Pham Thu Ha and Duc Tuan lead 'Melodies of Pride' in December.
The medley "Greetings, Liberation Army Soldier, Greetings to the Great Victory Spring" – "That Soldier," performed by two classical singers Pham Thu Ha and Duc Tuan, received a record-high number of votes (96.91%) in the December edition of the "Melodies of Pride" program with the theme "For the People, We Forget Ourselves," broadcast last night (December 26) on VTV1 – Vietnam Television.
For her debut on the "Melodies of Pride" stage, Pham Thu Ha not only fully expressed the overwhelming emotions of the great victory of Spring 1975 through the classic work of composer Hoang Van, but the young singer from the Dedication Awards also creatively added a segment mimicking the joyful sound of a nightingale celebrating the victory. This was also one of the rare songs that received a standing ovation from the entire studio audience.
Medley clip:
Listening to Pham Thu Ha's performance, Doctor of Science Doan Huong commented that the song is a precious gem entrusted to a skilled craftsman, making the finished product even more dazzling and valuable.
The second-highest-rated song (with 95.57%) was "National Guard" by composer Phan Huynh Dieu, performed by three singers from the MTV group: Le Minh, Anh Tuan, and Thien Vuong.
This song received much praise from the two panels of guest commentators. While poet and journalist Tran Huu Viet compared the National Guard soldiers to the valiant warriors of Jing Ke, Doctor of Science Doan Huong remarked: “Listening to this song, I am reminded of Pushkin’s poem: ‘Let words ignite the hearts of countless people.’ This song achieves that. The music and lyrics, simply by being spoken, have the power to move and penetrate people’s hearts. I saw in the performance hall that everyone spontaneously applauded, everyone wanted to join the National Guard soldiers of the past, those valiant and loyal soldiers. Therefore, this is not just a display of heroism, but also a heroic anthem.”
The trio of Dang Duong, Trong Tan, and Viet Hoan were also an indispensable highlight of the December edition of "Melodies of Pride," performing two songs: "For the People, We Forget Ourselves" with Meritorious Artist Cao Minh, and "Vietnamese Soldiers." However, these "classical" versions of the People's Army's music did not receive high voting results. Perhaps this is because all the artists who have performed this song before have never deviated from the song's original style. Not too far from the old style, this performance by the trio of revolutionary singers differed only slightly in their choice of a faster, more contemporary tempo.
Furthermore, in the program, singer Trong Tan also revamped the song "Tien Buoc Duoc Quan Ky" (Marching Under the Military Banner) in a vibrant rock style with electronic music by young DJ Thao Nhi. The song's tempo was fast, and the rock sections were performed appropriately and subtly. Contrary to initial concerns, Trong Tan's performance received positive reactions from both the senior and junior judging panels. However, the final result only accounted for 89.44% of the total votes.
Sharing his thoughts after the performance, singer Trong Tan said: “I never thought I would sing rock. When I received the arrangement of the song, I was quite worried, even considering refusing it. Shocked and hesitant – those were my feelings throughout the rehearsal and filming of this song.”
Singer Trong Tan
Finally, the three veteran singers: Bich Viet, Thuy Mi, and Ro Cham Phiang, evoked many touching memories with the song "Every Step We Take." Although their voices may no longer be as strong, the spirit of these three former frontline heroes earned everyone's respect. Meritorious Artist Thuy Mi simply stated: "I've spent my whole life singing on countless battlefields for so many soldiers, and this is the first time I've received such a large fee. Money isn't important to us; 50-100 thousand dong is fine, as long as we can contribute our voices to the people."
During the program, the organizers also announced the final results for November. The two songs that received the highest percentage of votes were "Tình đất đỏ miền Đông" sung by Dan Truong (80.32%) and "Những cô gái đồng bằng sông Cửu Long" performed by People's Artist Thu Hien (72.11%).
The 2014 Proud Melodies Gala Night will take place at the end of January 2015 in Hanoi.
According to the Cultural Center
