VietNamNet Bridge – The Hanoi New Music Festival 2013, the first-ever experimental music festival of its kind, kicks off in the capital on Saturday and finishes up on December 8.

Duo Camusi from Italy during a performance - Photo: Courtesy of organizers

Presenting outstanding international productions as well as new commissioned pieces from Vietnamese composers and reflecting recent artistic, social and technical developments in music culture, it is expected to create a new adventurous vision for the music scene in Vietnam.

The festival will feature attendance of more than 50 musicians in different venues throughout Hanoi from the U.K, Germany, Italy, France, Scandinavia and Vietnam. It also presents newly-commissioned productions of local musicians such as SonX, Vu Nhat Tan, Nguyen Manh Hung, Nguyen Duc Minh, Pham Thi Hue and Nguyen Anh Duc as well as outstanding international productions including Go To Hell by The Six Tones, What Makes The Spider Spin Her Web by Kim Ngoc, Phonotope by Rolf Wallin and Thanh Giong by Ton That Tiet.

Titled ‘The Blind Spot,’ the festival aims not only to change the invisibility of contemporary music in the local scene, filling the gaps in knowledge, but also to generate synergies with an eye towards strengthening musical infrastructures between Vietnam and the worldwide contemporary music scene.

The eight-day program features a series of exceptional experimental music performances with diverse music styles and forms, supplemented by a cultural program of performances and screenings.

‘What Makes The Spider Spin Her Web’ by Music Theater Kim Ngoc will open the festival at Hanoi Cheo Theater, 15 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street at 8 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the performance of the gala ‘Blind Spot’ of different local compositions/performances the next day.

Music Installation Landscape Quartet Group from Vietnam, Sweden and England will perform ‘Homelands’ at 6 p.m. at Manzi, 9 Phan Huy Ich Street on December 2, while ‘At East Of Myself, Remind Me I’m One’ by Duo Camusi (drums and vocals) from Italy will perform at 8 p.m. at DomDom.

After a break for 24 hours the action continues on December 4 with ‘Kanzeon’ a music documentary film from Japan at 5 p.m. at Nha San Collective, 9 Tran Thanh Tong Street, followed by concert ‘Seeds’ featuring chamber music, electronic music and an improvisation concert by Vietnamese students at 8 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m. on December 5 audiences can enjoy ‘New Meets Old - Evening of Percussion’ by theatrical percussion and electro-acoustic musicians from Germany and Norway at the Youth Theater, 11 Ngo Thoi Nham Street. ‘Petites Planetes’ short music films by Vincent Moon from France will be screened at 5 p.m. on December 6 at Nha San Collective which will host ‘Go to Hell’ by Music Theater The Six Tones Group from Vietnam and Sweden at 7 p.m.

The concert ‘Hanoi Ensemble - a contemporary chamber music gig by Vietnamese artists will be hosted at 7:30 p.m. at L’Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street on December 7, followed by electronic music solos ‘Rest Is Noise’ by artists from Vietnam, Denmark, Sweden, Germany and France at 9:30 p.m. at Nha San Collective.

The festival will close with the music improvisation concert ‘Being together’ by artists from Vietnam, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, France and Italy at 7:30 p.m. on December 8 at the Youth Theater.

Source: SGT