VietNamNet Bridge – Composer Nguyen Thien Dao has returned to Vietnam to arrange an opera ballet based on Great poet Nguyen Du’s “Tales of Kieu” in cooperation with the Vietnam Opera Ballet Theater.
According to the senior composer, this is a contemporary work, using various art forms, including opera, ballet, poem recitation, play, video art and even rock music. Dao also said that this will be his most traditional work so far.

The senior composer has nurtured this project for a very long time and it is now becoming reality.

The 80-minute opera ballet, entitled “Unexpected Destiny”, is written for a soprano, who will recite, two baritones, one bass, a choir and a symphony orchestra. The work will have two chapters, called Dream 1 and Dream 2.

The opera ballet is scheduled to come out in April 2012.

The Tale of Kieu is an epic poem in Vietnamese written by Nguyen Du (1766–1820), and is widely regarded as the most significant work of Vietnamese literature. It is even used as a source for bibliomancy.

In 3,254 verses, written in luc bat (6/8) meter, the poem recounts the life, trials and tribulations of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman, who had to sacrifice herself to save her family. To save her father and younger brother from prison, she sold herself into marriage with a middle-aged man, not knowing that he is a pimp, and was forced into prostitution.

Composer Nguyen Thien Dao, who now lives in France, is a household name in both Vietnam and France. A brilliant musician, Dao studied under Olivier Messiaen at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he graduated at the top of his class in 1968. He has received numerous international awards including the Andre Caplet Award, the Olivier Messiaen Award for Music Composition from the Foundation Eramus de Holland and the Chevalier des Artist et de Lettres du Government Francais from the French government.

Throughout his career, Dao has composed more than 80 musical works that have been performed around the world and extensively in Europe.

PV