Vietnam’s Traditional Music in Germany

Sat 07 Sep 2013, 8.30 pm
LOFT / 2ndfloor e.V.
Hans-Martin Müller, Wissmannstr. 30, 50823 Köln, Germany
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Sun 08 Sep 2013, 5.30 pm
Kunsthaus Rhenania, Bayenstr. 28, 50678 Köln, Germany

From the organizer:

“Osmosis” experiment with and combine selected genres and elements of traditional Vietnamese music with European contemporary music and conceptual improvisation.

Two concerts of “ Osmosis” in Cologne will take place in September the 7th at LOFT and the 8th at Kunsthaus Rhenania at Festival STROM.

With “Osmosis”, the team has the ambition of bringing Vietnamese traditional music, seen from a modern perspective, to the public, especially the young generation, as well as bringing Contemporary music closer to the audience.

“ Ngâm thơ” ,“ Xẩm” and “ Ca trù” are three traditional and living music genres of “Chanting poem”. Vietnamese is a melodious language with 6 different fixed intonations. “Chanting poem” with its improvisatory embellishment and melismas enhance the beauty of the language itself, the emotive power and the multilayered meanings behind each poetic word. This intuitive improvisation is based on expression corresponds to European traditions of Troubadour, Gregorian chants, and to modern improvisation.

Musicians:

Featuring Vietnamese traditional music singer Kim Oanh from Hanoi, Vietnam.
Lan Cao – Prepared – piano, Vietnamese percussion
Gregor Siedl – Saxophones, Flutes
Constantin Herzog – Contrabass
Sergej Maingardt – Electronics
David Hernandez Deniz – Percussion intruments

“Osmosis” is an initiative from Cao Thanh Lan, currently completing her Master’s Degree of Contemporary Piano Music at the Cologne University of Music and Dance. After 6 years of studying European classical music in Belgium and Germany, she realize more and more the beauty of Vietnamese traditional music and the importance of preserving and developing its tradition. For this occasion she created concepts and structures, gathered a team of musicians from Germany, Austria, Kazachstan to join her in realizing this project.