Musician Le Duc Tri: Homeland is where the soul anchors

QTO - Returning from the National Music Festival with 3 important awards for the Vietnam Musicians Association of Quang Tri province, musician Le Duc Tri, the Association's Branch President, is busy with his work as a border guard and new composing projects. In the cozy atmosphere of the O-Buncha tea room (Dong Hoi), the musician in green uniform shared with reporters of Quang Tri Newspaper, Radio and Television about his artistic path, his concerns, and his burning passion for music.

- Reporter: As a very successful musician with the theme of soldiers, but recently the public has seen you continuously release songs with strong hometown imprints, such as: "Loi Cat", "Chieu Nhat Le", "Theo em ve voi Quang Binh ", "Moi em ve Quang Tri"... What is the reason for this interesting "change of direction", sir?

- Artist Le Duc Tri: It is true that the theme throughout many of my previous works contains emotions for the border, full of pride for the border soldiers who are protecting the Fatherland day and night. The nature of the soldier's job creates opportunities for me to come into contact with and witness the hardships and silent sacrifices of my comrades. That gives me a lot of emotions to write and achieve certain success with this topic. I always think that artists should not be "confined" to one topic, so I have researched and experienced in many different fields and am especially fond of the topic of homeland and country. From the reality of my homeland changing every day, many emotions arise in me, urging me to write love songs. I consider each composition as a small gift to this beloved land.

For musician Le Duc Tri, composing music is a personal need - Photo: Nh.V

- Reporter: Your music has two very clear styles: Youthful with the theme of soldiers; rustic, imbued with folk music with the theme of homeland. What gives you flexibility and those subtle emotions?

- Artist Le Duc Tri: The love for my homeland and real life experiences have given me many emotions, becoming a source of inspiration to compose songs with simple, rustic lyrics and sweet, profound melodies. The depth of history, customs, daily life of the people and folk songs that I had the opportunity to discover through my trips have become strong catalysts for the composition process. I am also fortunate to learn a lot from the tradition of the Provincial Musicians' Association. Previous generations such as musicians Hoang Song Huong, Duong Viet Chien, the late musician Quach Mong Lan... are shining examples in artistic work, with many songs that live forever thanks to their close adherence to life and the delicate exploitation of folk materials. I always keep in mind that: To be successful, artists must constantly create, explore materials from life, and at the same time seriously invest in their works in both content and art.

- Reporter: Among your recent works about your homeland, it seems that "Moi em ve Quang Tri" is the song you put the most effort into. Can you share more about this "brainchild"?

- Artist Le Duc Tri: Yes, "Moi em ve Quang Tri" is one of the newest works and also the song I like the most. The song was born in a special context, when the two provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri (old) merged, named Quang Tri. The joy of the birth of a new province with a larger scale, containing a heroic history and rich tourism potential urged me to take up my pen to compose. I want to portray a panoramic, emotional picture of the resilient Central region, instead of just going into individual details. In the song, I include many typical images of my homeland such as the majestic Truong Son range, the scorching Lao wind, the vast white sand, and familiar places such as: Cua Tung, Nhat Le, Phong Nha, Thanh Co... to create a musical space imbued with the Central region. The concluding sentence “See you back to find a peaceful place” is the complete message that I want to convey: Homeland is always a place to return to, a peaceful place to anchor the soul. What makes me happiest is that since its birth, the song has been warmly received by the public. Many singers have chosen to perform, perform and make MVs for the song. In particular, the work was honored to be selected to participate in the live TV program “Quang Tri - Convergence and Shine” and was performed very successfully by People's Artist Thuy Linh in many important cultural and political events of the province.

The song "Invite you back to Quang Tri", the latest work on the theme of homeland by musician Le Duc Tri - Photo: Nh.V

- Reporter: It is a fact that many good songs with artistic value have not yet reached a wide audience. In your opinion, what is the reason and what activities will the Vietnam Musicians Association of the province have to develop the music movement of the province in the coming time?

- Musician Le Duc Tri: This is a big concern, not just mine. The good news is that, in the current vibrant and competitive music market, Quang Tri musicians are still diligently and dedicated to mainstream music, creating many quality works. However, we also face many difficulties in promoting and spreading our works, the biggest reason being lack of funding. In fact, the cost to complete a musical work from harmony, arrangement to inviting singers to perform is not small. Therefore, many musicians are very worried when their dedicated work is written but they do not have enough funds to invest properly.

Musician Le Duc Tri shared: “Music is a means for each musician to share their thoughts and feelings. We are happy to live fully with our passion.” In his composing activities, Musician Le Duc Tri has many works that have won important awards through large-scale music competitions and festivals such as: “Chieu Nhat Le” (poem by Phan Dinh Tien), B Prize at the National Music Festival 2024; “Len Ha, the immortal epic” (poem by Ngo Van Son), B Prize at the Vietnam Musicians Association Music Awards 2022; “Phong Nha De Nhat Ky Quan” (poem by Thanh Trac Nguyen Van), B Prize at the Literature and Arts Composition Campaign on the occasion of the 420th anniversary of the founding of Quang Binh province...

After the merger, the Quang Tri Provincial Musicians Association has 20 members. The new scale and new potential of the province are great advantages for composers and artists. In the future, the association will focus on connecting members, attracting and training young members, especially in the field of composition criticism, an area that the province is lacking; encouraging musicians to study and research information technology and AI in the field of composition.

We hope to receive more support from the province, such as investing in quality compositions, supporting the association to organize performances and exchanges to bring music closer to the public. When the financial burden is shared, musicians will have more motivation to compose many good works, serving the increasingly high enjoyment needs of the people.

- Reporter: Thank you musician Le Duc Tri!

Nh.V (implementation)

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202511/nhac-si-le-duc-tri-que-huong-la-chon-neo-dau-tam-hon-6c55b5c/