Tran Vuong Thach spent 14 years as a violinist before rising to the rank of the youngest orchestra conductor 10 years ago and receiving a Meritorious Artist Title last year.
However, to most Vietnamese audiences, he is known for his recent cai luong plays of Kim Van Kieu and The Swan’s Coat, in which symphony orchestra accompanied the traditional tunes for the first time.
"The more I learnt, the more I wanted to come back to traditional music," said Thach. For him, it was important to be able to return to his roots.
Thach’s journey into the magical world of orchestra started when he was only 10 years old. Thanks to his father’s passion for music, all six children were encouraged to learn some musical instrument. While most of them chose the piano or guitar, Thach selected the violin.
However, it was only after Thach and another brother were able to meet their father’s high standards that they decided to follow the path of music to the sweet end. After 14 years of learning the violin, Thach gained a bachelor’s degree from Ha noi Conservatory with excellent distinction. He first became a violin teacher here but the melodious tune of the musical instrument took him on a higher path of learning, where he strove to discover each and every aspect of the violin, taking it to new heights.
"At that moment, I found there were so many things I wanted to explore, while the violin alone couldn’t sustain my interest," Thach confides.
In fact, his dream was to conduct orchestras himself. When Thach was just a young boy, he said that he would often perform with the children’s orchestra at the Ha Noi Children’s Culture Palace. Sometimes, apart from playing the violin, Thach was asked to wear a conductor’s costume and use the stick to create lovely images for the children’s performance. "Although at the time I didn’t know exactly what a conductor did, the feeling of standing in front of the entire orchestra and conducting them was exhilarating," he recalled.
This was the feeling that inspired Thach to pursue a conducting class at Ha Noi Conservatory while he was still a violin teacher. In 1990, Thach left everything behind to go to Belgium. At that time, he couldn’t have known that when he eventually returned, he would go on to become the youngest conductor in Viet nam
Spending six years learning at Belgium’s Royal Conservatory, Thach recalls that time as a period of hard work as he had no financial support from his family. However, he wasted no time and was able to complete not only a bachelor’s degree in orchestra conducting, but also a Master’s in music theory from Belgium and a superior diploma in orchestra conducting from the Royal Conservatory of Poland.
"Conducting was seen as a luxurious field even in Europe at the time. I found myself at a unique advantage being the sole Vietnamese student in Belgium’s Royal Conservatory. Had I not been the only Vietnamese, perhaps a Belgian teacher might not have suggested tutoring me in an extra class free-of-charge. He helped me sharpen my basic skills as well as orient me in my conducting style," says Thach.
Although he spent a short time learning under Prof. Tran Quang Hai in Viet Nam, Thach remains indebted to the way he was instructed in Belgium.
"While most of the important music subjects are also taught in Viet Nam, the standards of music students here cannot compete with their Western counterparts. I recognise that part of the reason can be attributed to our teaching methodology. In Viet Nam, learning by heart is given more preference to creativity. Teachers abroad, however, always encourage students to put forwards new ideas, even if they are in complete contrast to the teachers’. To protect his ideas, a student is forced to read and research. Thus, he can find innovations based on the old foundation," says Thach.
One year after going abroad, Thach found his initial success: he was invited to work as a conductor for the young orchestra in Liege. At first, as a freshman, he couldn’t understand why he had been chosen. However, the move proved to be successful as his conducting of the orchestra was deemed good and he was invited to join the group and tour around Belgium over the next five years. It was during this time that Thach gained confidence which would serve him well as he grew into a skilful conductor.
Home sweet home
As Thach became popular among music students, he was able to earn his living through performances. With this exposure, many families began to ask him to teach music to their children.
Thach’s friends would say that six years was a long enough time to have spent in Belgium and he could now apply for citizenship, but Thach always knew, from the first day he arrived in Belgium, that he would eventually return home. "Home is the best," he says.
By now, Thach had spent 26 years learning music. He finished his studies just in time to embark on a new journey, backing home. On his return to Viet Nam in 1996, he was invited to work at Hcm city Ballet and Symphony Orchestra, where all his knowledge and abilities enabled him to fulfil his dreams.
Today, Thach works as the Vice Director there and is considered as one of the pioneers in building up a new orchestra in the city comprised of young, talented musicians who gather every month to delight their audience.
"There are many things I want to do, but I recognise the many difficulties orchestra musicians have to face, one of which is the meagre financial support they receive. It does not match the talent and time they invest in their careers," he confides.
As one of only seven conductors working in Viet Nam at the moment, however, Thach says that his career alone can not support his family. Thach is grateful that his wife is a working woman and one who has always supported his passion for music.
Another difficulty Thach faces is the lack of interest from the audience. While the poor don’t have money to watch an orchestra performance, the rich don’t want to pay for it.
"The problem is that most of us were not taught anything about classical music, so we are ignorant about it. If we recall what we learnt in elementary through high-school, we will realise that we were only taught songs. It’s time to make changes to the way our children are taught music," he says.
As a person who always strives to find new ideas and does not hesitate in turning them into reality, Thach has now turned his attention to preserving traditional music.
"Although I have spent most of my life learning and performing in Western music, I want to return to traditional styles. After years of living abroad, I realised that I gained a much better understanding towards our national music. The ancient tunes, like ca tru (ceremonial songs), cheo (traditional opparetta), cai luong (reformed theater) and so forth are very precious, but we lack their theory foundations, and that’s what we should build up if we want to preserve them and prevent their oblivion from the nation’s minds."
The introduction of two recent cai luong plays, Kim Van Kieu and The Swan’s Coat was just Thach’s first step in his new journey of bringing both traditional and classical music closer to peoples’ hearts and minds.
(Source: VNS)
Tag: Culture , Ha Noi , Hcm , Hcm City , Tour , Viet Nam , Vietnam , Vietnamese Maestro brings passion to two classical traditions
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