Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) will present two performances on January 8 and 12 at the Hanoi Opera House and HCM City Opera House, respectively.

Artist Slim V, who has been dubbed a musical musician, said he’s eager for the performance of popular folk songs remixed with electronic music.

“The concert is being held outdoors in the Old Quarter, so we hope to attract both local and foreign tourists,” he said.

Artists from the Hue Academy of Music will perform seven songs featuring folk and romantic melodies.

Slim V is well-known among young people for his exciting music. He graduated from the Vietnam Academy of Music in classical music.

“Currently I work to create music for young people, but I have a passion for classical music,” he said.

“I will use electronic music as a bridge to attract more young people to classical music.”

“I think they will enjoy, like me, music performed by folk instruments such as the bamboo flute, jew’s harp and 16-chord zither, combined with a symphony orchestra,” he added.

The free concert in Hoi An is a part of the Acecook Happiness Concert series, organised annually since 2016, with the aim of bringing classical music to more people.

Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) will present performances on January 8 and 12 at the Hanoi Opera House and HCM City Opera House, respectively.

They will perform La Gazza Ladra by Gioacchino Rossini, Rococo Variations by Dmitri Kabalevsky Tchaikovsky, The Moon from the third movement of Scheherazade for cello and orchestra by Rimsky Korsakov and the ballet suite Firebird (1919 version) by I Stravinsky.

The Acecook Happiness Concert has featured famous artists such as Bui Cong Duy (2017), Kawakubo Tamaki (2018) and Ngo Phuong Vy (2019).

Artist Slim V has been dubbed a "musical magician" and is eager to perform popular folk songs remixed with electronic music. Photo courtesy of the organiser

The upcoming concerts will star cellist Miyata Dai and pianist Yamashita Yosuke.

Dai was born in 1986 and started learning the cello at the age of three. During his career, he has won numerous national and global prizes, and has released two solo albums.

Yosuke was born in 1942. He focuses on the jazz piano and has become one of the most prominent artists in Japan.

During the concerts, audience members will have the chance to try their hand at conducting.

“Firebird is a very popular fairy tale that the VNSO and I have performed many times. With the exciting melody, I think people will want to have a try at conducting,” said conductor Honna Tetsuji.

Tickets are now on sale at VND200,000-500,000 (US$10-25).

Compared to other concerts at the Hanoi Opera House, which can cost up to $250, the Acecook Happiness Concert is affordable, according to Kajiwara Junichi, director of Acecook Vietnam.

All the proceeds will go to poor students and develop cultural and art projects for the community.

“Our goal to bring happiness through music, so the concerts are for a charitable cause,” he said. VNS

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