Conductor Min Chung will lead the Việt Nam National Symphony Orchestra on August 12 at Hà Nội Opera House. Photos courtesy of VNSO

HÀ NỘI - The Việt Nam National Symphony and Orchestra will perform with guest artists at a concert tonight at Hà Nội Opera House.

Under the baton of Min Chung, the orchestra and guest pianist Nguyễn Thế Vinh will perform Piano Concerto No 1 by Tchaikovsky in the first part of the concert.

South Korean conductor Chung is currently a guest conductor at Haydn di Trento e Bolzano orchestra and music director of the Gangneung Philharmonic Orchestra.

He made his conducting debut in 2007 with the Aloysius Symphony Orchestra (formerly known as the Boystown Symphony Orchestra), an orchestra based in Busan, South Korea that is mainly composed of children from disadvantaged backgrounds and orphans.

His collaboration with the orchestra culminated in unprecedented and triumphant performances at Carnegie Hall in 2010, and Suntory Hall in 2012.

Since then he has continued extensive touring with the orchestra both in South Korea and abroad and has effectively established the orchestra as one of the finest youth orchestras in the country.

Piano Concerto No 1 is one of the most popular pieces of its kind. It was composed in 1874-1875, updated four years later and revised again as late as 1889.

The 32-minute piece made its debut in 1919 by Los Angles Philharmonic with conductor Walter Henry Rothwell and solo pianist Rudolph Ganz.

The concerto was last performed by pianist Lưu Hồng Quang with VNSO under the baton of Mark Kadin in 2017.

"The concerto is a master classical piece and it is a musical treasure," said pianist Nguyễn Thế Vinh. "It requires finesse and refinement from the player. In recent years, I have listened to the pieces played by the world soloists to learn about it.

Pianist Nguyễn Thế Vinh will play Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No 1 for the first time at Hà Nội Opera House.

"However, the more I listen to the piece the more difficulty I find. I practised for one year for this concert. I've been wanting to perform this concerto for a long time."

Vinh's musical talent was found at five years old. He received international awards at a music festival in Cheonan, South Korea, and a competition in Malaysia. He has also performed with American conductor Clay Couturiaux and Japanese conductor Tetsuji Honna.

He has temporarily stopped studying for a scholarship at Shattuck-St Mary’s School in the US due to his family incident. He is currently studying at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music.

After an intermission, the orchestra will play Mendelssohn's Symphony No 3 Scottish.

The concert will begin at 8pm.

Ticket available at Hà Nội Opera House, 1 Tràng Tiền Street; STAR LOTUS 111 Mai Hắc Đế Street; and JTB-TNT Hanoi - 6M Floor, Pan Pacific Hanoi, 1 Thanh Niên Street.

For ticket delivery, please calls 0965 765 946 or 0913 489 858. VNS