American violinist plays treasured Vietnamese song in Hanoi

American Violinist Caroline Campbell. Photo courtesy of the event organizer

The performance concluded the "August Concert," held by the Ministry of Public Security as a celebration of the opening of Hanoi’s Ho Guom Opera House Friday night.

Campbell said during rehearsals that she felt Vietnam’s beauty through the song, despite not understanding the native language. She also praised the song, and Vietnamese music in general, for having a soft and dreamy vibe.

According to Loan, the semiclassical song served as a relaxing conclusion for an opera session that included many dramatic twists and turns.

In addition to "Bai Ca Hy Vong," the artists performed around 20 other songs of various genres throughout the night. Campbell had audiences singing along when she played a number of famous movie soundtrack favorites including "My Heart Will Go On" and "A Time for Us," as well as mashup versions of iconic pop songs such as "Toxic" by Britney Spears and "Yesterday" by The Beatles.

Meanwhile, Loan brought to the show a performance of "La Traviata," with American soprano Corinne Winters and British tenor Oliver Johnston joining her.

(From L) Corinne Winters, Dao To Loan and Oliver Johnston. Photo courtesy of the event organizer

The Sun Symphony Orchestra also impressed the audience with classic performances guided by French conductor Olivier Ochanine. Among their selections were "March of the Toreadors" from Georges Bizet's "Carmen" and Beethoven’s "Symphony No. 5."

Tran Ly Ly, head of the Performing Arts Department, said the event was "of high quality and brought great art performances to audiences."

Campbell, 43, started playing the violin at age three. She performed solo for the first time at age eight, and then studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music as well as Stanford University.

 

 

American violinist plays treasured Vietnamese song in Hanoi

Nghệ sĩ violin Mỹ kéo đàn 'Bài ca hy vọng'