A classical concert will be held under the baton of Spanish conductor Carlos Cuesta on the opening night of the Ha Noi millennium celebration tomorrow.

The concert will open with Concerto No 2, written for the piano by S Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), with orchestra accompaniment. The piece, written in 1901 and premiering in October of that year, will be played by outstanding Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son.

The work has three parts. The first opens woefully and majestically but also features the power of the people before the revolution, calling for a mass gathering. The tempo picks up throughout the first movement, culminating in music meant to signify the victory of the people.

Son was awarded first prize and the gold medal at the 10th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1980, marking the first time that an esteemed international competition was won by an Asian pianist.

The second part features Beethoven's (1770 – 1827) Symphony No 9 to be played by the Ha Noi Philharmonic Orchestra and the Choir of Viet Nam National Academic of Music. The piece is one of the most monumental symphonic works in all of classical music.

Symphony No 9 has four components not written in accordance with the laws of classical symphonies. The musical movements are arranged to describe the major themes of the work, such as freedom, equality and solidarity. The entire symphony describes the struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil. The peak of the 4th movement describes the road to find the light of truth to end all darkness and suffering.

Four soloists, Phuong Nga (soprano), Phuong Uyen (alto), Dang Duong (tenor) and Phuc Tiep (bass), will perform the piece.

Cuesta, of the Atelier Gombau Chamber Orchestra, has a strong background as an opera conductor. Cuesta has conducted for the Zarzuela Theatre, focusing not only on classical music but also collaborating with The Opera Comica de Madrid in the aim of reviving old works.

As a guest conductor in Europe, America and Asia, Cuesta maintains a steady artistic bond with the orchestras he has conducted like Orquesta Sinfonica de la Comunidad de Madrid, Orquesta Municipal de Oviedo, and South Carolina Symphony Orchestra. In 2001 he was awarded First National Prize for Artistic and Professional Excellence in Argentina.

The concert will start at 8pm tomorrow 1st October at the Ha Noi Opera House No.1 Trang Tien street Hanoi.

(VNS)