Vietnamese folk songs take stage at Berlin concert hall

The Hanoi Ensemble perform with German peers at Berliner Philharmonie, one of the world's most renowned concert halls. VNA/VNS Photo

BERLIN Vietnamese folk melodies were performed at Berliner Philharmonie, one of the world's most renowned concert halls, in Berlin on September 23 (local time) on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Schostakowitsch Music School Berlin-Lichtenberg.

The school is the only one in Germany that offers training in Vietnamese traditional music.

Nearly 30 Vietnamese instrumentalists from the Hanoi Ensemble joined 300 German peers to play The Second Walts by Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist Dmitri Schostakowitsch, after whom the school is named. This piece was re-arranged for traditional Vietnamese instruments to be played with a chamber orchestra.

Also at the celebration show, three Vietnamese folk songs Trống Cơm (Rice Drum), Inh Lả Ơi (Oh Inh La), and Lý Ngựa Ô (Song of the black horse) were played by Vietnamese and German musicians with nearly 30 Vietnamese traditional instruments.

At the end of the programme, about 350 musicians and singers stood together on the big stage of the Berliner Philharmonie to perform Die Hymne der Schostakowitsch Musikschule – the song of the Schostakowitsch music school, with the prelude played by the Hanoi Ensemble members with Vietnamese instruments.

The performances of the Vietnamese traditional orchestra with the choir and chamber symphony received resounding applause from an audience of nearly 2,500.

The Hanoi Ensemble was founded in 2000 and run by the folk music artist couple Lê Mạnh Hùng and Trần Phương Hoa. It is specialised in performing famous traditional Vietnamese music works with Vietnamese instruments and in traditional Vietnamese costumes.

The orchestra brings an in-depth and fascinating look at Vietnamese music, helping international friends better understand the Vietnamese culture. With the motto "For common life in Berlin - a multicultural city", the Hanoi Ensemble always actively contributes to the cultural activities of Lichtenberg district in particular and of Berlin in general.

The Vietnamese folk music department at the Schostakowitsch now has about 60 students. Since its establishment 20 years ago, it has provided training to about 300-400 students including both Vietnamese and international ones.