Conductor Le Phi Phi will return to Vietnam from Macedonia to conduct a classic concert entitled “Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich” in Ho Chi Minh City on January 9.

Conductor Le Phi Phi

Born in Hanoi, Phi graduated from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire. After graduation, he became the permanent conductor of the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra from 1993 to 2000. He has also conducted numerous concerts around the world.

He has performed with Macedonian National Symphony Orchestra, Macedonian Ballet Theatre, the Symphony Orchestra of the city of Nis in Serbia, the Vietnam National Opera Ballet (VNOB) and Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra (HBSO) in HCM City.

He has toured in Macedonia, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Albania and Bulgaria and is currently teaching at the Macedonian Centre of Opera and Ballet.

Since 1995, Phi has returned home regularly and joined hands with the VNOB and HBSO for organising concerts. He has also helped connect overseas Vietnamese artists with local art show organisers.

The event will also be joined by renowned pianist Ho Thi The Van from Canada.

Pianist Ho Thi The Van started playing the piano at seven and was among the ten best contestants at the International Piano Competition J. S. Bach in Germany’s Leipzig city.

The January 9 concert will feature Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23, and the Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47, by D. Shostakovich.

Piano Concerto No 1in B-flat minor, op 23 is one of the most popular compositions by Tchaikovsky. The piece was composed in 1875 and first performed by German pianist Hans von Bülow. It was revised in 1889 and has been played by many famous pianists, including Vladimir Horowitz, Lang Lang and Van Cliburn. 

Shostakovich’s Symphony No 5 in D Minor, op 47, composed over three months in 1937, premiered in Russia by the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Yevgeny Mravinsky. The performance was a huge success and received audience applause for half an hour. - VNA