Classic
The Academy Western-style classical music is growing in popularity. Kim Megson heads to the Vietnam National Academy Music to meet the country’s existing and future stars. Photos by Nick Ross
I
n a Hanoi cafe much like any other, young Vietnamese friends hunch over their iPads immersed in colourful games of Bejewelled and Veggie Samurai. Their urgent tapping is only interrupted when they take occasional sips of bitter, green iced tea. Faded posters on the peeling walls implore them to try a Coca-Cola and advertise second-hand motorbikes for sale. Two fashionably dressed teenagers are sat quietly in the corner, eyes wide and intently focused on their screens. His game over, one looks up. “What do you think I should play at my friend’s wedding? Brahms or Schubert?“ Inside this cafe, which serves the students and teachers of Vietnam’s National Academy of Music, this is a typical exchange. Even in the short, snatched breaks of free time between rehearsals, conversations rarely stray far from tricky symphonic movements, favourite sonatas and the challenge of holding high notes. These young customers
have music on the mind. Once predominantly the province of the wealthy and well-connected in Vietnam, western classical music has enjoyed a crescendo of popularity in the country’s major cities over the last decade. These days, the Hanoi Opera House regularly sells out shows to spectators immersed in Bach and Beethoven, the number of new private music schools is climbing and the Vietnam National Symphonic Orchestra — based at the Academy — has crafted an impeccable international reputation. Even TV talent shows are spotlighting Vietnam’s classical stars of the future.
From Out of Conflict Despite the recent upturn, classical music in Vietnam has its roots as far back as French rule in the 19th century. Later, Ho Chi Minh himself, perhaps inspired from his years working in Europe, was instrumental in the founding of the Academy (then known as
the Vietnam School of Music) in 1956. The school took on students even throughout the war with America, with young musicians evacuating Hanoi and practising underground in the capital’s rural outskirts while B-52 bombers swarmed menacingly overhead. Although its beginnings are found in times of conflict, the accession of classical music here has come at a time of unprecedented global integration. Bui Cong Duy, a violin professor at the academy and perhaps Vietnam’s most famous classical star, has toured the world and played for global leaders including Vladimir Putin and Italian president Giorgio Napolitano. Like fellow classical star Dang Thai Son, Duy studied in Russia, which has been a strong supporter of Vietnamese musicians. He argues that Vietnam opening its doors to the world in the last two decades has allowed culture in the country to develop at an increasing pace.
“Once predominantly the province of the wealthy and well-connected in Vietnam, western classical music has enjoyed a crescendo of popularity in the country’s major cities over the last decade” wordvietnam.com | May 2014 Word | 93