Concert series serves as tribute to composer Nguyễn Văn Quỳ

Composer Nguyễn Văn Quỳ by his piano. Photo courtesy of hanoimoi.com

HÀ NỘI — A series of concerts dedicated to composer Nguyễn Văn Quỳ will take place on June 10-12 in the capital’s Old Quarter. The programme features his sonatas, of which two of his nine have won prizes from the Việt Nam Musicians Association. 

His mantra can be summed up in a phrase, “Music that is pure and honest will eventually touch the heart of its listener”.

Titled “Pensant à toi,” (Thinking of you), it takes after a poem he wrote, and will honour the music of the beloved Hà Nội composer.

Born in 1925 in a family with musical traditions, Nguyễn Văn Quỳ studied piano and violin as a child and showed prodigious talent. Graduating from music courses run by the French, he later taught music for many years in Hà Nội colleges. He died on January 27, 2022 at the age of 97.

Through self-study, he learned instrumental composition and felt passionate about writing sonatas. He had written nine sonatas for violin and piano during his life, and his works have been performed in Singapore, France and Switzerland. 

He also wrote other Vietnamese songs sung by singers both in Việt Nam and overseas. He was also the winner of a national prize and medal for his lifetime dedication to the arts and as a music educator. 

In 2009, he was awarded the Cultural Heritage Patrimoenia Award by the Swiss Embassy in Hà Nội. 

This three-concert series, jointly organised by Schubert in a Mug, a private music group and Friends of Vietnam Heritage, will celebrate the life and work of composer Nguyễn Văn Quỳ, presenting seven out of his nine sonatas.

Featuring violinists Đào Mai Anh and Nguyễn Thiện Minh and pianists Hsin-chiao Liao and Hoàng Hồ Thu as well as violinist Hoàng Hồ Khánh Vân.

The programme, sponsored by Việt Thương Music, Steinway & Sons and L’art pour L’art, takes place at 50 Đào Duy Từ, a new venue for classical music.

Visit facebook.com/SchubertinaMug for ticket info. VNS