen Do Bao, a performance of xam tau dien on a stage, with lights and microphones and without the rattle of the streetcars, could not fully capture the soul of the artform.
"We cannot ask to return to the ambience of the 1980s," said Bao. "The most important thing is that the melodies be preserved and the passion of the artists."
The objective of the show was to remind people of an original artform of the past, he added.
"Xam can teach people about ethical behaviour, and it has great human values," he said. "We should not forget the past because the past helps us enrich our souls."
Bao himself keeps souvenirs of xam tau dien. Three generations of his family used the streetcars, and each time they rode, they heard the xam melodies.
"For Ha Noi people, listening to xam singing was something very precious in their daily lives," he said.
For the audiences over the weekend, the performances recreated the ambiance of those old days in their minds.
"The show was really valuable," said 80-year-old audience member Le Thanh. "It was very precious for me to hear the xam melodies again. The streetcars were part of my life."
Today, about 400 xam songs are still preserved, mainly handed down orally from generation to generation. The most famous surviving artisan of this art form is 95-year-old Ha Thi Cau, the so-called "Last surviving xam singer".
Xam is, in fact, an endangered form of traditional music because the number of experienced artists has declined rapidly, while younger street performers prefers more modern styles of music. Researchers and devoted artists have tried to revitalise the artform and teach it to a younger generation, but they knew it would be an uphill battle to revitalise the style completely.
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Oct
30
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Vietnamese dishes among Asian Record
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VietNamNet Bridge – A ceremony was held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 27 to announce the first ever list of 12 Vietnamese dishes recognised by the Asian Record Organisation (ARO).
The dishes honoured with food records include Hanoi’s Pho (noodles with beef or chicken), Bun Cha (rice noodles served with grilled pork), and Bun Thang (rice noodles with fried chicken egg, meat, shrimp and vegetable); Haiphong City’s Banh Da Cua (crab noodles); Com Chay (rice crackers) from the northern Ninh Binh province; Mien Luon (vermicelli with eel) from the central Nghe An province; Hue City’s Bun Bo (rice noodles with beef); My Quang (rice noodles with fried pork and special soup) from the central region; Pho Kho (dry noodles) from the central highland Gia Lai province; Banh Khot (coconut-turmeric shrimp pancakes) from the southern Vung Tau province; and HCM City’s Goi Cuon (fresh spring roll) and Com Tam (broken rice).
Six new Asian records for Vietnamese individuals and organisations were also recognised. Music composer Le Van Tuan was honoured for successfully creating a special compilation of new songs—called CROR—combining the classical, romantic, opera, and rock genres. Artisan Ton Nu Thi Ha and her daughter Phan Ton Tinh Hai were recognised for their cake depicting a dancing phoenix, artisan Y Lan for finding the most colours of natural sand, and artist Mai Dinh Toi for his unique hand-made musical instruments. Toi’s instruments are created using materials including everything from water pipes and motorbike parts to cups and bottles of fresh water.
The 43 national records named at the ceremony primarily concerned the fields of culture and environment. The record title was won by the largest bronze Buddhist statue in central Nghe An province and a theory of causal relation in the Nui Coc tourist site, northern Thai Nguyen province.
Other winners include Dr. Tran Quang Hai and labour hero Nguyen Duc Thin from northern Bac Ninh province, outstanding artist Nguyen Van Luong from Haiphong city, photographer Nguyen A, and Agent Orange victim and successful Mount Fansipan conquerer Nguyen Son Lam.
* Four more Asian records for Vietnam
Four Vietnamese records, among 20 recommended by the Vietnam Book of Records, have officially won Asian titles by the Asia Book of Records.
One recognized object is the sheet music book entitled “Tear for the Ocean and CROR Music” by 48-year-old composer Le Van Tuan. The book itself—a compilation of classical, romantic, opera, and rock (CROR) musical genres—is 1.6 metres high, 1.2 metres wide, 0.28 metres thick, and weighs 250 kilograms.
Another record was claimed by a phoenix-formed cake sculpted by craftsmen Ton Nu Thi Ha and MA Phan Ton Tinh Hai.
The third record is owned by Tran Thi Hoang Lan for finding the most colours of natural sand.
Mai Dinh Toi, currently holder of the fourth record, is acknowledged as having the most unique hand-made musical instruments, created from materials including water pipes, motorbike parts, cups, and bottles of fresh water.
The Asia Book of Records’ ceremony to award the most recent Asian records will be held during the 23rd meeting of Vietnamese record breakers at Ho Chi Minh City’s Rex Hotel on October 2
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Money lost in translation
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30/10/2012 08:45:53
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Drums of war reminds 18th-century emperor
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30/10/2012 08:35:49
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Vietnam - Airlines flights were canceled due to storm
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30/10/2012 08:30:26
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30th anniversary of HCMC Cinematography Association is attracted by people
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30/10/2012 08:21:23
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Hanoi welcomes Luala concert back
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30/10/2012 08:15:59
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Cultural Heritage Day and diversified activities
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30/10/2012 08:14:30
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Hoi An becomes one of top ten Asian tourist destinations
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29/10/2012 09:07:00
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Keo pagoda is awarded special national relic
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29/10/2012 09:01:59
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More and more charity tours will be launched by travel firms
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29/10/2012 09:00:12
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