Artists and organisers at the press briefing for the concert 'Phú Quang – Còn mãi một tình yêu' (A Love That Endures). — Photos vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Five years after composer Phú Quang passed away, his music will once again fill Hà Nội with songs of love, longing and memories of the capital at Phú Quang – Còn Mãi Một Tình Yêu (Phú Quang – A Love That Endures), a one-night concert at the Hồ Gươm Opera House on October 12.

Nguyễn Phú Quang (1949–2021) was one of Việt Nam’s best-known composers, celebrated for his romantic songs and enduring musical portraits of Hà Nội. His music has become closely associated with the capital and has resonated with generations of Vietnamese listeners.

The programme, jointly organised by the Hồ Gươm Opera House and Phú Quang Music & Arts, marks the 77th anniversary of the composer’s birth on October 13 and commemorates five years since his death on December 8.

Bringing together artists from different generations, the concert will revisit songs that have become closely associated with Phú Quang and with Hà Nội itself.

With hundreds of compositions, Phú Quang left a musical legacy deeply intertwined with the capital, love, human relationships and the passage of time.

In his music, Hà Nội was more than a backdrop. Its streets, seasons, rain, encounters and farewells became a landscape of memory, expressed through a distinctive and deeply emotional musical language.

His songs have continued to resonate with audiences across generations, from those who first encountered them in their youth to younger listeners who never had the chance to meet the composer during his lifetime.

Speaking at a press briefing, Major General Nguyễn Công Bẩy, director of the Hồ Gươm Opera House, highlighted the special connection between Phú Quang and Hà Nội, saying the city had become an essential part of the composer’s artistic identity and a shared memory for generations of listeners.

The concert also marks an important moment for Phú Quang’s family, with his three children taking on key roles in presenting and preserving his artistic legacy.

Pianist Nguyễn Trinh Hương, songwriter Phú Quang's daughter, speaks at the press briefing for the concert.

His eldest daughter, pianist Nguyễn Trinh Hương, serves as artistic director, while his second daughter, Nguyễn Giáng Hương, is responsible for editing and contributes to developing the programme’s content and production. His youngest son, Nguyễn Phú Vương, is in charge of visual design, creating the programme’s visual language.

For Nguyễn Trinh Hương, the concert began as an expression of her family’s love for their father but gradually became something larger.

“This programme is, first and foremost, the love of his children for their father,” she said.

“But as we went deeper into the process, we realised that its meaning is much greater. It is all the love our father left to life through his music – his love for Hà Nội, people, art and the audiences who cherished him for decades.”

She said the siblings now see the preservation of their father’s music not simply as a legal transfer of his works, but as a responsibility to safeguard their spirit and ensure that they continue to reach future generations.

Director Phạm Hoàng Nam, who is responsible for staging the concert, said he hopes audiences will experience more than a conventional music performance.

He said he envisions a “room of memories” where music, light, imagery and movement come together to awaken personal recollections.

“Five years is long enough for a person to become a memory,” he said. “But with Phú Quang, perhaps that memory has never closed, because as long as his music continues to be heard, he is still present.”

The concert will feature saxophonist Trần Mạnh Tuấn, the Black Rose band, conductor Trần Nhật Minh and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, alongside well-known singers Bảo Yến, People’s Artist Thanh Lam, People’s Artist Tấn Minh, diva Hồng Nhung, Trọng Tấn and Thùy Dung.

People’s Artist Lê Khanh will return as narrator, helping guide audiences through the programme’s emotional journey.

The meeting of artists from different generations reflects the organisers’ desire to preserve the essence of Phú Quang’s music while allowing it to continue evolving and reaching new audiences.

Such cultural continuity also reflects the spirit of Politburo’s Resolution No 80 on the development of Vietnamese culture, which stresses the preservation and promotion of cultural values while encouraging the arts to develop in contemporary life.

In this sense, Phú Quang – A Love That Endures is more than a commemorative concert. It is an act of remembrance and cultural continuity, allowing the emotions and memories embedded in Phú Quang’s music to move from one generation to the next. — VNS