bamboo T,Rung
One of the Theatre Stage performances that struck me most at the 2016 Rainforest World Music Festival was the none from Vietnamese quartet Lan Dieu Viet. And no wonder that their music was so fine and appreciated: this fantastic band features members who are all music teachers at Vietnam National Academy of music. Also, the members of the band have all won national medals, gold medals, national first prices and more for both solo and ensemble categories. One of them is also Senior lecturer in History of traditional music.
You may not find many information about them on the Internet, but Lan Dieu Viet has been involved in many festivals, including domestic and international scenes. The group has given performances in many countries over the world including France, Italy and Germany.
Lan Dieu Viet playing the moon flute
Their music, which is mostly mostly instrumental, is quite unique in the whole world as it gathers styles and themes from the 54 ethnic groups present in the whole of Vietnam.
Their music is in fact a path of collaboration with the work and life of the Vietnam ethnic people. The music in itself is created by the communities, and the main idea is to look at the past and at the traditions, then leave behind the bad and keep and promote the good.
Monochorde instrument
The songs at the performance included theatrical themes and folk songs, and it was indeed a journey from the North to eh South of Vietnam. Stories of a couple in love, of a blind street performer that describes his optimistic vision of life, the description of a fruit harvest, and stories from the country’s highlands.
Their mesmerising music is played with different bamboo flutes, like the impressive moon flute played so skilfully by Lan Dieu Viet musician, a lute and an impressively unique monochord instrument – which I had the luck to hear played solo in one of the Rainforest World Music Festival many workshops, all mixing up shamanistic styles with modern techniques.
Lan Dieu Viet players
Thumbs up then for Cồ Huy Hùng at the moonlute and base, Bùi Lệ Chi at the monochord, Nguyễn Hoàng Anh at the bamboo flute and Trương Thị Thu Hà at the bamboo T,Rung for the magnificent performance!
Lan Dieu Viet
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