VietNamNet Bridge – The oratorio Lua (silk), by Vietnamese composer Quoc Bao will be on stage for one night only at WE Music Club in the city on August 28.

Musician Quoc Bao - Photo: Courtesy of the organizers

It is inspired from the short novel Silk of Italian author Alessandro Baricco. Explaining why he chooses the adaptation, Bao says: “It is a short but condensed novel like Japanese haiku poems. Silk has a tragic plot and is beautiful in the way it expresses parlance as well as structure, and it also has distinctly dramatic features.

“When I compose the musical scenario, I am attracted by the novel’s ambience. I put myself in the novel’s settings and compose music based on the feelings of an insider. Apart from Binh yen (peace) and Lanh (cold), the other 18 songs and preludes are freshly composed.”

Oratorio is a genre of classical music and stage and was developed thanks to Monteverdi’s devotion to 17th century Italy. In churches at that time, the oratorio was performed usually with the organ, string instrument and choirs.

Unlike musicals, the soloists just sing and do not act or move as actors. The contents of all songs are inspired from the bible, so the audience can understand the plot without any explanation.

The oratorio Lua draws the participants of Phuong Linh, Ha Anh Tuan, Ho Trung Dung, Dong Lan, Thanh Loc, Nguyen Ha, Dung Dalat Band, violinist Phuc Hanh and musician Bao Chan. MC Nguyen Minh is narrator.

All proceeds from the gig will go to a fund helping children with blood cancer. Bao and several benefactors want to form a charitable foundation to help children with blood cancer. “This idea is supported by local artists who are willing to devote efforts and remunerations for a good deed. So I start to write the songs,” Bao adds.

WE Music Club is located at 8 Le Quy Don in District 3.

Source: SGT