The four-day trip to the Francophone Summit and official visit to the Republic of France by General Secretary and President To Lam and the Vietnamese delegation left behind many special values. The Franco-Vietnamese Autumn Concert, held at 8 PM on October 6th, illuminated the Royal Opera House at the Palace of Versailles. This concert was presented to General Secretary and President To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. Over 400 guests, including French and Vietnamese diplomats and intellectuals, also attended.

Mr. Laurent Bruner, Director of the Versailles Theatre, gratefully receives a gift from General Secretary and President To Lam. Photo: Chi Cong

The 60-minute program featured many classical musical works performed by the Versailles Theatre Orchestra. Two Vietnamese pieces were also performed: "Song of Hope" by the late composer Văn Ký and "Song of Ho Chi Minh" by British composer Ewan MacColl, performed by singer Đào Tố Loan. This artistic event demonstrated the special respect France had for General Secretary and President Tô Lâm and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation. Before enjoying the concert, General Secretary and President Tô Lâm presented a special gift to the Director of the Versailles Theatre: a 300kg, over 2-meter-long stone xylophone, crafted over four years. The stone xylophone is a traditional Vietnamese pentatonic scale instrument made of 13 stone slabs, collected by People's Artist Đồng Văn Minh from large mountains and deep streams in various regions of Vietnam. The rough stones were polished by People's Artist Dong Van Minh, who listened to each sound to create a special musical instrument with a unique sound deeply rooted in Vietnamese national identity.

The musicians of the Versailles Orchestra performed famous works during the concert. Photo: Chi Cong

General Secretary and President To Lam expressed: “I am very grateful to the Versailles Theatre for giving the Vietnamese delegation a special concert and such special sentiments. I would like to present the theatre and the director with a very distinctive Vietnamese gift. I hope that the next time I visit the Versailles Theatre, I will have the opportunity to hear compositions performed by the Versailles Orchestra on the stone xylophone.” Mr. Laurent Bruner, Director of the Versailles Theatre, shared his honor at being trusted and loved by the head of the Vietnamese Party and State. Upon receiving the gift, he said: “The artists of the Versailles Theatre will create a wonderful combination of the traditional pentatonic scale found on the Vietnamese stone xylophone and the Western scale of the Versailles Orchestra. ” The moment the stone xylophone resonated in the Versailles Theatre, People's Artist Dong Van Minh directly performed a Vietnamese piece on the very instrument that General Secretary and President To Lam gifted to the Versailles Theatre. As the music emanated from the stone xylophone, pride shone in the eyes of every Vietnamese person present in the auditorium. The audience also saw in the artists of the Versailles Orchestra the delight in the distinctive melodies from the stone xylophone.

People's Artist Dong Van Minh performed a Vietnamese piece on a stone xylophone at the Versailles Theatre. Photo: Chi Cong

People's Artist Dong Van Minh, the composer and also the person who "escorted" the instrument to France, shared: "The instrument carries the soul of Vietnam's rivers and mountains. I think the gift from the General Secretary and President is not only of commemorative value or diplomatic significance, but also expresses the strong aspiration for the advancement of Vietnamese national music." The gift from the French President: Just before the start of the bilateral talks on October 7th with General Secretary and President To Lam, French President Emmanuel Macron recalled the special impressions of the concert held at the Palace of Versailles. Within the framework of the talks, the French President presented General Secretary and President To Lam with a music book. President Macron hoped that the famous musical works in that book would be arranged and performed by Vietnamese artists at the Ho Guom Opera House – one of the 10 best opera houses in the world .

The Franco-Vietnamese autumn concert program left a lasting impression. Photo: Chi Cong

Using music to bridge friendships between nations is a meaningful endeavor. It would be fascinating if, in the not-too-distant future, compositions by French musicians for the stone xylophone resonated in the royal setting of the Versailles Theatre, while works from a French music book were performed on traditional Vietnamese instruments at the Ho Guom Theatre.
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mon-qua-dac-biet-cua-tong-bi-thu-chu-tich-nuoc-to-lam-trong-chuyen-tham-phap-2333449.html