The concert was co-organised by the Korea Foundation, a public entity affiliated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea, and the RoK Embassy in Hanoi to celebrate the ASEAN - Korea Commemorative Summit, on December 11-12, 2014 in Busan, Korea.
Entitled ‘Time and Space in Harmony’, the concert was intended to create a harmony between the two different cultures in spite of limitations in time and geographic distance, said Park Kyoung Chul, Director of Korea Foundation Hanoi Office.
The theme of the event also conveyed the message that traditional arts should not only be preserved but should also be innovated and developed through time and space, he added.
The Vietnamese representative opened the concert with Vietnamese compositions deeply imbued with echoes of the Central Highlands region, including ‘Ru Em Tay Nguyen’ (Lullaby in Central Highlands), ‘Tay Nguyen Vay Goi’ (A Call from Central Highlands), and ‘Canh Chim Mat Troi’ (The Sun’s Bird).
The group’s members, coming from the Vietnam National Academy of Music, brought excitement to the audiences by bringing rhythmic energy to traditional music through blending harmonious sounds of Vietnam’s traditional instruments such as T’rung xylophone, bamboo flute and the two-chord guitar.
Listeners were also provided an opportunity to enjoy ‘hat van’ (invocation singing), a Vietnamese rhythmic form of singing that often accompanies ‘hau dong’ (mediumship) during rituals to honour the Mother Goddess, accompanied by electric guitar in a very innovative way.
Meanwhile, GongMyoung delighted the audiences with refreshing performances, conveying different moods from profound experiences to a lively and playful atmosphere.
The Korean artists amazed the audiences by bringing together bamboo musical instruments in an ensemble to present a joyful piece, and re-interpreting classical Korean music in a modern way.
They also generated big wows and cheers from attendees, particularly children, by interacting with them through a performance, playing a flute made from a part of water pipe and an empty water bottle serving as a drum.
Their performances reaffirmed that it is creativity which enables traditional musical groups to survive in today’s rapidly changing digital and global age.
Artists from the two groups also shared the stage in two joint performances of Vietnam’s ‘Chiec Khan Pieu’ (Pieu Scarf) and RoK’s TongHeaYa.
The joint performances reaffirmed that in spite of language barrier, people from different countries still can communicate, make friends, and share emotional experiences through the common language of music.
Dong Van Minh, a member of Binh Minh group, said there are many Korean musical instruments that have similarities with Vietnamese ones, such as percussions and flutes.
He also highly appreciated the creativity of Korean colleagues in utilising the unlimited possibilities of the bamboo.
“This is the fourth time we have performed in Vietnam, and this is a meaningful event for us as for the first time, we have had a chance to perform and share our love for traditional music with Vietnamese artists,” said Park Seung Won from the Gong Myong.
He also expressed his hope for further development of cultural exchanges between artists from the two countries.
GongMyoung group will present their solo performance to audiences in Ho Chi Minh City on December 12 at Ben Thanh Theatre.
