Arigato 'Princess Anio'

During the lengthy, ten-minute-long applause at the end of the play "Princess Anio ," there were claps from the Japanese Crown Prince and his wife, as well as cheers from the audience in Japanese, "arigato," which means "thank you" in Vietnamese.

V performed beautifully.

In the opening scene of the opera Princess Anio , the backdrop of the Hanoi Opera House, initially filled with ocean waves, suddenly splits in two to reveal a Japanese merchant ship. On board are Japanese people who crossed the sea to trade with the world . They had crossed the South China Sea to reach Dang Trong (now central Vietnam). Hoi An at that time was a bustling international trading port.

Princess Anio showcases the talent of many Vietnamese opera artists.

BTC

With stage director Koizumi Hiroshi and stage designer Ito Masako, the story of Princess Anio is told through images rich in Japanese culture. The waves lapping against the ship's hull are depicted through a dance with wide, flowing sleeves in a sea-blue color...

Throughout the story of Princess Anio , each image is carefully chosen to symbolically represent the cultural region of each scene. Hoi An appears briefly with just two strings of lanterns crisscrossing above the stage. Princess Anio's new homeland is depicted with a house featuring sliding doors characteristic of Japan. Her origins and love for her homeland are also shown in the traditional Vietnamese dresses she and her daughter wear from beginning to end of the play.

Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Crown Prince Akishino of Japan, and Princess Kiko of Japan attended the premiere of the play.

VNA

Princess Anio is a rare and wonderful musical and theatrical collaboration between Vietnam and Japan. It brings together the best singers, talented composers and lyricists, imaginative choreographers and artists, and the most skilled orchestra for a long time… They worked together from the very beginning, when Princess Anio was just an idea, the first musical notes, until the premiere on September 22nd, when the work became a stunning performance in every aspect…

Every emotionally rich cultural detail flows continuously like subtle undercurrents throughout the performances. Audiences, both Japanese and Vietnamese, are captivated by each note and lyric as the characters express joy, anguish, and then renewed hope. Sometimes, the musical juxtapositions reveal the sincerity of both the composer, the lyricist, and the singer. One such scene is when Princess Anio sings a lullaby to her daughter, "A father's love is as vast as Mount Tai ," while her neighbor sings a Japanese lullaby with the lyrics, "Sweet dreams, my child ."

Connecting the cultures and histories of Vietnam and Japan.

The opera Princess Anio is inspired by the true story between the merchant Araki Sotaro from Nagasaki (Japan) and Princess Ngoc Hoa of the Nguyen Dynasty. Therefore, the production also has many historical consultants, including Dr. Phan Hai Linh, who won a history award for his dissertation on Japanese manors. On the Japanese side, the consultants include: Tomoda Hiromichi, Fukukawa Yuichi, Kikuchi Seiichi, Ando Katsuhiro, and Honma Sadao.

Many details in the performance are reminiscent of real artifacts in Japanese museums. For example, the image of the Japanese boat is reminiscent of a painting of a merchant ship by Araki Sotaro, now on display at the Maritime Science Museum. The detail of the princess giving her daughter a mirror to take to Japan is reminiscent of Araki Sotaro's mirror, now in the collection of the Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture.

Now, in addition to the artifacts in the museum, we have another "living artifact" of the cultural exchange between Vietnam and Japan: the play "Princess Anio ." Notably, on the premiere night, Japanese Crown Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko were present in the best seats at the Hanoi Opera House. The performance was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang, Head of the Steering Committee for the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Vietnam and Japan. This further demonstrates the cultural, historical, and diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Arigato Princess Anio . Today, the procession welcoming Princess Anio continues to be reenacted in the scene of the Japanese ship, held every seven years at the Nagasaki Kunchi Festival in Nagasaki. Arigato Princess Anio, as her story has become a beautiful work of art, where both Vietnamese and Japanese cultures shine.

The opera Princess Anio was produced by the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with the Princess Anio Management Board (Brain Group, Yamaha Music Vietnam Co., Ltd., NPO International Exchange Promotion Association) to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan. The overall director of Princess Anio is conductor Honna Tetsuji.

Princess Anio will be performed at the Hanoi Grand Opera House for three nights, from September 22nd to 24th. Following that, on September 27th, the work will be presented to the public in Hung Yen at the provincial convention center. In November, a premiere performance for the Japanese public will be held at Hitomi Memorial Hall (Showa Women's University, Tokyo).

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