First of all, from the title to the poster and the music of Vu Thang Loi's live show, everything takes the audience back to distant memories. There are sweet starfruit trees picked daily, the river of childhood memories on cool summer afternoons, the "windows of the two houses at the end of the street," the "forest in the evening where the rustling of young leaves calls to the wind," and the heartfelt folk songs of Nghe An province…
Vu Thang Loi sings "Huong Tham" against a backdrop of visual art. Photo: Hai Ba.
In particular, the Lam River – a symbol of Nghe An province, the hometown of Vu Thang Loi – also became the river that carried emotions throughout the program. Nine out of the 22 songs in the program were titled after or featured images of the river in his hometown.
At the beginning of the show, MC Le Anh exclaimed that no other music live show had offered audiences so many songs about rivers as "Homeland" by Vu Thang Loi. From the lead singer to guest singers Anh Tho, Bui Le Man, and Nguyen Ha, they all sang songs associated with rivers stretching from North to South: "Song of the Homeland River," "The River of My Homeland, the River of Your Homeland," "Soul of the River," "Finding You with a Folk Song of the Lam River," "Anchoring at the Homeland's Wharf," "You're at the Head of the River, I'm at the End," "Beloved Hue ," "Love of the Red Soil of the Eastern Region," "Going to the Mountains"... This also served as endless inspiration for Music Director Hong Kien and General Director Cao Trung Hieu to unleash their creativity on the river of music and art.
Vu Thang Loi's style is sometimes gentle, warm, and sentimental… but at other times it is powerful, turbulent, and fiery… Photo: Hai Ba
By choosing 22 songs, coinciding with December 22nd, the Vietnamese People's Army Day, Vu Thang Loi successfully spread the image of a "singing soldier." It's even more meaningful as this is also a gift he dedicated to his hometown of Nghe An and his comrades. Therefore, in the three parts of the live show, Vu Thang Loi was sometimes gentle, warm, and introspective… but also powerful, surging, and fiery… All of this paints a multifaceted, emotional, and refined musical portrait of Vu Thang Loi.
Opening the show, Vu Thang Loi sang four songs at once: "Homeland," "Things That Cannot Be Lost," "Evening Forest," and "Secret Fragrance"... behind a silk curtain. The curtain was set against a backdrop of visual effects, creating a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere. This approach made the audience feel both intrigued and transported to a realm of nostalgia. Vu Thang Loi's simple, heartfelt singing style further drew viewers closer to their own memories.
The stage was designed in a minimalist style by director Cao Trung Hieu and his team. Photo: Hai Ba.
And the multi-dimensional musical space stretches from the North, through the Central region to the South. Vu Thang Loi sings about his father – a soldier who instilled in him a warrior spirit and love for his homeland – with the romantic and epic song "Barefoot" by Y Phon Ksor. In another musical space, Vu Thang Loi sings acoustically "Finding You, a Folk Song of the Lam River" accompanied by a guitar, evoking strong emotions in the listener…
Among the 22 songs, two new works performed by Vu Thang Loi with new arrangements by musician Hong Kien are "Soul of the River" by musician Le An Tuyen and "Everyone Has a Past" by musician Phan Manh Quynh. Vu Thang Loi shared that, in this musical phase, he always hopes to introduce new works and new composers to encourage them to share the same passion for contributing to and developing art, enriching the treasure trove of Vietnamese music, especially female composers who are also from Nghe An province.
Vu Thang Loi sings acoustically with guitar. Photo: Hai Ba.
In the third part of the live show, Vu Thang Loi – the soldier-singer – transported the audience into a heroic revolutionary music space – something any fan of Vu Thang Loi's voice had been waiting for. Vu Thang Loi was sweet, heartfelt, and sentimental in "Mother's Love," and then spirited and defiant in "We Sing on the Truong Son Peak."
Interestingly, on the "Homeland" stage, Anh Thơ was so nervous that she forgot the lyrics. She quickly apologized to the audience after finishing "Song of the Homeland River" and confessed to feeling as "confused" as if it were her own live show. Singer Anh Thơ also shared that her childhood memories are connected to her hometown river, a branch of the Mã River. On this river, on scorching summer afternoons, she and her friends would lead buffaloes to bathe in the cool water.
Two female folk singers experienced moments of awkwardness on the "Homeland" stage. Photo: Hai Ba
Vu Thang Loi performs a duet with Bui Le Man and Anh Tho. Photo: Hai Ba.
Vu Thang Loi revealed that he once shared meals with Bui Le Man.
As for Bui Le Man, after singing a duet with Vu Thang Loi on "You're at the beginning of the river, I'm at the end," she was so flustered that she didn't know what to say about her friend when the main character suggested she say a few words. Vu Thang Loi recounted that he and Bui Le Man not only came from the same hometown but also studied together from vocational school, to college and then university at the Military University of Culture and Arts. During their student years, they shared a dorm and literally lived together. They understood each other so well that their voices harmonized perfectly as soon as they got on stage.
An intriguing surprise in Vu Thang Loi's "Homeland" live show was singer Nguyen Ha. This was also a voice that caused both the production team and the audience a little apprehensive, because mentioning singers like Anh Tho or Bui Le Man would be understandable given their harmony with Vu Thang Loi's musical style, but Nguyen Ha was different. And on the "Homeland" stage of the revolutionary music singer Vu Thang Loi, Nguyen Ha – a singer performing contemporary music for the first time – sang "Len Ngan" and "Thanh Pho Tre".
Vu Thang Loi looks youthful while singing a duet with Nguyen Ha. Photo: Hai Ba.
By choosing "Homeland of the Soldier" to conclude the program, Vu Thang Loi expressed his desire to contribute and his hope to make his small contribution to the revolutionary art of Vietnam.
"In the world of art, and especially when you have the honor of being called an artist by the public, if you don't put pressure on yourself, if you don't strive for creativity and innovation, you will forever remain stagnant, or even fall behind in the rapidly developing entertainment industry that is increasingly occupying space and time. That's why every year I always try to bring valuable musical products to the audience, honoring Vietnamese music and art," the male singer expressed.
Source: https://danviet.vn/vu-thang-loi-khien-anh-tho-bui-le-man-nguong-ngung-2023122310125401.htm
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