Late Palestinian President film shown in Hanoi

Addressing the audience, Palestinian Ambassador to Vietnam Saadi Salama said he was happy at the time-honoured cooperative relationship between Palestine and Vietnam with the signing of cooperative agreements in economics, culture and education.

“Arafat, my brother” is a documentary film told by Fathi Arafat, younger brother of the late Palestinian President Arafat, about his life before he passed away./

ASEAN traditional music festival promotes understanding

The ASEAN traditional music festival will take place in the central coastal province of Phu Yen from June 23-26.

Organised by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event aims to promote exchanges and understanding of culture and arts among ASEAN countries.

The festival is expected to draw the participation of a variety of art troupes from ASEAN nations.

Nicolas Stavy to delight HCMC audience

‘The artist of romantic music’ French pianist Nicolas Stavy is sure to be a huge attraction for HCMC classical lovers when he performs at the Opera House in District 1 on May 25.

The evening will be titled ‘Liszt-music inspiration sources’ for the 200th anniversary of the birth of the talented music composer Franz Liszt in Hungary.

Stavy’s performance will include 6 consolations S. 172: 17’-Bénédiction de Dieu dans la solitude: 16’; Extraits des Harmonies poétiques et religieuses-Sonnet de Pétrarque n°104: 5’ et Après une lecture de Dante: 16’; Fantasia quasi Sonata-Du berceau jusqu’à la tombe:  15’; Version pour piano de F. Liszt de son dernier poème symphonique: Le Berceau, Le combat pour la vie, A la tombe: berceau de la vie future.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show will be sold at the HCMC Opera House, 7 Lam Son Square, priced between VND100,000-VND200,000.

Sunwrae quintet joins forces with Viet artists

The Australian Sunwrae String Quintet will perform at HCMC Opera House on Thursday night, aided and abetted by Vietnamese artists Tuyet Mai and Ha The Dung as part of the group’s Eavesdropping 2011 tour.

The troupe was initially called The Sunwrae Ensemble and was founded in 2001 in Melbourne, Australia. They are famous for being a unique and flexible line-up who play the piano, vibraphone, string quartet, harp, clarinets, alto flute, lap-steel guitar, double bass, drum-set and percussion. The members of the troupe are pianist Rae Howell, violinists Rachael Kim, Zachary Johnston and Phoebe Green and cellist Tim Blake.

Sunwrae albums include Never Stops to Wait (2005), Autumn Never Fall (2009), and Live at The Thornbury Theatre (2010). The gig starts at 7.30 p.m. at 7 Lam Son Square in District 1.

Bat Trang’s ceramic industry in spotlight at Idecaf

A movie and discussion night focusing on the revolutionary changes of the ceramic industry in Bat Trang village near Hanoi over the pastdecade will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday at Idecaf in District 1.

The film ‘Vietnamese ceramists from tradition to globalization’ is directed by Bernard Ganne and Paul Penard and sponsored by the French National Centre for Scientific Research, Research Institute on Contemporary Southeast Asian Studies (CNRS), and Region of Rhone-Alpes.

For centuries Bat Trang village near Hanoi has specialized in ceramic production. In the last decade, though, the village has had to completely change its manufacturing process.

The movie shows the production process of traditional hand-crafted products to modern factories and the impact on the industry after Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization.

After the free screening at 28 Thai Van Lung Street, there will be a discussion with director Ganne who is also a research manager at CNRS.

PV