Musician Nguyen Trong Tao: I want to highlight the quality of 'Lam River Daughter'

PV:Dear musician Nguyen Trong Tao, with the same "Song Que Song", is there anything different about this music night in your hometown Nghe An compared to the first music night in Hanoi in 2017?

Musician Nguyen Trong Tao:I want to change the program of live show 2 compared to live show 1 at Hanoi Opera House last September. You know, this is a program taking place in my hometown, among my hometown audience. Moreover, my spiritual capital for my hometown is quite large.

I wrote my first poem at the age of 14 and composed a song at the age of 20. Although I did not compose much music, I still had nearly a hundred songs, choral or dance music. Just on the topic of Nghe Tinh, I also had many works that were remembered by the public. I developed the folk music of Nghe An very early with “Con doc no cao”, “Qua cau Tung coc”, “Mau xanh Huong Son”, “Cheo thuyen tren song Bung”, “Dong Loc thong ru”, “Ve ve nhat que me Vu Quang” and many other songs.

Portrait of musician Nguyen Trong Tao. Photo: Ngo Duc Hanh

This time I want to highlight the Nghe An girl's qualities - the "Lam River Girl" qualities. That is“If I hadn’t returned to Vinh city/you wouldn’t have known how beautiful you are/Your speech is so gentle/the gentle girl of our hometown…”.That is a song adapted from a poem by poet Le Tuan Loc.

With the appearance of “Lam River Daughter”, and the young man “Border Love”, the audience will be captivated by the love of my hometown Nghe An.

Musician Nguyen Thuy Kha - my close friend - calls me the person who breathes the "village soul" into the songs. If we say it that way, then this music night "Nguyen Trong Tao - Songs of the Homeland" will have the "soul of Nghe village".

PV:Returning to his homeland after crossing the line between life and death, this performance will surely be an unforgettable memory for the musician. So after this trip, does the musician think he will have more inspiration for new works written specifically about Nghe An?

Musician Nguyen Trong Tao:I really recovered surprisingly, the doctors said this case only happens to 1 or 2 people in a thousand. Everyone was happy for me.

"I think that when organizing a music night in his hometown, the musician (Nguyen Trong Tao) will open his heart more when meeting his long-time friends and relatives. I believe that the music night in Vinh will be more emotional and smooth for both the artists, the band and the guests thanks to having been “tested” once in Hanoi in 2017.

I myself am also looking forward to this concert, I will perform 2 new songs of the musician, one about mother, one about the Fatherland, about the 10 Dong Loc girls, about those who sacrificed for independence. For me, this is like an opportunity to discover "a new land, a new aspect of musician Tao".

- Singer Trong Tan

Many of you asked, is there any difference between the Nguyen Trong Tao before and the Nguyen Trong Tao who returned from the infinite world? Is there any difference in my thinking about art, specifically my literary and artistic creations such as poetry, music, painting... compared to before?

Right after overcoming death, I wrote the poem "Flying Over Death":And I understand flying into death/ Not dying/ Immortality/ Forever growing…The poem was written exactly 2 months after the stroke.

I have chosen literature and art to devote myself to since I was an adult. And I have grown up, become an object, a friend of the public. That is my passion, ideal and belief in life. I remember a line by the French poet, Louis Aragon: “If I had to go back/ I would go this way again”. On “that road”, my feelings for Nghe An have not changed. I continue to write about my homeland Nghe An.

Musician Nguyen Trong Tao at the press conference of the music night "Song Que Songs". Photo: Ngo Duc Hanh

PV: To send a message to the audience who love Nguyen Trong Tao in Nghe An, what would the musician like to say?

Musician Nguyen Trong Tao:When I had a stroke, what I feared most was paralysis and memory loss, but luckily I overcame it. During the days of temporary memory loss, I tried to remember the names of songs but couldn't, even familiar songs like: Khuc hat song que, Lang quan ho que toi... I couldn't remember them either. Then I had to remember every word, every song, every name of my loved ones. I wrote on Facebook, blogs, websites... hoping to contact friends and the public. Friends, teammates, and colleagues came to visit me while I was losing my memory, and after looking at the photos, I realized that many people came to the hospital because they were worried, and then updated each step of my health progress.

Among the people who care about me every day are many Nghe An audiences. The doctors and nurses at Nghe An General Hospital were the first to treat me. The Nghe An public, leaders, and friends in the literary world were the first to come to me when I was on my sickbed. I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to them through the music night “Nguyen Trong Tao - Song Que Song” on August 10th.

PV: Thank you, musician. Wishing you good health and inspiration for new compositions.

The poetry and music night "Nguyen Trong Tao - Song of the Homeland River" will take place on the evening of August 10, 2018 at the Nghe An Provincial Labor Culture House with director Dinh Anh Dung as General Director, musician Minh Dao as Music Director, guests are People's Artist Thanh Hoa, musician Giang Son and singers who became famous thanks to Nguyen Trong Tao's songs such as: Trong Tan, Anh Tho, Phuong Thanh, Le Anh Dung, Phuong Anh, Con Gai group, Co La group, Dong Thoi Gian group...