Meritorious Artist Thien Hue burns himself out with folk melodies

Childhood with folk songs

Thien Hue was born in Dong Thuong village, Dong Van commune (Thanh Chuong district). She still remembers clearly the first time she hid from her father to go see a folk opera in the cold early winter of the 90s of the last century.

Little girl Thien Hue, at that time thin and weak, just stood by the fence of the cooperative looking in, but her love and admiration for the artists on stage captured her heart and mind. Hue said, it was not for nothing that she had a great love for folk songs since she was a child: "In my hometown, the whole village sang folk songs, everyone knew how to sing, knew how to improvise folk songs in production work and daily life".

Thien Hue in a folk song scene. Photo: NVCC

From then on, the desire to sing grew. When Thien Hue was in middle school, the province's folk music troupe came to recruit actors. She hid from her parents and went to audition but failed. Thien Hue's father found out and was determined not to let his daughter pursue a singing career. She had no choice but to obey, even though she was sad inside.

From then on, Thien Hue focused on studying to become a teacher or a secretary as her father wished; but her love and desire for folk melodies still burned. During the day she went to school, at night she studied and practiced singing. Thien Hue collected beautiful melodies and folk song forms from radio and television and learned from her aunts and uncles in the village and neighborhood. After graduating from high school, Thien Hue once again asked her parents to let her follow her wish: that is, to take the entrance exam to the Provincial College of Culture and Arts. Her father, despite many years of opposition, still secretly followed, knowing that his beloved daughter could not give up this passion, so he nodded in agreement.

Meritorious Artist Thien Hue always takes folk songs as a way of life. Photo: NVCC

Thien Hue studied Traditional Music at the Provincial College of Culture and Arts. She is considered to have a talent for singing folk songs, with a subtle and profound sense of traditional melodies.

“There is one thing that I only understood much later, why my love for the professional stage is so great, even though there were times when I was tired of the difficulties in the profession. That was when I was still in school, I went to the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe Tinh Folk Song Heritage (now the Provincial Traditional Arts Center) at the invitation of the leadership. As soon as I entered, I heard the clear sound of the flute, the sound of the monochord playing a passionate and gentle tu hoa tune. Suddenly, my heart sang, and I felt like I belonged to this place,” Thien Hue said.

Thien Hue and artists from the Provincial Traditional Arts Center in a new performance space. Photo: NVCC

Since her school days, Thien Hue was invited by the Center to perform in many plays. Although she only played supporting roles, it was a valuable stepping stone for her to gain experience and learn many great lessons. In 2005, Thien Hue officially became an artist of the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Nghe Tinh Vi and Giam Folk Heritage.

The roles of a lifetime

Accepted by the Provincial Traditional Arts Center in 2005, Thien Hue was not cast in the leading role until 2010. She thought the road would be paved with roses from here on, but she still had to work hard, “shedding sweat and tears” on stage. Getting into the role was difficult, touching the audience’s emotions and getting applause was even more difficult.

Meritorious Artist Thien Hue in the folk song play Hoa Lua Truong Bon. Photo: NVCC

Thien Hue still remembers when she played the role of Huong Ly in the play “Duong Rac Trong Bong Doi” (race in the dark) which won the National Gold Medal at the National Professional Tuong and Folk Drama Festival in 2016 and the role of Linh in “Mot Cay Lam Khong Can Nong” (Silver Medal in 2010), she had to research these character models both in literature and in real life, struggling to stylize the role to make it realistic and lively. From the way she pronounced words, the way she spoke to the lines in folk songs, she put all her mind and emotion into carefully refining and editing them.

Evaluating the role of Huong Ly in “Duong Rach Trong Trong Dark”, People’s Artist An Ninh - who adapted the play’s script, said: “This role was tailor-made for Thien Hue. She acted without having to try to get into character. Therefore, the role was warmly received by the audience and the art council, and the Gold Medal was extremely well-deserved.”

Thien Hue with co-star Meritorious Artist Minh Thong. Photo: NVCC

The role of Lady Le Quoc in the play “Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi” (Gold Medal in 2019) is another character that makes Thien Hue very worried. Having to act out a character outside of official history, but at the same time having to bring the soul of the character’s life to the stage is not easy for an actress who always plays tragic roles, with a complex inner life like her. So, Thien Hue searched day and night for documents about the character Cuong Quoc Cong Nguyen Xi to research and find out the everyday features. Along with the guidance of the director and the author who adapted the play, People’s Artist An Ninh, Hue played the role brilliantly, and was highly appreciated by the art council.

Thien Hue plays Nguyen Thi Minh Khai in the play Forever Faith. Photo: NVCC

Talking about her roles and journey under the spotlight, Thien Hue believes that only hard work and constant hard work can bring about the desired results. “Many people say that I have a natural talent and a bit of talent, but if I don’t observe and learn, I can’t sing properly, breathe life into the songs, and can’t transform into the roles,” Thien Hue said.

She also silently thanks the difficulties from her childhood, grateful to her father because he was the first person to teach her about the spirit of overcoming difficulties. “There is no smooth road, especially the path of art. Going to the end on that road requires not only the efforts of the artist but also the complete fate of the profession” - Hue confided.
For Thien Hue, his father's advice before he left for the province to study art is always imprinted in his mind: "Acting is a very difficult profession, with many pitfalls and prejudices. Try to find a way to adapt and overcome them."

Although her father did not encourage her to follow this path, his love and silent support always gave Thien Hue motivation and new goals in her journey. And the title of Meritorious Artist that Thien Hue was awarded by the State at the end of 2023 is a new step of success, a testament to the tireless efforts of the artist who is devoted to the melodies of her homeland.

Source