“Bóng”, a Musical Séance
A Piano Mediumship Conversation
28 & 29 May, 2011, 8 pm
Rạp Công Nhân – 42 Tràng Tiền
Ticket price: 500 000, 300 000 VND
From Roman:
Đạo Mẫu – Mother Goddess religion – refers to the worship of Holy Mothers in Vietnam. Đạo Mẫu is commonly associated with spirit mediumship rituals – known in Vietnam as lên đồng – much practiced in other parts of Asia. Lên đồng has inspired pianist Phó An My and composer Đặng Tuệ Nguyên to venture onto a new idea of musical plays. Ancient poems provide inspiration to create characters who come alive with piano music. The piano and Hát Văn go hand-in-hand as two independent entities, crossing and exchanging and enriching each other.
The ancient Vietnamese believed that their world was controlled by the Holy Mothers of these Three/Four Palaces: Heaven, Earth, Water and Jungle. The mediumship seances are conducted for the Holy Spirits in the Four Palaces to manifest themselves through the mediums, who then speak holy words to the audience, lecturing, reprimanding, commanding, etc. Phó An My plays the role of the medium for the Holy Spirits to manifest themselves. In between the variations are items of Hát Văn performance in this pure original format. With the participation of director Việt Tú, this show is surely a spectacular musical event rich in feeling and full of novelties.
| This event was translated into Vietnamese by Yến Thị Bùi, who is one of the children of the Blue Dragon, a non-governmental organization helping Vietnamese children in crisis lead productive successful lives. See http://www.bdcf.org/ to help. I need your help: If you know of any upcoming event for this column, please let me know. Hanoi Grapevine focuses mainly on contemporary art and culture in Vietnam, but we also post information about events that are part of Vietnam’s rich cultural heritage. |
