HÀ NỘI — The Việt Nam National Symphony and Orchestra (VNSO) will perform a colourful and multi-faceted concert at the French Cultural Centre under the baton of conductor Kim Xuân Hiếu and with soloists Phạm Văn Hiếu and Trần Hiền on April 26 & 27. 

The concert will feature baroque, classical, romantic and 20th century classcial music by four composers - French Gabriel Faure; Italian Benedetto Giacomo Marcello; Danish Launy Grondahl and Austrian Franz Schubert.

Schubert’s Symphony No1 will be premiered in Việt Nam whilst trompette soloist Hiếu will also perform Marcello’s Concerto for Trumpette for the first time. 

"Schubert is considered the last of the classical composers and one of the first romantic ones. His Symphony No1 is more classical than romantic," said conductor Hiếu. "Marcello’s Concerto for Trumpette is a original for oboe. The piece is also played by small trumpette in the world because the two brass instruments have similar timbre".

"Hiếu and Hiền are soloists in the orchestra. But it is a rare chance for them to play solo at a concert," the conductor said. 

Trombone soloist Hiền will play Grondahl’s Concerto for Trombone. 

Faure’s La Pavane will open the concert. The piece was composed in 1887 and inspired by the pavane dance. It is one of Faure’s most popular performance due to its deliberate but delicate tempo. 

Conductor Hiếu graduated from the Việt Nam Accademy of Music (VNAM) and was sent to study performing art teaching methods at the Frederic Chopin Conservatory in Paris. He also studied conducting in Việt Nam and joined master classes in Oslo, Norway with Professor Thomas Rimul. He has conducted Vietnamese and Norwegian orchestras. 

As a VNAM student, Hiếu founded and has been a leader of the Hanoi Brass Band in 1998 with six musicians, including Hiếu and Hiền. He is currently master of horn and assistant conductor at the VNSO. 

Trombonist Hiền has worked at the VNSO since 1991. He has attended master classes with American Professor Henry Novac and Norwegian musician Terje Alexander Grondhahl. He is currently master of trombone at the VNSO. He has performed in many countries, such as the US, Italy, Russia, Japan, Thailand and China. He received a Meritorious Artist title in 2012. 

Trumpeter Hiếu became an official VNSO member in 2007. He studied with Norwegian Professor Arnulf Naur Nilsen in Norway in 2008 and performed with the Norwegian Military Band. He also studied and performed with the NHK Symphony Orchestra in 2012 under Japanese tutors Professor Yukihiro Sekiyama and Professor Sachio Hotokezaka. 

The two concerts will begin at 8pm at L’espace, 24 Tràng Tiền Street. — VNS