Well-known musical "L'Histoire du soldat" to debut on the Vietnamese stage

The musical “L'Histoire du soldat” (The Soldier’s Tale), by French-Russian composer Igor Stravinsky and Swiss writer Charles Ferdinand Ramuz, will be staged in Hanoi on April 16 and 17, as part of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Switzerland diplomatic ties (1971-2021).

Well-known musical "L'Histoire du soldat" to debut on the Vietnamese stage
Well-known musical "L'Histoire du soldat" to debut on the Vietnamese stage

Directed by Marcelino Martin Valiente from France and conducted by Honna Tetsuji from Japan, the musical will be performed by musicians from the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra and actors from the ATH Drama and Arts Space at the French Cultural Institute in Hanoi - L'Espace, 24 Trang Tien Street, Hoan Kiem District.

This information was announced at a press conference held in Hanoi on April 7.

According to Director Valiente, the musical was a complicated and challenging project for him as he could not join other artists in the production in Vietnam; his directing had to be done virtually due to the impacts of COVID-19. The premiere in Vietnam has also been postponed from October last year because of the pandemic, he said in a virtual remark at the event.

Launched 1918, the theatre work was composed for seven musicians and three reciters. It tells the story of a soldiers who chances upon the devil on the way home from war. The devil offers to buy his violin and in return give him a future-telling book which can make him the richest man in the world. But as the story goes on, the soldier only finds himself to be the most miserable as he lost the violin, his most valuable asset.

The musical features a sophisticated combination of multiple arts, from classical music, jazz, DJ, and theatre to visual arts, the director said.