Seven events featuring concerts, workshops and festivals on New Music will take place in Hanoi from February 21 to April 27, with the participation of Vietnamese and international composers and musicians.

The press brief announcing the launch of New Music show held in Hanoi on February 20.

This information was announced at a press conference held by the Goethe Institut Hanoi on February 20.

According to Director of Goethe Institute Vietnam, Wilfried Eckstein, in Vietnam, New Music has gained considerable importance in cultural life and enjoys growing interest among the young and old. Vietnamese composers and musicians perform new music for national and international audiences. Their musical spectrum is wide-ranging. For them, in addition to the European music of the 20th century as a reference for the art of composing, there is a multi-faceted Vietnamese music history ready to inspire and challenge them.

“Acknowledging this musical wealth and the variety of musical paths, the Goethe-Institut promotes concerts that break new ground in terms of sound aesthetics. We also look at the beginnings of New Music in Europe and we promote innovation in Vietnam’s music.” he said.

The series of events on New Music will open with a performance of Pierrot Lunaire by Arnold Schonberg on February 21 at the Youth Theatre, No.11 Ngo Thi Nham street, Hanoi. The eight musicians are specialised in contemporary music and experimental playing practices at the interface between performance, improvisation and the interpretation of composed music.

The programme will include a Multimedia Concert composed by Vietnamese artist Luong Hue Trinh under the direction of conductor Jef von der Schmidt, which combines traditional Vietnamese music with contemporary composition and improvisation. The performance is considered as an aesthetic exploration into the role of women today. Vietnamese artists will also perform their talent at a concert by Vietnamese composer Ton That Tiet, Nguyen Thien Dao and Vu Nhat Tan. The performance will be based on the Vietnamese concept of the Five Natural Elements.

The series of events will also include performances that broaden the artistic message in terms of sound, melody, rhythm, shape and the use of media. New music is searching for new sounds, new forms or novel combinations of old styles, whether it continues existing traditions or deliberately breaks with them.

Nhan Dan