HA NOI — The Japan Foundation Centre for Cultural Exchange will present new works by Vietnamese Đặng Tuệ Nguyên at a concert on October 6.

The concert will debut seven pieces, including the Variation of Esashi Oiwake and the Variation of Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy X. Nguyên composed the pieces, taking inspiration from Japanese folk music and Final Fantasy X by Japanese composer Uematsu. 

Other pieces to be performed at the concert will be Movement, Spring, Dance, Charm and Lullaby. 

The concert aims to introduce Nguyên to the public, said a foundation representative. Nguyên started his professional career with Khúc tùy hứng (Impromtu) written for the violin, cello and piano. The piece was chosen as one of 10 works to be performed at the Young Composers’ Festival for Contemporary Music in South Korea.

Since 2005, Nguyên has been striving to create a new musical language based on Vietnamese folk music. His works are often conceived as a conversation between the sound of the modern piano and the melodies of traditional Vietnamese music. 

Nguyên always tries to respect the old, and to treat it on an equal footing with the new. His compositions are highly regarded by professional musicians for their sophisticated instrumentation as well as their clever mixture of Eastern and Western ideas.

The pieces will be played by Nguyên’s traditional partners, pianist Phó An My and percussionist Trần Xuân Hòa. Working as independent artistes, My and Hòa have performed at many solo shows, concerts and stage collaborations with other artistes. 

Last year, both artistes performed at the Wind concert in Hà Nội and HCM City, which featured pieces by Nguyên.

The one-hour concert will begin at 8pm on an open stage in the foundation’s courtyard at 27 Quang Trung, Hà Nội. Entry is free but the audience is advised to obtain their free tickets at the foundation’s premises. 

The concert is a series in the JF Garage Concert held by the Japan Foundation to provide musical diversity to Hà Nội through the introduction of Japanese, Vietnamese and world music played by distinguished Vietnamese musicians. — VNS