The allure of the Swan Lake ballet

The auditorium was packed, requiring extra seats, and the applause was incessant as the Autumn Melodies 2025 concluded impressively with excerpts from the ballet Swan Lake and a concert of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9.

Báo Tuổi Trẻ•26/08/2025

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 1. — HBSO's *Swan Lake* promises to showcase not only the beauty of a global artistic icon but also demonstrate how Vietnamese artists approach and innovate upon the foundation of classical ballet heritage. - Photo: H.VY

The 14th Autumn Melodies Arts Festival and the 20th anniversary celebration of the Ho Chi Minh City Symphony Orchestra and Opera House (HBSO) have concluded successfully.

Both evenings, featuring excerpts from the ballet Swan Lake and the Symphony's Beethoven No. 9 concert, offered a wide range of emotions to the audience, especially young people who were experiencing the captivating beauty of classical art for the first time.

With the trend of increasingly sophisticated young audiences integrating into the global flow of culture and art, I believe you will become more open-minded, understanding, and empathetic to the difficulties faced by classical artists, thereby fostering greater love and closeness to this art form that has been popular in Europe for hundreds of years.

Conductor Le Ha My affirmed

The Swan Lake ballet blends European and Vietnamese styles.

On the night of August 23rd, despite only featuring highlights from the classic ballet Swan Lake and heavy rain, a large audience arrived very early, filling all three levels of the auditorium.

At the end of each segment, the artists were moved by the resounding applause. After the performance, many young people stayed behind to take photos with the actors of the HBSO ballet troupe.

"I used to study ballet but quit. The performance brought back my childhood dream; I really admire the artists who practiced so hard to deliver such a spectacular dance. I'm looking forward to October so I can buy tickets to see the whole show," said Le Khanh, a fourth-year student, excitedly.

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 2. — Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, artist Do Hoang Khang Ninh (who played the swan Odette) expressed his happiness at having completed the role perfectly, even though it was only a short segment - Photo: H.VY

"Playing the white swan put pressure on me because it's a classic role; the actress has to portray the swan's grace while also being subtle and delicate in every gesture, emotion, and even her gaze."

"Tonight, I'm happy to be able to share the emotions of Odette and the swans with the audience and receive such enthusiastic applause," ballerina Do Hoang Khang Ninh confided.

Ninh also revealed that the ballet currently has multiple endings, and he is eagerly awaiting to see how the choreographer will stage the ending for HBSO's Swan Lake ballet.

From now until October, everyone will have more time to adjust and upgrade the aesthetics and visuals, bringing a complete Swan Lake with even more sublime emotions.

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 3. — The HBSO's version of Swan Lake is faithful to the original but has been adapted to suit the performance style of the ballet company's artists - Photo: H.VY

From a professional perspective, choreographer Nguyen Phuc Hai - head of the HBSO ballet troupe - shared that he was initially stressed due to the tight deadlines for costumes and the limited time for rehearsals. The entire troupe had to work hard to meet the schedule, but they could breathe a sigh of relief at the end because the performance was quite clean.

"Of course, technically, the artists need more time to become more proficient, and the team still has to perfect many details regarding the stage, setting, lighting, costumes, etc., to bring a more beautiful and dazzling version of the complete performance in October," said choreographer Phuc Hai.

During the period of downsizing, staging Swan Lake was a real challenge. The HBSO ballet company didn't have enough personnel, so they had to invite collaborators from the Ho Chi Minh City College of Dance and Sasa Ballet. Scheduling rehearsals was therefore more difficult…

But it was also a source of inspiration because, in deciding to perform this ballet, besides captivating the audience, HBSO also wanted to spread the love of dance to future young dancers.

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 4. — The dance performance also features young dancers from Sasa Ballet and the Ho Chi Minh City College of Dance - Photo: H.VY

According to Norwegian choreographer Johanne Jakhelln Constant, staging Swan Lake is an opportunity to blend European ballet traditions with the creative energy of Vietnamese artists, creating a reborn version in a new context, reflecting the spirit of the times and the unique identity of HBSO.

As a "monument to ballet," Swan Lake demands both masterful technique and subtle expressive ability to portray the contrasting extremes of love, destiny, and transcendence.

The combination of technical skill and emotional depth will create an ideal environment for Vietnamese artists to maximize their talent.

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 5. — The full version of the ballet *Swan Lake* will premiere in October 2025 - Photo: H.VY

A journey full of challenges and triumphs.

On the night of August 24th, nearly 150 artists gathered together, delivering an explosive closing night with the free-spirited epic Egmont Overture and Beethoven 's Symphony No. 9 in D minor .

With female conductor Kerstin Behnke arranging the choir and conductor Tran Nhat Minh leading, the audience enjoyed Beethoven's "creative pinnacle" with four massive movements, guiding emotions from conflict and tension to joy and concluding with the immortal choral piece Ode to Joy.

HSBO has brought together a large number of artists, including familiar soloists such as Pham Khanh Ngoc, Pham Trang, Dao Mac, etc., to sing with the orchestra and choir.

All of these elements combine to create a magnificent and vibrant resonance, fully conveying this "hymn of brotherhood for all humanity."

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 6. — Nearly 150 artists brought an impressive closing night to the Autumn Melodies Festival - Photo: THAI BINH

The concert also concluded the journey of artistic excellence of Autumn Melodies 2025, a series filled with challenges and memorable firsts.

Conductor Le Ha My, director of the HBSO Theatre, shared that according to standard practice, each concert requires 5-6 days of rehearsal and 1-2 performances on the weekend. However, during the more than one week of the festival, the artists performed four concert programs.

It's immense pressure because the frequency, intensity, and workload are all multiplied many times over. Every day, in the morning, afternoon, and evening, the artists have to rehearse for 2-3 different shows, rotating continuously like that.

hồ thiên nga - Ảnh 7. — Dr. and conductor Le Ha My shone brightly alongside People's Artist Ta Minh Tam on the opening night.

Especially with major works being performed for the first time in Ho Chi Minh City, such as Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1 Titan (The Giant) or Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 , even the names themselves evoke the scale and grandeur of the works.

Performing world-class works in just one week demonstrates the maturity of HBSO. It's even more gratifying because this is the first time these works have been performed in Ho Chi Minh City with 100% of the city's artists, showing that HBSO has reached the highest levels and is continuously developing.

In the field of ballet, HSBO is honored to have realized the "dream" of Swan Lake after many years of nurturing by generations of artists. This is because the artistic career of a ballet dancer is not long, only about 10 years.