VietNamNet Bridge – Japanese scriptwriter Shimizu Takahiko, who is also Director of the Japan-Vietnam Cultural Interaction Project, has been an ambassador linking Vietnam’s traditional cultural values to the world for many years.

A scene from the 'Love Story between Coc and Cong' opera (Photo: baovanhoa.vn)

Many stories which are popular with many Vietnamese generations, including ‘Chuyen Tinh Chang Coc Nang Cong’ (Love Story between Coc and Cong), have been reinterpreted by him in the language of opera so that international friends can learn more about the values of humanism in the life and philosophy of Vietnamese people.

‘Love Story between Coc and Cong’ is a romance between a poor man named Coc and Cong - the daughter of a rich mandarin. Their relationship was frowned upon by the girl’s father; they decided to run away but it failed. The man felt into such deep grief that he turned into a mountain while the girl cried to death and hear tears fell into ground leading to her lover’s mountain to form a lake. The people then named the mountain Coc and the lake Cong in remembrance of the two young lovers.

Nhan Dan Weekly reporter Moc Anh held a talk with the Japanese scriptwriter to explore what brought him to Vietnam as well as his difficulties in telling traditional Vietnamese stories in another language of the art.

It came as a surprise for me to see ‘Chuyen Tinh Chang Coc Nang Cong’ as an opera, particularly as the piece’s scriptwriter is Japanese. Can you please tell us what drew you to Vietnamese culture as well as why you decided to Vietnamese culture as well as why you decided to transform the story into an opera?

Japanese scriptwriter Shimizu Takahiko: I was drawn to Vietnamese culture in 2006 when I was invited to a Vietnamese lacquer painting exhibition held in Kyoto, Tokyo and Sapporo.

Japanese scriptwriter Shimizu Takahiko

The exhibition attracted many visitors and was highly appreciated by them. It also generated the motivation for me to launch the Japan-Vietnam Cultural Interaction Project, which operates for public interest.

It was also a good fortune for me to learn about your country’s ‘Love Story between Coc and Cong’. Nine year ago, I first visited Thai Nguyen province, and quickly had such a strong crush on the charming land that I have revisited the locality many times.

I first heard about the story between the two lovers Coc and Cong from the director of the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology (VME), and the tragic and teary romance moved me a lot.

When I was on a boat on the Cong River, I listened to ‘Huyen Thoai Ho Nui Coc’ (Legend about Nui Coc Lake), a song by composer Pho Duc Phuong adapted from the love story. At that time, I was truly captivated by that beautiful yet heart-breaking story.

Then I wondered whether all Vietnamese people understood the meaning and philosophy behind the story. My thought was shared by the VME director, who also hoped to promote the story of the legendary Nui Coc lake to wider audiences. Therefore, I decided to utilise my skills as an opera stage director to adapt the ‘Love Story between Coc and Cong.’

I hope to offer not only Vietnamese audiences but also international friends an opportunity to enjoy a special opera, which tells a love story which is learned by heart by many Vietnamese generations.

Was it challenging for you to totally transform a popular Vietnamese story into an opera? Can you tell us more about how you developed the characters’ personalities and psychology?

The moving and sorrowful ‘Love Story between Coc and Cong’ has won the hearts of many listeners. Beyond time and space, the Cong River and Coc Mountain have remained as tracks to the legendary love story.

Actually, love stories featuring the motif that lovers cannot be together are quite popular around the world, with the classic example of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. However, ‘Love Story between Coc and Cong’ has a unique charm as it includes the indigenous culture of Thai Nguyen. I attached much attention on that feature when I adapted the story into an opera.

Although I am very interested in the story, I was also in two minds about the story’s ending: the girl cried with a river of tears while the guy waited hopelessly and turned into a mountain. It is a heart-wrenchingly beautiful and romantic ending, but it is sorrowful also.

I don’t want to bring down the audience’s hearts with this ending, so I decided to write another ending for the story. I know that changing a folk story which is popular among Vietnamese people is audacious, but I hoped that the opera with a different ending would bring about beautiful emotions rather than a feeling of separation.

The 90-minute opera is in Vietnamese. I am happy that the opera’s premier at the 2015 Thai Nguyen Tea Festival received warm appreciation from Vietnamese audiences. As the work is the outcome of a collaboration among many people, I hope that it will be a cultural asset of everyone.

Have you composed any more operas based on Vietnamese folk stories?

Yes, I have. In addition to ‘Love Story between Coc and Cong’, I wrote the script ‘Tu Uyen Giang Kieu’ in 2013 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties. I also adapted ‘Con Tau Vien Xu’ (The Ocean Liner). In the coming time, I will focus on bringing the two pieces to the public.

What is your strongest impression of the Vietnamese culture, land and people?

My strongest impression about Vietnamese culture is the traditional costumes of the 54 Vietnamese ethnic groups. Each of the group has beautiful costumes, which are designed with unique patterns and decorations.

In 2008, we hosted an exhibition on that theme in Kyoto to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic ties. The event drew a large number of visitors.

What are your favourite things to do when you visit Vietnam?

My love for Vietnam comes from very simple things. I love visiting Vietnamese markets. In Hanoi, I often go to Hang Da Market while in Ho Chi Minh City, I visit Ben Thanh Market. I can vividly feel the features of daily life of Vietnamese people there.

Since I have a special love for the life in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, I often book hotels in the area whenever I visit Vietnam. Many supermarkets have opened in Vietnam, but I hope that the Old Quarter and open-air markets will stay forever.

Thank you so much for your sharing!

Nhan Dan