KVT – Beethoven and Dang Thai Son

KVT and a piano marathon

What a night and what a perfect way for the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra to commence their 2013 season!

Vietnamese classical music icon and a definite favorite son, Dang Thai Son, teamed up with the VNSO and maestro Tetsuji Honna to give a marathon of all five of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos spread over two nights.

On Tuesday we got the first three and the capacity audience, 99% Vietnamese out in force to cheer on a real musical hero, got their moneys worth.

The VNSO spurred on by Honna started the year on a totally high right from the opening bars of  the Piano Concerto No 1 and kept it up all night, which was no mean feat

But it was Dang Thai Son we had rushed the ticket office to see and we weren’t disappointed. The pianist put Vietnamese musicians on the map way back in 1980 when he won the tenth Chopin Competition in Warsaw and for old time’s sake here’s a nice clip of him playing the winning piece when he was a very young man, probably not able, yet, to grow those facial whiskers that so distinguish him today.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfpEDZgzKsc[/youtube]

It was a total privilege to attend the concert and I’m trying to move heaven and earth to get a seat on Friday night to hear numbers 4 and 5 because I’m pretty sure that the ‘Emperor’ will be phenomenal. For those to whom the pianist is an unfamiliar name here’s a nice link that will help illuminate him.

Not worthwhile raving on about a good night’s entertainment so I’ll stop with reference to another very good artist’s tribute to Dang Thai Son.

Recently I was in TPHCM investigating the art galleries there and of course started with the top of the pops with Galerie Quynh and was able to catch up with its associate director, Lisa Boulet who was once amongst us at Art Vietnam. Lisa pointed out a couple of excellent photographs on the wall by Hoang Duong Cam. This artist has a marvelous new series in which he makes self portraits as someone who might have affected his life at a time before they began their career. The old photos-in this case of Dang Thai Son at the keyboard in Warsaw in 1980- are photo collaged so that the artist’s visage is merged with that of the historical figure. In this case he left the pianist’s face intact and placed his own hand in front of it. He calls the print ‘ Prelude in D minor Op 28 No 24’ and, as he states that it honors the ‘virtuoso Vietnamese pianist and first Asian to win the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition….strongly impacting Vietnam’s cultural policy…Son’s achievement opened the door for future generations of artists in Vietnam’

As soon as I saw the art work I was reminded that I had spent 1 500 000 VND on a good seat… near the front where I could see the pianist’s fingers on the keyboard and yet not be close to those awful TV camera men who seem to hold positions of extreme power with the management of the Opera House….. otherwise I may have been seduced by theSaigonwarmth and still be lapping up cool breezes wafting in from the river and enjoying cold air conditioning in cafes at lunch time.

As I said at the start of this opinion piece…WHAT A NIGHT!

And for those Beethoven fans who missed out on Dang Thai Son but want to hear those concertos here’s a link to pianist Paul Lewis and the BBC Symphony. Listen to them in two sittings and you’ll realize the tremendous feat being undertaken by Dang Thai Son, Honna, and the musicians of theVNSO. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkNZ4dquYSM&playnext=1&list=PLE29C913DB7A1AB63[/youtube]

Image courtesy of Galerie Quynh