KVT – Hanoi was alive with the sound of great and glorious music

Thursday and the French gave us brilliant pianist Yvan Robilliard whose name flows off the tongue as gorgeously as the notes from his finger tips.

Robilliard is a classically trained player who shifted to the Jazz and Improvisation spectrum after a graduating. And a fabulous night’s improvisation it was in the equally fabulously acoustical auditorium at L’Espace. It was a case of we could have listened all night.

For a lot of us it was our first excursion with a concert jazz pianist and judging by the applause from the capacity crowd we were all entirely won over. And it’s such a delight to be part of a predominately young and Vietnamese audience that is all ears and all good etiquette.

The tickets ranged from 50 to 100 000 VND which is ridiculously cheap for music of this caliber. The French have a fabulous line up of imported talent for the rest of May and June (at ridiculously low prices) and its worth while visiting L’Espace to grab their brochures and get a spot on their email list… if you can’t read French then keep an eye on the Grapevine.

Vive L’Espace!

Friday gave us another Beethoven’s 9th. Not many cities in the world manage to get one good dose of the 9th a year and this year Hanoi got it twice (and both were good… very good)

Comparisons are odious so let’s not try.

Spain imported a very clever, very hard working, extremely talented, energetic and renowned Spanish conductor, Carlos Cuesta and gave him the Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir from the Academy of Music to work with, augmented with some very fine, imported, Spanish musicians

It was a fresh and energetic 9th. The Orchestra played better than I thought possible. The first movement was a delight. The flutes in the second movement rose gloriously above, over and through the other instruments. The meditative third movement was delectable and the cellos made the beginning of the last sing with mellow expectation. It’s a wonder how a few really good and inspired musicians can come in lift the tone and balance of a competent orchestra to the level of a good one.

And then came the litmus test. The choral… Ode to Joy… and joyous it was.

The baritone was more than equal to his task, the mezzo almost as mellow as the cellos. The tenor was thin toned but we were all with him as he soared and blended. The young soprano was a delightful surprise.

The young choir, which was so animated prior to the concert as they massed on stage was under tight control and what their voices necessarily lacked in mature depth they made up for with enthusiasm and just the right notes. At times I thought that the tenors would overwhelm the other sections but the females really came into their own and their high notes soared angelically. The baritones were almost fine enough for an Elysium choir.

The applause was deafening.

Someone near me commented that it was the first time she’d heard the 9th live and she was in love with this one. And it was all for free… You brilliantly inspired Spaniards, thanks and thanks again.

Thus far Mahler’s 8th in October looks as though it’s going to be very super superb.