Vietnamese pianists to perform at city Opera House

TICKLING THE IVORIES – Pianist Nguyễn Thùy Yên, deputy head of the piano department at the HCM City Conservatory of Music, will perform in the “A Night of Musical Journey” concert, which will take place at the HCM City Opera House on August 17. Photo courtesy of HBSO

HCM CITY – Vietnamese pianists Nguyễn Thuỳ Yên and Phạm Nguyễn Anh Vũ will perform at the “A Night of Musical Journey” concert, which will take place at the HCM City Opera House on August 17.

The duo will perform Concerto for Two Pianos in D Minor by French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc.

The work was composed in the summer of 1932, and premiered in September of the same year at the International Society for Contemporary Music in Venice.

The three-movement concerto demonstrates Poulenc’s music, with strong and clear rhythms, and beautiful and diatonic harmonies.

The pianists will play together with the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera’s (HBSO) symphony orchestra.

Yên received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance and a Master’s degree at the HCM City Conservatory of Music in 2000 and 2005.

She has performed at concerts led by maestros such as Trần Vương Thạch, David Gomez Ramirez from Spain, Jan Stulen from the Netherlands, and Glenn Block from the US.

She was invited to perform at Washington State University in the US, and has recorded several orchestral sessions for television broadcasts.

Yên is currently the deputy head of the piano department at the conservatory.

TALENTED PERFORMER – The concert will feature pianist Phạm Nguyễn Anh Vũ, piano lecturer at the conservatory. Photo courtesy of HBSO

Vũ received a Bachelor of Music in piano performance at the conservatory in 2002.

He has performed with local and foreign soloists such as Lê Hồ Hải, French pianist Patrick Zygmanovsky, and Russian pianist Igor Chystoklevtov, and worked with conductors Thạch, Stulen, and Christian Schumann from Germany.

Vũ is currently a lecturer of piano at the conservatory.

The concert will also feature the Overture “The Hebrides” and Symphony No. 4 “Italian” in A Major by German composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Both two compositions will be presented by the HBSO symphony orchestra.

Conductor Trần Nhật Minh, head and chorusmaster of the HBSO Opera, will lead the concert.

The concert will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Sơn Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue and www.ticketbox.vn. — VNS