Album by ‘đàn nhị’ artist presents contemporary version of traditional music

HÀ NỘI — Sixteen years after her debut album in 2007, Vietnamese two-string fiddle artist Dương Thùy Anh has released her newest album to celebrate her 40-year journey in music.

Entitled Lặng (Contemplation), the album has been produced and completed after a long period of nurturing.

“After the release of my debut album, for years, I kept thinking about what I should continue to do. And the pandemic isolation seemed to give me the chance to ‘see clearly’ what I should do and pursue in the future. I was lost in thought and was strongly motivated with the idea of doing something fresh and different,” Thùy Anh said.

Dương Thùy Anh has released her newest album Lặng (Contemplation). — Photo courtesy of the artist

Consisting of six tunes, the album is a harmonious blend of the unique “whining” tone colour of the two-string fiddle and the New Age style, resulting a contemporary version of traditional music.

Famous composer and music producer Võ Thiện Thanh is the one who has added “wonderful ingredients for those tunes” as he took care the music arrangement and orchestration for the album, according to artist Thùy Anh.

Through tunes such as Băng Qua Cánh Rừng (Crossing Through the Forest), Tia Nắng Đầu Tiên (First Rays of Sunlight), Ngôi Nhà Trên Thảo Nguyên (The House on Meadow) and Vũ Điệu Bầy Đom Đóm (The Dance of Fireflies), music fans will be led through a conceptual forest where they can discover the intense yet eternal life of the greenwood, and immerse themselves in its beauty.

“To spread widely our traditional music, we must find ways to get closer to the audience, especially the young ones. That’s why, for this album, I’ve used modern music genres such as pop, rock and electronic, as the background for traditional music to shine on,” Thanh said.

A scene from the music video Băng Qua Cánh Rừng of Vietnamese two-string fiddle artist Dương Thùy Anh. — Photo courtesy of the artist

He said that among the tunes, The Dance of Fireflies is the most challenging because the song features Western tones that do not really fit the intervals of the Vietnamese two-string fiddle.

“But, finally, we did it. I was very surprised that Thùy Anh can play very high notes on the fiddle that make the sound amazing, unique and haunting,” he said.

The HCM City-based music producer also said that he and the artist share the same vibe, as “the more we work together, the more compatible we get.”

“We have been interacted very well with each other to create the album. It can be said that together, we have been getting into a new world of music,” Thanh said.

Alongside the release of the album Contemplation now available on Spotify, Thùy Anh also has unveiled the music video Băng Qua Cánh Rừng by director Hải Lê. Music fans can enjoy the MV that can be found on her Youtube official channel ‘Dương Thùy Anh – Đàn nhị’.

Born in 1977 in Hà Nội, Thùy Anh made her acquaintance with the đàn nhị when she was a toddler, as her father is also an artist playing the two-string fiddle.

A graduate of the Hà Nội College of Art, majoring in the two-string fiddle, Thùy Anh currently is a lecturer at the Traditional Music Instrument Department.

In 2017 she won the Gold Medal at the National Festival of Traditional Musical Instrument Performance. Two year later, in 2019, she was granted the title Meritorious Artist by the State. — VNS