VietNamNet Bridge – Mexican guitarist Paco Renteria will return to Viet Nam for a performance at the Ha Noi Opera House on Sunday.

Ole! Artist Paco Renteria will return to Viet Nam to perform in Ha Noi and Thai Nguyen Province. — File Photo
Renteria will play among other pieces his Mariachi Dance, The Legend of Zorro and a piece entitled Soul of Viet Nam, which he made specifically for Vietnamese audiences.

The guitarist is considered one of the most successful artists in his country. He was granted a special honour, The Excellent Mexican Guitarist of Contemporary Arts by the Star Square Cultural Foundation.

Renteria combines his explosive passion and sensual guitar playing in a style of his own creation, properly named, Free Play.

Renteria started playing the guitar at age 7, and graduated from the Music School at age 14. At the age of 22, he interpreted the Aranjuez Concert with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Guadalajara, recognised for its highly technical complexity.

Nowadays, in his over 300 compositions, including four concerts for guitar and orchestra, five nocturnals and ten sonatas, Renteria explores and exposes his inner feelings with Free Play.

In the past seven years, this new musical style has taken Renteria to well over 2,500 performances, playing for the masses, abroad, and national televisions.

Among others, Renteria has performed hand in hand with world-known artists such as Carlos Santana and Luciano Pavarotti.

His original composition, Mariachi Dance, was the main theme for the movie Desperado, with lyrics added and performed by Los Lobos and Antonio Banderas.

He was a 2002 Grammy Latino nominee, in the New Age genre, for his album Oceano. He also was selected by Steven Spielberg's studio for composing and performing the promotional soundtrack used in Mexico for the movie, The Legend of Zorro.

Renteria had shows in the Hue Festival 2010 and in Ha Noi last year, where both Vietnamese and foreign audiences enjoyed great moments of his musical virtuosity.

Before his Ha Noi show, Renteria will visit and perform in the northern city of Thai Nguyen on Friday. He will also meet students at the Viet Nam National Academy of Music the next Monday.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News