The Echoes of the Lam River - A Mother's Story

Rich in national identity

The festival aims to create opportunities for creative and performing artists to interact, exchange, and learn from each other's experiences in the process of artistic creation, enhancing professionalism, innovating working methods, and building a direction suitable for contemporary life. It is also an occasion to celebrate and honor collectives and individual artists who have made significant contributions to Vietnamese performing arts.

The festival also helps management agencies assess the state of performing arts, guide development, and find solutions to overcome limitations, contributing to the implementation of the policy of building an advanced Vietnamese culture rich in national identity. Each participating unit will present programs or plays lasting from 60 to 110 minutes, with themes praising the country and people of Vietnam, reflecting traditional and modern cultural values. In particular, many of the works performed will strongly reflect the cultural identity of various ethnic groups and regions, contributing to showcasing the diversity and richness of the country's art scene.

Provincial Traditional Arts CenterNghe An province presented a program with many outstanding performances at the festival, consisting of three parts: Part 1: Sacred River; Part 2: Sharing the Same River; Part 3: Flowing Forever in All Directions. Each part of the program was structured with clearly defined segments. The performances and segments were connected by music, lighting, narration, dance, interactive video images, etc., creating a strong and vibrant connection.

In Part 1, the center's artists present to the audience the story of the origins of the Lam River, the birthplace of generations of hardworking, studious, resilient, courageous, and noble people from Nghe An. The performances include: singing and dancing."Sacred River"Drawing inspiration from the folk songs of Ví andặm, female solo performances are developed."Ancient Tales of Van An", developed from the melodies: Market Xẩm, Loop Xẩm, Southern Xẩm; danceRed Wavesinging and dancing"Cruise on the Lam River"It was presented in a very captivating and engaging way, appealing to both the ears and the eyes.

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All the performances in the show, from the concept to the content and presentation style, adhere to a unified whole. Therefore, from the beginning to the end, they are all linked together by a single narrative.

Musician Quoc Chung – Director of the Provincial Traditional Arts Center

"Especially for a festival that demands depth of expertise, we have to invest the most in the performance aspect. We are also very pleased that the artists are very passionate and responsible, so when they take on their tasks, they all try their best to perform well. Many performances truly reached the peak of artistic expression; they have contributed to the audience with beautiful works of art rich in national identity."

Brand affirmation

According to artist Quoc Chung, of the three parts, part 2, titled "Sharing the Same River," is considered the backbone, as it carries the main content of the program. Part 2 showcases the cultural exchange between the highlands and the lowlands. Through music, dance, and especially by using original melodies and new lyrics, it creates performances that are both ancient and modern, evolving while still preserving the folk essence of the ethnic groups' folk songs.

In particular, part 2 features climactic performances, such as the orchestral ensemble.Blue Water MelodyPerformed by the center's folk orchestra; Performance of Tho ethnic folk songs."The scent of the earth, the scent of the forest"Performed by the choir and central orchestra. A song and dance performance."The scent of the earth, the scent of the forest"The performance depicts scenes of daily life in labor and production, along with a love song under the moonlight in the countryside... The music in this performance is developed from the original folk melody "Du Du, Dien Dien, Tap Tinh Tap Tang" of the Tho people. This performance received much applause from the audience at the large stage in Binh Duong.

In particular, in Part 2, the dance performance, developed from the folk songs and dances of the Hmong ethnic group, impressed the judges. Meritorious Artist Thanh Tung, the choreographer, said: “The Hmong reed pipe dance is one of the indispensable cultural and artistic activities of the Hmong people; it has become a precious and unique cultural heritage of the Hmong in this region. The movements in the reed pipe dance help to alleviate fatigue from labor and production. From this uniqueness, we have developed this dance performance.”The sound of the bamboo flute on the summit of Puxailaileng"Perhaps it was the seamless combination of Hmong flute dance and the excellent performance of the artists that earned this performance the prestigious Silver Medal from the Organizing Committee."

Besides the unique and scientifically structured performances that vividly portray the distinctive folk songs and melodies of Nghe An province, the dedication and talent of the artists in their performances led the organizers to award prestigious prizes to many acts. Notable examples include the Gold Medal for the female solo performance of "Flying Amidst the Lam River," composed by People's Artist Pham Phuong Thao and performed by singer Thanh Hai; the Silver Medals for the works "Mother's Dream" performed by Tran Luc and Bao Phuong and the dance group Tu Anh and Van Dong; the dance "The Sound of the Flute on the Peak of Puxailaileng" performed by a dance troupe; the dance "Red Waves"; and the instrumental piece "Blue Water Melody."

Speaking about the concept behind the program "Lam River – A Mother's Story," People's Artist An Ninh, the program's scriptwriter, said: "The culture of the Lam River has been a source of pride for generations; it symbolizes the willpower, resilience, spirit, optimism, love, and aspirations of the people of Nghe An. The Lam River embodies the character, righteousness, and soul of the people of Nghe An. Through the fires of war, through storms, rapids, and countless erosions and sedimentations… through the ups and downs, the humiliation and glory, the river still overflows with affection, just like the character of the people of Nghe An. From that idea, we built the program 'Lam River – A Mother's Story' with all the ups and downs, the clear and the murky, the pure and the murky, the past and present. The program is the voice of the heart, a message about the aspirations of the artists of Nghe An in particular and the people of Nghe An in general."

Although they didn't win the top prize, the fact that seven performances won Gold and Silver medals affirmed the reputation of the Nghe An Provincial Traditional Arts Center. Despite their small size, their talent and burning passion left a strong positive impression at this year's National Music and Dance Festival.