Special artistic activities honoring poetess Ho Xuan Huong in Nghe An
(Baonghean.vn) - On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the birth and 200th anniversary of the death of poetess Ho Xuan Huong, on December 2-3, Nghe An province coordinated with central ministries and branches to organize many activities to honor the great contributions of the talented poetess.
Special art program
The most anticipated and also the highlight of the art activities is the Musical Art Program "Vi day doi phan lam trai duoc" performed at the Ceremony to honor and celebrate the 250th birth anniversary and 200th death anniversary of poetess Ho Xuan Huong at Ho Chi Minh Square.
 |
| Stage design image of the special art program commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth and 200th anniversary of the death of poetess Ho Xuan Huong. Photo: Minh Quan. |
Playwright Vu Hai – the scriptwriter said that the name of the program is a line of poetry in the poem “De den Sam Nghi Dong” by poetess Ho Xuan Huong. The poem is considered the pinnacle of the desire for gender equality, the desire to realize the ambition, to establish a glorious career like the men of a small woman like Ho Xuan Huong.
"Although 'if this is a change of fate' is still just a desire, Ho Xuan Huong has made a great career as a hero in the struggle for equality and women's rights in contemporary feudal society. That is also the main idea that the program wants to bring to the audience," said Mr. Hai.
The art program “If I could change my fate to become a man” will have the participation of nearly 400 actors and singers, including 180 professional dancers, 200 extras and 8 singers.
With a structure that interweaves the past and present, using Vi Giam folk songs and dance drama to string together events, the program consists of 5 segments:The first five months of life(about Ho Xuan Huong's childhood);ups and downs(about the unfinished love affairs of Ho Xuan Huong);Human pain(Ho Xuan Huong's feelings before the chaotic times);Poetry in dialogue with... poetry(Perform typical poems of Ho Xuan Huong);Meet the lovers in poetry(Ho Xuan Huong's autobiography about life).
 |
A performance at the rehearsal of the program honoring and commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth and 200th anniversary of the death of Poet Ho Xuan Huong. Photo: Minh Quan |
Notably, in the first section, there is a section depicting the character Ho Xuan Huong, 11 years old, returning to her hometown for the first time, joyfully immersed in the prosperous countryside, immersed in Vi, Giam verses and the hidden meanings of Nghe An Confucian scholars... The verses "clear yet vulgar, vulgar yet clear" intertwined with Vi-Giam folk melodies made Xuan Huong extremely excited, and then "clear yet vulgar, vulgar yet clear" followed Xuan Huong throughout her poetic career...
Since then, the little girl Xuan Huong has absorbed the love of the land, the love of people, the tolerance, the straightforwardness with a bit of indifference of the people of Nghe An and the Nghe An spirit has become more and more clearly formed in Xuan Huong after that trip back to her hometown.
Also at this art program, the audience will enjoy many unique songs written about Ho Xuan Huong such as "Ho Xuan Huong, the soul of poetry is stirring" (Pham Viet Toan), "Banh troi nuoc" (Ho Hoai Anh), "Noi dau nhan the" (Xuan Thuy), "Tu hao Ho Xuan Huong" (Ho Trong Tuan)...
Ho Xuan Huong is one of the most famous poets of Vietnam, known as the “Queen of Nom poetry”. She left behind about 150 poems, including the collection “Luu Huong Ky” (with 24 poems in Chinese characters, 28 poems in Nom characters) and about 100 other poems in a folk, liberal style, expressing the uniqueness and richness of the Vietnamese language. Ho Xuan Huong’s poems have been translated into many languages. Many great foreign poets praised her as one of the leading female poets in Asia, the most unique Vietnamese poet in world poetry. In the country, there are many schools, streets, cultural residential areas, literary and artistic awards… named after her.
The 41st session of the UNESCO General Assembly (taking place from November 9 to 24, 2021 in Paris, France) approved the list of cultural celebrities and historical events for the 2022-2023 academic year. At this session, the dossier commemorating the 250th anniversary of the birth and 200th anniversary of the death of poetess Ho Xuan Huong was approved.
Drawings of "The Queen of Nom Poetry"
Another special activity on this occasion is the Painting Exhibition of Ho Xuan Huong's Poetry with the theme "Ho Xuan Huong - Talent and Mystery". With 120 portraits of Ho Xuan Huong as well as illustrations of the works of the "Queen of Nom Poetry", the exhibition has affirmed that Ho Xuan Huong's Poetry is not only welcomed by many literary researchers at home and abroad, many translators but also a source of inspiration for many works of art.
 |
Artist Nguyen Tuan Son (far left) introduces paintings about Ho Xuan Huong's poems to provincial leaders and people. Photo: Minh Quan. |
Abroad, the book “Ho Xuan Huong – Poezje” with its poems translated into Polish is considered a “perfect” book in terms of form and content. The poems of the Vietnamese “Queen of Nom Poetry” were illustrated by Polish artist Andrzej Strumillo (1927 – 2020) with modern language using two colors: black and white, sometimes abstract, sometimes cubism…, giving the viewer a feeling of interest and relaxation.
In the country, the most representative painter of Ho Xuan Huong's poetry is painter Bui Xuan Phai (1920-1988) with nearly 90 paintings commissioned by publishers and inspired by Nom books, painted in an impressionist style, with oil and watercolor materials.
Besides, we cannot forget to mention the painter Le Lam (1931-2022) - who is famous for his sketches of the battlefield. He did not draw many paintings of Ho Xuan Huong but they were used to illustrate many books of criticism or illustrations of Ho Xuan Huong's poetry.
Among the contemporary artists who illustrate Ho Xuan Huong's poems, the most notable is artist Nguyen Tuan Son, with more than 500 works after more than 21 years of working on this subject.
“Born in Thai Binh, but in my career as a painter, I have had a great affinity with famous cultural figures of Nghe An such as Nguyen Du and Ho Xuan Huong. Since childhood, my grandfather read and taught me a lot about Ho Xuan Huong’s poetry. I also really liked the paintings of Ho Xuan Huong’s poetry and historical figures from the books I read as a child.
 |
| A work at the Painting Exhibition on Ho Xuan Huong's Poetry. Photo: Minh Quan |
To understand and “paint” Ho Xuan Huong’s poetry, I also researched all the data related to the poetess Kieu Ho Xuan Huong, finding the symbols of each character and verse. My understanding of Ho Xuan Huong is that she is a courageous woman who uses her writing style to express her timeless thoughts.
Therefore, when illustrating Ho Xuan Huong’s poems, I try to combine Western painting with national artistic values. Hidden in the strong and sharp color strokes are the lines of village communal house sculpture, temple art and festival colors… This is a combination of national colors that I really like,” artist Nguyen Tuan Son shared.
Previously, also in a series of activities to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth and 200th anniversary of the death of poetess Ho Xuan Huong, last September, at the National Historical Site of Ho Family Temple, Quynh Doi Commune, Quynh Luu District, a poetry and music program took place to honor the values of Ho Xuan Huong's poetry.
The program featured over 15 poetry and music performances by 60 poets and composers of works written about the “Queen of Nom poetry” Ho Xuan Huong. The works were performed through songs and poetry recitals by the poets in a simple but emotional tone and received applause from the public.
