HCM CITY — A concert showcasing music composed by Vietnamese-American Lam Phương will be held at IDECAF in HCM City next week.

The show will feature Vietnamese-American music producer and singer Quang Thành and his colleagues, veteran singers Thái Châu and Kim Anh.

The singers will perform dozens of Phương’s famous romantic songs, such as Thành Phố Buồn (Sad City), Duyên Kiếp (Fate) and Biển Tình (Sea of Love).

These songs are included on the album Tuyệt Phẩm Lam Phương (Lam Phương’s Best Songs), a production of 30 songs composed by musician Phương.

Phương spent three years editing the album. 

The CD-DVD is produced by Bến Thành Audio Video, the sole distributor of Phương’s music in Việt Nam. It will be released after the show. 

Bến Thành Audio Video last year released a music book, titled Thuyền Không Bến Đỗ (A Ship without a Destination), featuring 110 works of Phương, mostly romantic songs written in the 1960s and 70s.  

The book includes songs performed by talented singers of different generations at home and abroad.

“Composer Phương helped us collect and edit his book,” said Phạm Quốc Thành, director of Bến Thành Audio Video, one of HCM City’s leading music producers and distributors.

Phương was born in 1937 in the Mekong River Delta province of Kiên Giang.

He began composing when he was only 15 years old, later becoming known for songs such as Khúc Ca Ngày Mùa (Song of the Harvest), Kiếp Nghèo (The Poor) and Tình Nghĩa Đôi Ta Chỉ Thế Thôi (Our Love Ends).

Phương composed music for leading drama troupes from the region, such as Kim Cương Troupe and Sống Troupe, owned by his wife and actress Túy Hồng.

After 1975, he lived in the US and then later moved to France. He now lives in California.

Phương’s more than 200 songs have been sung by stars Bạch Yến, Giao Linh, Thanh Tuyền and Thanh Thúy.

In 2016, the Voice of Việt Nam’s VOV3 hosted a special music show featuring Phương’s music to mark his 64-year career.

Phương’s music concert will begin at 8pm at the IDECAF Stage, 28 Lê Thánh Tôn Street, District 1, on September 14.— VNS