NGÔ HOÀNG LINH

After clarifying the formation process of the Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra,
the Vietnam Philharmonic Opera and Ballet Theatre, and the Symphony Orchestra
(Vietnam National Academy of Music), the author emphasizes
the difficulty and weakness in the organization of these orchestras.

Key words: Ngô Hoàng Linh, Nhạc mới, Âm nhạc Giao hưởng Việt Nam

Music is different from other arts, such as literature, painting, sculpture, etc, since a work, especially the one written for symphony orchestra, cannot directly approach the public. It needs the presentation via performers, artists, conductors or soloists.

Vietnamese new music history started from the cultural exchange between the East and the West when the French colonialists ruled over this land in early twentieth century. The first type of concert band was the harmony orchestra, and the first orchestra was founded by Mr. Bùi Thanh Vân on November 11, 1918. The orchestra directly belonged to French Resident Superior in Huế (Musique Indigène de la Résidence Supérieure de l'Annam à Hue) and was conducted by a French person. The orchestra had sixty musicians on its roster who played woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

A brass band of King Khải Định was also established in 1919 (Musique de la Garde Impériale). This is a French-style trumpet band of the King, being conducted by Trần Văn Liên for foreign affairs and to serve ceremonies held by the Court.

In 1924, a guardsman musical troupe directly under the Resident Superior (in Northern Vietnam) conducted by Cardière and then Camille Parmentier was established. On March 09, 1945, Japan supplanted Vichy France in Vietnam, after which Parmentier left Hanoi for France; the troupe chose Đinh Ngọc Liên as replacement. After the August Revolution, the troupe became the soldier troupe, which performed in the early days of Revolution and concerts to celebrate Independence Day (2^nd September). There are the songs which were remade for the trumpet band to play in the meetings for revolutionary mobilization, including Tiến Quân Ca (Marching Song) at Ba Đình flower garden on the day declaring Independence and foundation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. In August 1954, this trumpet band became a military band conducted by Mr. Đinh Ngọc Liên, preparing to welcome the return of the Central Committee of the Communist Partyand the government of Vietnam in November 1955.

The need to promote the composition of works that reflect the historical national subjects and introduce the human musical quintessences that classical western music, such as Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and world-famous operas, such as (Eugene Onegin), Hồ thiên nga (Swan Lake), Núi rừng lên tiếng (Mountains and forests raise the voice), to the general public became apparent. In response to the this development, the Ministry of Culture of Vietnam decided to establish the first symphony orchestra of Vietnam, with the assistance of foreign experts, on August 06, 1959.

The foundation of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra satisfied the demand to take full advantage of great-sized musical performance art, thus encouraging public education in the cultural and ideological revolution, stimulating the composition of musical works that were worthy to serve the national revolution to the national revolution. Additionally, it contributes to improving the public’s enjoyment level of this musical form. That level needs much time and effort to be accomplished.

Minister Hoàng Minh Giám entrusted the establishment of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra to Mr. Dương Quang Thiện, who built an orchestra of four complete groups comprising 114 musicians.

Though it was considered as the right time with many favorable conditions for the establishment of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, in realtity, the Orchestra foundation encountered many obstacles. Some writers and artists did not realize the true worth of and demand for this musical organization. They assumed that we could not build such as full-size orchestra. On the contrary, some raised the idea of gathering all excellent musicians in the North to found a Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra was admirable but impossible. In practice, at that time in the North there were many senior musicians and young musicians of great promise, pioneers of troupes who grew up in the resistance and could perform the musical instruments despite the lack of formal training. If we gathered those parts, there would be a large and powerful force of musicians to found a symphony orchestra.

During five years of peace, many musical training courses were organized to improve skills for some excellent instrumentalists. Especially, new, promising instrumentalists were trained in a three-year course in the Music School of Vietnam. The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra held two-year courses to train musicians to supplement the orchestra.

Members of the Ministry’s Symphony Orchestra are the selected musicians from the Central People Troupe (former wind orchestra), the troupe of the Voice of Vietnam, the troupe of General Politics which had been merged with the troupe of Vietnam Feature Filmstudio; and students graduating from the Vietnam Music School, along with some freelance music members in cities. At the invitation of Vietnamese government, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea appointed expert Thôi Long Lân, a professor and an experienced orchestra conductor (having been rewarded with national medal), to set up an orchestra.

The orchestra comprised 114 musicians who were from different professions, ages, and seniority. Some had practised their profession for 30-40 years, some had graduated from college, and some were good prospects but had never graduated from the primary level. Thanks to experience and enthusiastic instruction of Thôi Long Lân and efficient support of such Vietnamese conductors as Nguyễn Hữu Hiếu, Nguyễn Hữu Hiệp, Vũ Lương, and actors and actresses with their love for art, their solidarity and hard work overcame the initial difficulties to meet the deadlines for the composing of symphonies while simultaneously preparing for other performances and recording the lyrics for dramas and four films.

The symphony orchestra was built in accordance with international standards. At first, the professional level was low; through practice they quickly improved to become deserving of the name “symphony orchestra”. Performance level and demand for Vietnamese compositions gave impetus to the musical composition development of higher thought content, thus made a significant contribution to the development of Vietnamese music. Our music has improved from popular songs to the level of pure instrumental music compositions, which used sound to describe events and express the fine emotions of the age. Thanks to that, the orchestra has introduced rich tunes of Vietnamese traditional music to the world.

In 1964, in order to step up the country’s musical movement, after two years since the founding of the Vietnamese choir troupe, the Ministry of Culture announced a Decision on founding a new bigger-size art organization, the Vietnam Philharmonic Opera and Ballet Theatre. In December 1964, this treatre performed a five-act eight-scene opera of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea entitled Núi rừng hãy lên tiếng (Mountains and forests please raise voice). The Foundation of the Vietnam Philharmonic Opera and Ballet Theatre promoted the composition, performance, research and learning of opera and ballet with higher technique and thought content to meet the demand for a revolutionary career.

The opera Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky was supposed to be the first challenge of this high-level art form, but the symphony orchestra continued maturing with every performance of the opera Núi rừng hãy lên tiếng. On September 02, 1965 (twentieth foundation anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, thirty-fifth foundation anniversary of Vietnamese Party, and to celebrate the seventy-fifth birthday of President Hồ), the orchestra, in collaboration with the chorus orchestra of the Theatre, performed the first Vietnamese opera, entitled Cô Sao of musician Đỗ Nhuận. On July 20, 1969, it performed a ballet, entitled Phá lao of Trần Quý and Đỗ Dũng, scenario by Nguyễn Việt. In addition, it also performed many symphonies at Hanoi Opera House, includingfor  the one-hundredth birthday anniversary of Lenin (1870-1970) and the concert introducing No. 1 symphony Quê hương (Homeland) of musician Hoàng Việt. In the fire of war and during victory of soldiers and people in Southern Vietnam, the Theatre performed the opera Krông Paof musician Nhật Lai at Hanoi Opera House.

In the great victory in spring 1975, the South was completely liberated, the North and the South were united, the Vietnam Philharmonic Opera and Ballet Theatre went on a great performance tour with special symphonies, choral works, and ballets, under the conduction of Prof., People’s Artist Trọng Bằng, to Hồ Chí Minh City and some provinces in the South. The symphony orchestra contributed to the jubilant atmosphere of victory and conquered the public in the liberated South.

After the unification, symphonies appeared less in the face of the waves of pop, rock and electronic musical instruments and music all over the country. Sometimes, we even forgot to take care of the orchestra. As a result, it seemingly was lost in oblivion. Despite the difficulties of life, people working with professional music tried their best to gather and revive the Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestra gradually revived and thrived in the 1990s. Thanks to the opening and cultural exchange, many international artists and orchestra conductors for many years came to Vietnam to work with the Symphony orchestra and collaborate with Vietnamese artists in transvietnam performance tours. At present, in Vietnam there are several musical organizations, including: the Vietnamese National Symphony Orchestra and the Hanoi Symphony Orchestra directly under the Vietnam National Academy of Music; the Vietnam Philharmonic Opera and Ballet Theatre and Hồ Chí Minh city Symphony Orchestra (impermanent activity, and gathering instrumentalists of Hồ Chí Minh city Conservatory of Music and Hồ Chí Minh city Department of Culture and Information).

The Vietnamese National Symphony orchestra has been operating for more than fifty years with the participation of such local conductors as Trọng Bằng, Quang Hải, Trần Quý, and, later, Đỗ Dũng. Especially, such experts of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as Thôi Long Lân, Lyhiơng'un, such professors as Mariner Goleminov (Bulgaria) and Vemer Schoniger (Germany) provided assistance since initial years. In the 1990s, many world-famous conductors such as Fukumura, Tetsuiji Hona (Japan), Colins Metter (Britain), Marc Kisscozy (Switzerland), etc, collaborated with the orchestra to improve its performance level. The orchestra today has achieved great success in Vietnamese socio-cultual life and assembled many regular training artists. The musicians hold bachelors or masters degrees, and some attended a refresher course at famous conservatories of music in Russia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, France, China and Japan. The Vietnamese National Symphony Ochestra is professional with Vietnamese artists. Its annual performance shows the higher and higher art quality. In September 2000, the orchestra was invited to perform in Bejing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Nanning (China) on the occasion of the fiftieth diplomatic-relations foundation anniversary between Viet Nam and China. The orchestra, during that tour, presented an impressive symphony program for the audiences there and was highly appreciated by the public and the critics. After that, the orchestra also had successful performance tours in the U.S., Japan and Russian Federation.

Remembering the vicissitudes of the 1980s, in mid-November 1992, audiences in such cities as Hà Nội, Huế, Đà Nẵng and Hồ Chí Minh city had a chance to enjoy a pure symphony performed by the Vietnamese National Symphony Ochestra. That is ouverture extracted from the opera Ruslan and Ludmila by Glinka, Concerto giọng mi thứ for the violin and orchestral works such as Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 and Variation on Rococo by Tchaikovsky. Of course there were some audiences who were not satisfied and demanded that the works be more “resounding”. That wish is legitimate. However, it is normal that some items in a concert may be more beautiful than others. It is important and happy that today there is a professional team who can perform such classical works. On the stage we can see performers of different ages, although most of them are young. It is touching to see those people and colleagues who are concentrating to present the concrete, concise and miraculous musical lines. It demands sophisticated techniques and intense vibration of innermost feelings. Those people deserve to be respected, including conductor, soloists, orchestral instrumentalists, leaders and organisers. Of special note is the Japanese conductor, Yoshikazu Fukumura, who made the best effort and asked for the support for the “Tour around Viet Nam” of the Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra. He commented, “I am fascinated because in Hanoi there is a symphony orchestra whose musicians are Vietnamese. It is highly professional, and the musicians have been formally trained. This is a very precious treasure. If we provide better conditions, it will become one of the leading orchestras in Asia”.

After this tour, conductor Fukumura also worked together with the Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra on the “Blue sky” concert performed throughout Vietnam. He raised the quality of the Vietnamese Symphony Orchestra during this hard period. Thus, we can see the important role of a conductor for a symphony orchestra.

For the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, conductors of former generations are in poor health while the number of their successors is very low. At present, nobody from the younger generation (except Nguyễn Thiếu Hoa) can assume the task of a qualified conductor. In addition, to make Vietnamese symphonies recognized regionally and globally, we need to provide symphonical composition with favorable conditions as described below.

The orchestra needs good equipment, in particular, the trumpet. In general, in comparison with the chordophonic instrument, sonority of the wind instruments including the wood and the brass of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra cannot satisfy audiences. One of the most important reasons is the quality of the musical instruments.

As for artists playing the chordophone (violin) in the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, most of them have graduated from Hanoi National Conservatory of Music (the present-day Vietnam National Academy of Music) with a BA or at postgraduate levels. Many people especially violinists are over middle-aged. It is necessary to complement with young generation. Violinists are the main force of a symphony orchestra; therefore, those must be fully competent artists and complemented with regular-trained young artists. In order to ensure the performance quality, senior artists of the orchestra must always practice by themselves and pass the periodical aptitude tests. The tests are applied for the orchestral musicians, especially violinists. We should remember that the orchestral history started with the violin.

One of factors with great effect on the orchestral quality is the unreasonable salary and expenditures for musicians. Many articles and radio and TV reports have mentioned this issue. Some musicians and artists must earn their living by working a secondary job. How they can improve professionally while still worrying about money-earning? Tight budgets for the arrangement reduces necessary time for practice and leads to low effect. Each performance must always rely on sponsors.

Conductors in the region who come to work with the Vietnam National Symphony Ochestra show respect for this precious art source. They wish for such an orchestra in their country but are also very surprised at the salary levels of musicians here. After fifteen years studying at Hanoi National Conservatory of Music, they are paid so low that they cannot maintain a normal life for their families. As a result, they must work inr other fields (not within their profession) to earn money. We hope that people in charge of forming policy will take into consideration this issue. Vietnam is a socialist-oriented market economy, and the Resolution given by the Communist Party is to build an advanced culture filled of national identies. A guideline of the Resolution presents that the symphony orchestra is an advanced cultural resource of humanity; the building and provision of favorable conditions for its development is to follow the Party’s policy.

In recent decades, in addition to the National Symphony Orchestra, the public has paid more and more attention to the symphony orchestra of Hanoi National Conservatory of music (the present-day Vietnam National Academy of Music). Those are experienced artists who are professors, best lecturers and students of the Academy. This is a result of more than forty years of orchestral building and development in parallel with the training career of the former Vietnam Music School and the present-day Vietnam National Academy of Music.

A modest purpose since initial years was a subject of orchestral concert reserved for all students who studied subjects in the Symphony Orchestra major. This concert was carried out every Saturday on the Conservatory’s ground at No. 32 Nguyễn Thái Học St., under the baton of Minh Tâm and Đinh Ngọc Liên (collaborators). Next were the years over difficulty and hardship of fierce war, the orchestra’s musicians practised and performed at meeting room of evacuation place in Hà Bắc. That is the initial base of a regular orchestra, which had been developed together with the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music. The symphony orchestra of the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music had been conducted by Prof.-People’s Artist Trọng Bằng. The orchestra and its effective operation and international exchange started the official operation in accordance with the Decision given by Ministry of Culture and Information (September 1997). It was an independent team directly under the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music, with the main collaboration of conductor Nguyễn Thiếu Hoa. The symphony orchestra of the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music successfully arranged and performed many works of Vietnamese composers, such as the symphony poem Đồng khởi (uprising) by Nguyễn Văn Thương, Mẹ Việt Nam (Vietnamese mother) by Nguyễn Văn Nam, Concerto violon by Đàm Linh.  The orchetra’s level had improved with the expansion of classical works in the world, from Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Brahms, Tchaikovsky to Ravel, Raur’e, Bernstein, and Xenakis, among others. Music lovers in Hanoi and big cities nationwide had a chance to familiarize with great symphony masterpieces such as Symphony No. 40 (Mozart), Concerto for the piano, violin and the violoncello (Beethoven), Symphony No. 2 (Brahms), Symphony No. 9 (Schubert), and so on. These works, demanding the high professional skills, were wholly convincing with performances of the symphony orchestra (the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music).

Through the orchestra’s activities, many professors, famous conductors, and artists at home and abroad collaborated in performances, such as Stocker (Swiss violoncellist), the pianist Đặng Thái Sơn; conductors Hikotaro Yazaki (Japan), Colins Metter (Britain), Xavier Rist (France), Max Olding (Australia), Armunvon Arnim (Germany).

Professor Trọng Bằng conducted the concert performed by Markus Stocker in collaboration with the symphony orchestra (the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music). The professor said that this violoncellist went on a performance tour in some Asian states. He made a comment on the Vietnamese orchestra: “Thank you very much, a thousand thanks! As for me, it is a new discovery to set foot on Viet Nam and perform in concert with Vietnamese artists. I did not expect that you perform the classical music so beautifully and in correct style. More over than that, there is something very new and fresh when you perform Western classical music. That is the reason why I am so astonished and admiring”.

In October 1997, the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music had the honour of receiving the Royal Music Award from the Japanese Art Council. This is a recognition from abroad for the excellent effort in planning to develop the potential of young artists. That is a concrete support for projects relating to education and encouragement of musical talents, in particular the development of the symphony orchestra (the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) to serve for the training and performance.

In order to remain the function of a friendship bridge among international friends, to create favorable conditions for the symphony art development in Viet Nam, to speed up the approach process and integration regionally and worldwide, and to efficiently carry out the material value of Japnanese Royal Award (JPY 5,000,000), the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music invited the famous Japanese conductor Hikotaro Yazaki for the concert in collaboration with the symphony orchestra in the transvietnam tour in April 1998.

1. Leonard Bernstein: Ouverture Candide

2. Beethoven: Concerto for the violin, piano, violoncello and the orchestra. Solo by artists Ngô Văn Thành (violonist); TrầnThu Hà (pianist); Ngô Hoàng Quân (violoncellist).

3. Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, opus 73

Since its foundation, via efforts of musicians, the symphony orchestra (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) has always improved. The orchestra tries to run its operation with permanent performances, contributing to lead the enjoyment of classical and academic music as an indispensable habit and a cultural demand in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese people. The noblest reward for orchestra musicians is that the public warmly welcomes their art working via the noble musical images.

In late September and early October 1999, the symphony orchestra (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) in collaboration with Janpanese conductor Hikotaro Yazaki and the solo vilonist Stephane Trần Ngọc performed a concert in Hanoi and Tokyo, with the program below:

1. Shostakovitch: Concerto No. 2 for the violin and orchestra op. 129

2. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 op.64 in E minor

3. P.Q. Phan: Lavitadel necropoli for orchestra

It was the first time that Vietnamese symphonic music, represented by the symphony orchestra (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music), went abroad for the performance in the Asian Symphony Music Festival in Japan. The show was a resounding success. This event marked the development of Vietnamese symphony art, brought belief and pride to the academic and the classical music art of Vietnam in the world’s musical forum. It also contributes to the speed up of the development of this musical form in Vietnam.

On that impetus, the symphony orchestra (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) organized a great cultural event on the evening of the 24^th and 25^th March 2000, performing Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) for the first time in Viet Nam.

It was a dream that the Vietnamese musical circle has long nurtured to arrange and perform Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven), which is imposing in content and art, also a great work and the quintessence of human culture. That dream became a reality. Those were hard-working days of hundreds of professors, excellent artists, lecturers and students in the Departments of Symphony and Vocal music (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) in collaboration with singers of other art organizations. They overcame difficulty such as chorus techniques, singing verbatim German, which was an unpopular foreign language in Viet Nam, and a minimum budget for arrangement and practice of such grand forces of musicians and artists. Thanks to their love for art and aspiration for new height and for the purpose that people can directly enjoy a very noble musical cultural achievement of humanity presented by musicians and artists in a Southeast Asian state where there had not been a Western musical tradition, professors and artists in the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music encouraged each other to fulfil this dream. The talented French conductor Xavier Rist instructed the orchestra efficiently; as a result, the performance of Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven) was successful. I cannot say that we reached the height of this work, however, through the noble ideal of Beethoven “all are brothers” with the chant of worship Hướng tới niềm vui (To the pleasure) of Schiller, it was the first time that musicians of the symphony orchestra (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) sang and appealed to friendship. That wish is very close and has strong attachment to Vietnamese people since “Viet Nam wants to be a friend with all nations worldwide”.

The symphony orchestra (Hanoi National Conservatory of Music) has an advantage with its young musicians. Most of them are at abundant age of art development. They are not busy with their family’s demands or money-earning, and they can concentrate more on art. Additionally, they are instructed by experienced musician masters of orchestra, thus avoiding the first moments of performance and creating harmony in orchestra. The orchestra, with those advantages, will achieve great success and satisfy the demand of music lovers, contributing to the common development career of national culture.

There is also a symphony orchestra at the Vietnam National Opera Ballet. Since foundation of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (1984), the above symphony orchestra has not developed. Until now it comprises only around 30 musicians, which is not complete with regard to the number of musicians in an orchestra. The Vietnam National Opera Ballet relies on collaborators whenever a show is held. The orchestra is in charge of music of ballet, opera and operetta. It has performed successfully such plays as Paris life by Offenbach, Miraculous bullet (Freischutz) by Weber, Orfée by Gluck, Mother legend by Nguyễn Văn Nam, etc. The orchestra has built symphony programs with collaboration of conductors at home and abroad, contributing to create an academic music space in the musical life of country.

The Hồ Chí Minh city Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera was founded in Hồ Chí Minh city in mid-1990s. Staff in the Hồ Chí Minh city Conservatory of Music today is strong and powerful. Teachers there always make efforts for training, and building a professional symphony orchestra with more and more diverse performances.