HÀ NỘI  The Việt Nam Opera and Ballet Theatre (VNOB) will perform a Vietnamese classical opera and a Russian ballet between October 5 and 7 at the Hà Nội Opera House to celebrate the theatre’s 60th birthday.

The opera titled Người Tạc Tượng (Sculptor) by late composer Đỗ Nhuận (1922-1991) will be performed on October 5 and ballet Swan Lake will take place on October 7.

This is the first time since 1975 the opera has been restaged by the theatre.

Artists rehearse for the opera. Photos dantri.com.vn

Composer Đỗ Hồng Quân, Đỗ Nhuận’s son and also the music director for the show, said the performance is a great effort of the theatre to restage an opera, which is considered a musical heritage of the country.

This time, a team of experienced artists will include Meritorious Artist Trần Ly Ly, acting director of the VNOB, who acts as the show’s art director; composer Đỗ Hồng Quân, chairman of Việt Nam Musicians’ Association, as music director; Meritorious Artist Trần Lực, as the stage director; painter Hoàng Hà Tùng as fine art designer; and People’s Artist Hồng Phong, as dancing director.

The opera will gather other famed performing artists like Mạnh Dũng, Tố Loan and Bùi Thị Trang.

Composer Quân said though the content features love in a fierce war, the opera will focus on love, loyalty and patriotism rather than the war itself.

Composer Nhuận was the first General Secretary of the Việt Nam Musicians’ Association between 1958 and 1983. He is among leading composers of revolutionary music. He was also the only composer of Vietnamese contemporary music’s first generation to be trained professionally at Tchaikovsky Music Conservatory in 1960-62.

Nhuận was among the first composers, who laid the foundations for Western opera in Việt Nam.

His first operas were composed in late 1950s.

He then composed opera Cô Sao (Miss Sao), Người Tạc Tượng (Sculptor) and Nguyễn Trãi in the 1980s.

He was the author of various historical songs of Vietnamese contemporary music like Du kích sông Thao (Guerillas by Thao River), Việt Nam Quê Hương Tôi (Việt Nam – My Homeland), and Tôi Thích Thể Thao (I Like Sports).

Beside opera Người Tạc Tượng, the world famous Swan Lake ballet will be performed on this special occasion.

This is the first time ever the full ballet will be performed instead of excerpts by Vietnamese dancers over the last 30 years.

This is the first time a Vietnamese full version of Swan Lake will be staged.

Meritorious Artist Trần Ly Ly initiated the idea of restaging the full Swan Lake by only Vietnamese dancers.

“This is a brave decision by the theatre’s managing board and the artists,” she said. “As the task does not only require financial investment but also high concentration of the whole team with 60 musicians and 60 dancers.”

It took the artists six months to rehearse for the show.

Dancers are ready for the show.

“This version of the Swan Lake will be basically in Russian style but will be mingled with some special highlights to create significant features of the Vietnamese version,” she said.

Costumes for the show have been made by Ellie Vu’s team with Russian royal designs decorated with Vietnamese lotus patterns.

The show will gather hundreds of artists like artists Đàm Hàn Giang, Như Quỳnh, Thu Huệ and Thu Hằng together with dancers from the Việt Nam Dancing Academy. The musicians will play under the baton of conductor Đồng Quang Vinh. VNS