Aspiring to reach the highest peak of music
Q: How far has your plan to compose a symphony progressed?
A: I am always thinking about writing a symphony, but I have not managed to do it yet. I graduated with a bachelor's degree and later a master's degree in composition. I once wrote a three-movement symphony, and it took me a full six months to complete it. So it is not that I cannot write one; rather, I have not yet been able to devote the necessary time to it.
In general, once you decide to write a symphony, you have to devote yourself to it wholeheartedly and, as far as possible, put concerns about earning a living aside in order to concentrate on composing. Sometimes I jokingly post on my personal Facebook page: “If only someone could support me financially so that I could simply write music…” It is half a joke and half the truth. (Laughs.)
Q: Instrumental music also includes smaller-scale forms that are quicker to compose and more likely to find an audience, as well as opera. Have you considered those forms?
A: At the moment, I am more interested in writing symphonies. I want to challenge myself with the highest form of musical composition. Opera is wonderful, but it still depends on the storyline, the libretto and the singers' voices. With a symphony, however, the imagination is free to soar without restraint. The melodies can descend to the deepest register, rise to the highest, and unfold with complete freedom.
Q: As someone born into a family with a strong tradition of cheo theatre, I imagine you would naturally incorporate traditional elements into your symphonies?
A: That is only natural. The question is how to incorporate them in a way that is both appropriate and effective. Whether to use an entire traditional melody or simply draw on its motifs and tonal colours depends entirely on the concept and theme of the symphony.
Q: Viet Nam also possesses a considerable body of symphonic works, yet they remain largely unknown to the public. Could you share some memorable experiences of Vietnamese instrumental and symphonic music?
A: One reason the public knows so little about it is that instrumental music has not been promoted effectively. For many years, whenever people hear the words "instrumental music" or "symphony", they immediately feel intimidated, assuming that such music is difficult to appreciate. I make a point of attending performances of Vietnamese instrumental and symphonic works because I want to understand how our composers write. Yet even someone working in the profession like me has not had the chance to hear everything.
Among Viet Nam's distinguished symphonic composers are Nguyen Van Nam, Nguyen Van Thuong, Dam Linh, Trong Bang, Ca Le Thuan, Dang Huu Phuc, Do Hong Quan and Tran Manh Hung. The distinctive strength of Vietnamese symphonic music lies in its use of folk music and traditional Vietnamese tonal systems, combined with modern compositional techniques. As soon as you hear it, you immediately sense its unmistakably Vietnamese character.
Rare sources of hope
Q: How has the Viet Nam Musicians' Association supported its members in composing symphonic works?
A: The Association's annual Music Awards always include a category for Instrumental and Symphonic Music. In recent years, however, the number of submissions has consistently been much lower than that for songs, and overall quality has not been particularly high. As a result, in some years this category has awarded only Prize B, with no Prize A.
Even among members of the Viet Nam Musicians' Association, few are willing to devote themselves to instrumental and symphonic composition. Although the Association has consistently encouraged this direction through composition camps for instrumental works and other large-scale compositions, including symphonies, once a work is completed, the composer must still either arrange a performance or use computer software to produce an audio version before the judging panel can properly evaluate it.
Producing a digital audio version using music notation software is expensive and still cannot replicate the authentic sound quality of instrumental music. Yet this is still far less burdensome than hiring a symphony orchestra of nearly one hundred musicians. Writing a symphony is difficult enough; producing an audio version for a competition jury to assess is even more challenging. As a result, fewer and fewer composers are writing instrumental music. There are currently a handful of promising young composers, including some who have returned from overseas study, who specialise in symphonic composition. They are among our few remaining hopes.
Q: What recommendations would you make to the relevant authorities to promote the development of instrumental and symphonic music?
A: The Viet Nam Musicians' Association has a support programme that provides composers of instrumental and symphonic works with advance funding. However, obtaining this advance still requires approval through numerous stages. Therefore, if we genuinely want to encourage the creation of more high-quality instrumental and symphonic works, I believe established composers with proven expertise in this field should be commissioned and provided with funding sufficient to support an average standard of living for six months to a year.
If professional music in Viet Nam is to flourish, we need an entire generation of composers dedicated to instrumental and symphonic music, rather than just a handful of isolated names as we have today. The State should adopt a longer-term investment strategy. Talented individuals should be supported and given opportunities to study abroad and immerse themselves in the world's symphonic and chamber music environment. Only then can they hope to produce outstanding works. Moreover, once a composition has been completed, continued financial support is needed for orchestration, performance and participation in major concert programmes.
A composer such as Nguyen Van Nam, who spent his entire life in hardship yet remained steadfast in pursuing music and became the first Vietnamese composer to write ten symphonies, is probably one of a kind. Today, would any young composer be willing to make such sacrifices?
Q: There have recently been some encouraging developments, such as the establishment of new theatres and new orchestras. In your view, what hope do these bring for the future of Vietnamese symphonic music?
A: Investing in infrastructure addresses only the visible surface. What we really need is investment at the root level - that means nurturing not just one, but several generations of young composers devoted to instrumental and symphonic music. Just as singers improve only through constant training and performance, composers can develop their craft and produce outstanding works only by composing continuously.
Educating audiences is also an essential factor in building a diverse musical culture from its foundations. If primary and lower secondary school pupils were regularly introduced to symphonic music and traditional Vietnamese music, future generations would grow up with a deeper understanding and appreciation of a wide range of musical genres.
A truly professional musical culture cannot rely solely on songs; it must also develop instrumental music to a comparable level if it is to integrate with the world's musical traditions. If the State wishes to cultivate outstanding talent in this field, it must invest in a way that frees artists from the constant struggle to make a living, allowing them instead to devote their talent and commitment to serving the nation and the arts.
Q: Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts.
