The HCMC Ballet, Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) will stage a concert on March 9 conducted by its music director Tran Vuong Thach.

Pianist Nguyen Thuy Yen - PHOTO: COURTESY OF HBSO

It will feature the ever-popular symphony “From the New World” by Antonin Dvorak and Leroy Anderson’s Piano Concerto in C.

The soloist in the piano work will be Nguyen Thuy Yen.

Dvorak’s “New World” symphony is far and away his best-loved symphony, and indeed one of the best-loved symphonies by any composer.

Its appeal comes from its drawn-out melodies reminiscent of the wide plains of the central U.S., some of them derived from African American and Native American originals. Dvorak heard these during a stay in the United States from 1892 to 1895.

But these heart-rending melodies are combined with a sadder note. Dvorak was in love at the time, but with a woman who was not his wife. The knowledge that this love could never bear fruit was the deep origin of an anguish that lies behind the music.

The combination of love of landscape and personal melancholy is at the heart of the music’s mystery, as well as of its enduring appeal.

The HBSO orchestra has played this symphony several times, and its intense beauty will be augmented as usual by the splendor of the Saigon Opera House.

Leroy Anderson (1908 to 1975) was an American composer of mainly light music. His Piano Concerto in C was premiered in 1954, but Anderson withdrew it following mixed reviews. The score was eventually published by his family in 1988.

It’s possible that Anderson had his doubts about entering the world of major classical compositions. Most of his work up to that date had been short, amusing pieces for bands and light orchestras.

Pianist Nguyen Thuy Yen graduated from the Saigon Conservatory with top honors, both at bachelor and master’s level. She has since then become a prominent and popular pianist on Vietnam’s classical music scene.

Meritorious Artist Tran Vuong Thach originally trained at the Saigon Conservatory as a violinist, moving on later to conducting. He has been principal conductor of the HBSO orchestra since 1996. From 1990 to 1996 he studied in Europe, both at Liege in Belgium and at Maastricht in the Netherlands. As well as a violinist and conductor, he is also a prolific composer of music for television and films.

As this concert combines an easily-accessible piano work with an ever-popular symphony, it should attract a large audience.

A newly-announced policy of HBSO is to stage its concerts and other events wherever possible at weekends, instead of automatically on the 9th, 19th and 29th of the month, which was its previous policy.

But it so happens that March 9 is a Saturday, so the demands of both policies are in this instance met. This weekend scheduling should add to the popularity of this event.

As usual, ticket prices range from VND300,000 to VND650,000. A special concession is available to bona-fide students who can buy gallery seats for VND80,000 on production of a valid student card.

The concert is in the Saigon Opera House, and will begin at 8 p.m.

SGT