HONOURING SHOSTAKOVICH - Acclaimed violinist Chương Vũ, who returns from the US, will hold a concert at the HCM City Opera on April 13 to mark the 50th death anniversary of Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975). Photo courtesy of HBSO

HCM CITY – Acclaimed violinist Chương Vũ, who returns from the US, will hold a concert at the HCM City Opera on April 13.

The concert is organised by the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) to mark the 50th death anniversary of Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), one of the most important musical figures of the 20th century.

Chương will honour Shostakovich's Symphony No 5 in D minor.

The four-movement symphony, written in 1937, takes audiences on an emotional rollercoaster from the tense and gloomy march rhythm to the vibrant melody at the end of the work.

The composition was first performed by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky in 1937.

The violinist will also perform Violin Concerto No 3 in G major, one of Mozart's famous concertos for violin.

The three-movement composition was written in 1775, when Mozart was 19, marking the beginning of his maturity as a composer. It reflects Mozart's dexterity in using technique and sharp expression of the flow of emotions.

Chương will play along with the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

Chương earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees in violin performance from the University of Houston and a doctorate from the University of North Texas.

He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in the US and Việt Nam and has also performed at international music festivals in the US, UK and Brazil.

He has given master classes in many countries, such as the US, Brazil, Germany, Poland, and Việt Nam.

He has been invited to serve on the jury for several prestigious international music competitions, including the 2020 George Enescu International Competition in Romania (pre-selection round), the X International Violin Competition "Astana-Violin" 'In Memory of David Oistrakh' in Kazakhstan in 2023, and the 2025 Stefanie Hohl Competition in Vienna, Austria.

Chương is the artistic director of the Vietnam Connection Music Festival and the artistic advisor to the Vietnam International Music Competition.

MASTER THẠCH - Maestro Trần Vương Thạch, former director of HBSO, will lead the concert. Photo courtesy of HBS0

The concert will also feature Carnival Overture, composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1891.

The overture is the second part of the romantic trilogy "Nature, Life and Love". The other parts are In Nature’s Realm and Othello.

The work has a cheerful and lively melody, evoking the bustle of a carnival that Dvorak described as "a pair of lost lovers".

Dvorak led the first performance of all three overtures in 1892.

The performance will be presented by the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

Maestro Trần Vương Thạch, the former director of HBSO, will lead the concert.

Thạch studied at leading music schools and conservatories in Belgium and the Netherlands.

He has performed in many countries, such as Germany, Italy, Scotland, Spain, France, Japan, and South Korea.

In 2020, he was granted the title "Knight of Arts and Letters" (Chevaliers des Lettres et des Arts) from the French government for his efforts to promote arts exchange between Việt Nam and France.

The concert will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Sơn Square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue and ticketbox.vn. — VNS