South Korean pianist Lee Bokyung will perform at the concert Banquet on The Keyboard on March 1 & 3. Photo courtesy of composer Đặng Hữu Phúc

HÀ NỘI — A piano recital titled Banquet on The Keyboard will be held on March 1 & 3 in Hà Nội featuring pianist Lee Bokyung. 

The recital promises to be a unique musical feast, with a combination of western classical style and Vietnamese folk tunes.

Audiences will not only be immersed in the great and immortal sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven, and Four Ballades for solo piano by Frédéric Chopin, but also experience a new "flavour" of familiar Vietnamese folk tunes of the north Việt Nam through the sound of the piano in the work Chùm Hoa Việt Nam (Bunches of Flowers of Việt Nam) by composer Đặng Hữu Phúc.

Based on the pentatonic scale, the most common scale in eastern Asia, with many different forms, rhythms and emotions, South Korean pianist Bokyung has performed Bunches of Flowers of Việt Nam successfully many times in Hà Nội and the US, and received enthusiastic reception from the audience.

Presenting relatively distant creative periods and the differences in Eastern and Western music, the piano recital hopes to bring to the listeners the deep, melodious echo of piano solos and highlight the endless creativity of artists on their journey of experimenting with creative styles, expanding the potential of musical instruments in technique, material and rhythm to their outer limits.

The recital is a fundraiser celebrating the 5th year of Hanoi Grapevine's Finest, the main annual event that honours contemporary art in Việt Nam.

The event is for audiences from age eight. Please be present at the Middle Cafe, 55 Mã Mây, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội, 25 minutes prior to the announced showtime.

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