~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

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Vietnam orchestra to play Japan this week

HANOI - The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will perform in Japan for the first time this week. Under an invitation from the Cultural Affairs Agency, the orchestra will perform in Tokyo on Monday and Osaka on Wednesday. The performances, under conductor Tetsuji Honna, are part of the agency's Asia Orchestra Week 2004, which runs through Friday.

The orchestra, established in 1959 in Hanoi, has overcome many difficulties, including the Vietnam War. It was divided into several groups to perform for the general public as well as soldiers on the front lines. The orchestra has been performing under Japanese conductors since 1992 and has been well-received domestically and internationally. Honna, the current conductor, also serves as its musical adviser.

The orchestra will perform "Vietnam Rhapsody," written by Do Hong Quan in 1982, as well as Shostakovich's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op.99," and "Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op.47." It will feature violinist Bui Cong Duy. Duy has been described as "the Asian gem" and "the Asian hope" for his achievements as a violinist.

While only 9 years old, he was given a place at the Lise School of the Glinka Conservatory in Novosibirsk, Russia, and at age 16 he won first prize at the Tchaikovsky contest in St. Petersburg in 1997.

The Japan Times - October 4, 2004