HÀ NỘI — A line-up of famous Vietnamese singers will gather to perform at a concert dedicated to late composer and songwriter An Thuyên and his musical legacy in Hà Nội tonight.

Named after a famous song by Thuyên, Đi Tìm Bóng Núi (Searching for Mountain’s Shadow), the concert will feature Tùng Dương, Trọng Tấn and Hồ Quỳnh Hương.

The concert will also present other award-winning singers such as Đinh Hiền Anh, Phạm Phương Thảo, Bùi Lê Mận, Nguyễn Thu Hằng and Phạm Thùy Dung, who will be on the stage to tell a story about the late songwriter through his music. All these singers were Thuyên’s students at the Military College of Culture & Arts in Hà Nội.

Especially, People’s Artist Thanh Hoa will return to the stage after a long absence.

According to the concert’s music director, songwriter and music producer Dương Cầm, he decided to invite the 69-year-old singer because “she is a crucial piece of the puzzle completing the portrait of An Thuyên.”

“As they are contemporaries, it can be said that singer Thanh Hoa is the one who witnessed Thuyên since his very first days of becoming a songwriter and saw how his career developed,” Cầm said.

The music director also revealed that all the songs performed in the concert have been remixed, aiming to bring a fresh take on the repertoire.

Several songs that brought Thuyên fame including Ca Dao Em Và Tôi (Folk Song of You and Me), Về Miền Trung (Return the Centre), Phật Bà Nghìn Mắt Nghìn Tay (The Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva), Đi Tìm Bóng Núi (Searching for Mountain’s Shadow), and Giấc Mơ Người Trai Mông (The Dream of Mông Ethnic Young Man), will be presented during the concert.

Coming back from the US, Vietnamese overseas singer Thu Phương, who is among artists performing in the concert, said she was a bit anxious on accepting the invitation to participate.

“My heart was fluttering when I received the invitation. Although I’ve never sang any song by Thuyên before but I regard this opportunity as a new challenge that makes me very eager,” Phương said.

A part of the proceeds of the concert will be donated to disadvantaged children in the northwest region of Việt Nam.

Produced by Thanh Productions, the concert will start at 8pm tonight at Hà Nội’s Friendship Palace on Trần Hưng Đạo Street.

Born in 1949 in Nghệ An Province, composer An Thuyên is well-known for his songs inspired by Vietnamese folk tunes. He joined the army in 1975 and two years later he became a musician in Military Zone 5’s troupe.

In 1981, he studied at the Hà Nội Conservatory of Music, now Việt Nam National Academy of Music, majoring in Music Composition.

After graduating, Thuyên worked for the Military Department of Culture & Arts, before moving to work at the Military College of Culture & Arts in 1992. He was a dedicated teacher, wrote several operas, and composed music for movies, dramas, traditional opera and reformed theatre.

In 2007, Thuyên was given the State Award for Literature and Art. He died at 65 of a heart attack in July 2015 in Hà Nội when he was Major General. — VNS