Vietnam opera house to host international concerts, ballets

Updated: Mar 28

Compositions by famous Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) will be presented by the orchestra of the Royal Opera of Versailles during a concert scheduled to take place next month at the Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi.

Musicians of the Hanoi-based Sun Symphony Orchestra perform at the Ho Guom Opera. (Photo courtesy of Hoa Nguyen)

Named after the best known of Vivaldi's works, Four Seasons, the concert will be held on April 21-22. It is the opening event of the theatre’s Musical Seasons 2024-25 art programme, a series of concerts, ballet and opera performances.

Consisting of four violin concertos, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year, the suite Four Seasons (Le Quattro stagioni) was composed around 1718-1720. They were published in 1725 in Amsterdam, together with eight concertos in Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest Between Harmony and Invention).

According to the Director of the Ho Guom Opera, People’s Artist Nguyen Cong Bay, the concert is a fruit of the cooperation between the theatre and the Royal Opera of Versailles when the guest artists came to Vietnam in July 2023.

Instead of having to travel to France to enjoy the suite Four Seasons performed by artists of the Royal Opera of Versailles, the Vietnamese audience now will have the chance to enjoy an international-standard art programme right at the Hồ Gươm Opera located in the heart of Hanoi,” he said.

He said that the special series has been created with an aim of inspiring and spreading the passion for classical music among Vietnamese audiences.

“Narrating a story in melodious tunes and graceful rhythms, each event will take the audience on a journey of different emotions. Featuring talented artists and renowned orchestras from around the world, the series is expected to create a voyage of exploration into the beauty of music and art,” he added.

Tickets for the concert, which is co-produced by the IB Group specialising in international-standard concert organising, will be available for sale in mid-April.

After the Four Seasons concert, in August the theatre will present a concert dedicated to compositions by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The concert will be performed by the French instrument ensemble Les Musiciens du Louvre, one of the best orchestras in the world, according to The Guardian.

In September, art lovers will have the chance to enjoy the ballet The Seasons which will be staged by artists from the national choreographic centre Malandain Ballet Biarrits in France, in collaboration with the orchestra of the Royal Opera of Versailles.

In November, the Vienna Chamber Orchestra will be under the theatre spotlight.

The Musical Seasons 2024-25 will be wrapped up by the opera Carmen that will be performed by the artists of the Royal Opera of Versailles in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the libretto debut. Written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, the opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on March 3, 1875.

Opening its doors in July 2023, Ho Guom Opera was hailed as one of the “Top 10 Most Outstanding Opera Houses in the World” at the World Travel Awards in December. The theatre has hosted several concerts of famous international artists, including Grammy award-winning saxophonist Kenny G and singer Katy Perry.