HÀ NỘI — After amazing Hà Nội’s audience with an outdoor concert last year, the world-famous London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is back in the capital city for a musical extravaganza tonight.

The 95-member orchestra, under the baton of one of the world’s finest conductors, Elim Chan, will present a performance filled with musical virtuosity and enthusiasm during the Vietnam Airlines Classic – Hanoi Concert 2018.

Chan was supposed to conduct last year’s event, but the conductor had to pull out due to health reasons.

Now she gets a second chance to lead the Orchestra in the capital city.  

Born in Hong Kong in 1986, Chen studied cello and piano as a child. In December 2014, Chan became the first female conductor to win the annual Donatella Flick LSO Competition, before leading the London Symphony Orchestra.

In April 2016, the Swedish Opera Norrlands Operan announced Chan as its conductor for the next three years, starting in 2017.

Tonight’s concert will be opened with the Vietnamese national anthem Tiến Quân Ca (The Marching Song) by Văn Cao, and overture The Baber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini.

The repertoire will continue with work by other great composers such as Joseph Haydn, Antonin Drovak, Pablo de Sarasate, Jean Sibelius, Felix Mendelssohn, and P. I. Tchaikiovsky.

Attending a press conference in Hà Nội yesterday, the Strategy Director of the 114-year-old orchestra Susan Deborah Mallet said some members of the LSO will offer master classes at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music.

“Last year we were very happy to see many students coming to our rehearsal at the academy. So when we come back this time, we wish to offer more activities with them – that is the master classes for them,” she said.

The concert was due to take place on Saturday but the schedule was changed because of the national mourning of former Party General Secretary Đỗ Mười.

General director of the concert, Vietnamese composer and music producer Quốc Trung said his team have prepared backup plan, that’s why the change of performance date doesn’t affect them much as well as the quality of the concert.

By late afternoon yesterday, Trung said his team has completed “90 per cent of work load, including stage setup, lighting, and tonnes of other work.”

Like last year, the LSO concert in Hà Nội, will take place at Lý Thái Tổ Square by Hoàn Kiếm Lake from 8pm. The concert will be brought to an even larger audience via two big screens placed on Đinh Tiên Hoàng walking street. — VNS