Spreading Soviet sources in contemporary music and art

If poetry is aboutNghe Tinh SovietWhile leaving us with the depth of each word, the music written on this topic evokes the heroic vitality through the sound of many melodies that seem to anchor in the hearts of the public, always resounding, creating excitement for each soul. Every time we listen to those songs, we associate reality with the past. Therefore, the topic of the Nghe Tinh Soviets has been exploited deeply by many musicians.

In the song "Song Lam River", musician Dinh Quang Hop wrote:“Oh Soviet mountains, rivers, and fields - Nghe An, Each plowman is a soldier, digging rivers and clearing wild forests, Planting more green potato branches, sowing more rice seeds, To fight against America, everyone, keep your steadfast oath.”The lyrics of the song seem to remind everyone of the echoes of the Soviet movement of the past. That, attached to the mountains, forests, fields and both banks of the Lam River, there was once a “heaven-shaking” revolutionary movement of the people of Nghe An.

Also based on this theme, but the author Tan Huyen in the song “Tieng ho tren dat Nghe An” has combined the beauty of folk songs vi, giam with the revolutionary spirit of the people of Nghe An. The song makes each of us remember the revolutionary atmosphere and the “sky-high” spirit of our ancestors:“The Lam River will never dry up/Just like the revolutionary spirit of our people/No matter the storms and rains/Soviet Nghe An is still Nghe An”.

In the visual arts, the theme of the Nghe Tinh Soviets has also been approached and thoroughly exploited by many artists. After the painting “Nghe Tinh Soviets” by the group of artists Nguyen Duc Nung, Le Quoc Loc, Nguyen Van Ty, Tran Dinh Tho and Mai Van Hien, many reliefs and ceramic paintings were created to be placed in public works. Typical examples are the reliefs at Thai Lao Cemetery, Nghen intersection, and the tomb of comrade Tran Phu...

Along with that, this theme is vividly portrayed by artists and architects through the monument clusters in Ben Thuy, Thai Lao and Nghen Intersection. Through the reliefs, the monuments have depicted the heroic spirit and solidarity between the working class and peasants in the Nghe Tinh Soviet movement.

For the stage, the Nghe Tinh Soviet event was also shown in a number of plays that left a deep impression on the public. That isCheo play "Lam River Girl"by author Nguyen Trung Phong, the poetic drama "The Fire of Hong Mountain" by author The Ky, the play "Dawn" by author Hoc Phi, the reformed opera "The Footprints of the Previous People" by Thuy Linh and Hoang Yen. The dance play "The Flame of Nghe Tinh" (script by The Lu) performed by the General Political Department's Art Troupe was also introduced to the public in many places and created a strong spread during that period.

In 2020, the Literature Publishing House introduced the book "Playwright Nguyen Trung Phong: Author - Works". At this introduction, People's Artist Le Tien Tho affirmed: If in the old Cheo there were typical characters such as Xuy Van, Thi Mau, Thi Kinh, then in the revolutionary period Cheo there was a prominent image of the girl from the Lam River in the Cheo plays of authors Tran Dinh Mon and Nguyen Trung Phong.

Playwright Nguyen Trung Phong was born in 1929, in Van Tap village, Dien Binh commune, Dien Chau district, Nghe An province, in a Confucian family of the Nguyen Trung branch, a literary and studious family with 7 consecutive generations of mandarin graduates.

Inheriting the quintessence and intelligence of the Nguyen Trung family and his hometown Nghe An, combined with his passion for art, when he grew up, he participated in the mass art movement in Dien Chau, composed, directed scenes and performed on stage to serve the people. In 1950, Nguyen Trung Phong joined the revolution, and in 1952, he worked at the Nghe An Propaganda Department.

In the field of stage art, Nguyen Trung Phong has very successfully portrayed the image of revolutionary soldiers in the years 1930-1931.

With “The Girl of the Lam River”, Nguyen Trung Phong wrote in 1959, when he was assigned to write a script for the Cheo stage to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Nghe Tinh Soviet for the Troupe to participate in the National Theater Festival. After 1 month of dedication and concern, he completed this play.

In 1962, the Cheo play “Co gai song Lam” participated in the National Professional Theatre Festival and achieved great success with 4 Gold Medals and 4 Silver Medals. The Cheo play also created a stir on the national stage with hundreds of performances. After that, the Cheo play was adapted into Nghe Tinh Folk Song Drama in 1974 and continued its journey to conquer audiences throughout the countryside of Nghe An.

The film industry has also made important contributions to this topic. The success of the film “That Day on the Lam River Bank”, written by Dao Xuan Tung and Tran Huu Thung and directed by Nguyen Ngoc Trung, recreated the heroic scene of the past of the revolutionaries, following the call of the Party and Uncle Ho to rise up to liberate the nation.

Nowadays, on the occasion of national and provincial festivals, directors and choreographers often organize dances and scenes to recall the old Soviet days. When staging, choreographers use props such as drums, wooden fish, horns, knives, spears, sticks and hammer and sickle flags, etc. to express and evoke the heroic atmosphere of the revolutionary movement for the audience.