Vietnam's international concert pianist, Dang Thai Son, will perform,for the first time, at Piano International 2013, the city's musicfestival, on December 2 at the HCM City's Concert Hall.
Upon returning to the city, formerly called Sai Gon, where his motherwas born into an upper class family and studied piano, he told VietnamNews, "This feels like a fish returning to water," referring toDebussy's piece, Gold Fish, which he will be playing tonight.
"My mother taught me my first musical notes when I was a toddler, sogoing to her hometown also feels like going home," he said.
During a press conference held at the city's Music Conservatory,director Van Minh Huong said, "After the first festival, held in 2011,the city's officials wanted to make this festival the city's culturalhighlight, and suggested that we needed to make this international byinviting People's Artist Dang Thai Son. Due to his being busyperforming, teaching and sitting on international piano juries aroundthe world, it took us two years to bring him here."
HCM City has increasingly become international, with music centersmushrooming, most children of upper middle class learning music, as wellas instrument shops on the city's downtown streets. The future of musictraining looks good, according to Huong.
Theconcert will feature compositions by French composer Debussy, as well aswork by two of Vietnam's most prominent contemporary composers, Do HongQuan and Dang Huu Phuc.
"This is the first time Ihave played music by Vietnamese composers in Vietnam," Son said. "Istudied with Quan at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and I was always thefirst to play Phuc's music every time he finished a new piece.
"At the end of the concert, I will play a piano duo with Luu HongQuang, a budding pianist of the new generation," he added.
Asked what is personal about this concert, Son said, "Musicians inVietnam were first influenced by the French musical tradition. Before Istudied at Tchaikovky, I was already absorbing French methods taught bymy mother. And I believe the French school best suits us, because it'svery delicate, sublime and imaginative."
Debussy wasone of the western composers also inspired by Asia. "The gold fish canbe seen in artistic traditions of Japan, China and Vietnam. "I feel likea gold fish swimming in its waters."
The pianist will have another concert in the capital city of Hanoi at the Opera House on December 4.-VNA
Upon returning to the city, formerly called Sai Gon, where his motherwas born into an upper class family and studied piano, he told VietnamNews, "This feels like a fish returning to water," referring toDebussy's piece, Gold Fish, which he will be playing tonight.
"My mother taught me my first musical notes when I was a toddler, sogoing to her hometown also feels like going home," he said.
During a press conference held at the city's Music Conservatory,director Van Minh Huong said, "After the first festival, held in 2011,the city's officials wanted to make this festival the city's culturalhighlight, and suggested that we needed to make this international byinviting People's Artist Dang Thai Son. Due to his being busyperforming, teaching and sitting on international piano juries aroundthe world, it took us two years to bring him here."
HCM City has increasingly become international, with music centersmushrooming, most children of upper middle class learning music, as wellas instrument shops on the city's downtown streets. The future of musictraining looks good, according to Huong.
Theconcert will feature compositions by French composer Debussy, as well aswork by two of Vietnam's most prominent contemporary composers, Do HongQuan and Dang Huu Phuc.
"This is the first time Ihave played music by Vietnamese composers in Vietnam," Son said. "Istudied with Quan at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory and I was always thefirst to play Phuc's music every time he finished a new piece.
"At the end of the concert, I will play a piano duo with Luu HongQuang, a budding pianist of the new generation," he added.
Asked what is personal about this concert, Son said, "Musicians inVietnam were first influenced by the French musical tradition. Before Istudied at Tchaikovky, I was already absorbing French methods taught bymy mother. And I believe the French school best suits us, because it'svery delicate, sublime and imaginative."
Debussy wasone of the western composers also inspired by Asia. "The gold fish canbe seen in artistic traditions of Japan, China and Vietnam. "I feel likea gold fish swimming in its waters."
The pianist will have another concert in the capital city of Hanoi at the Opera House on December 4.-VNA
