Restoration and performance of the musical "Miss Sao"

The classic cultural heritage of the late musician Do Nhuan from the 1960s will be recreated and performed at the Hanoi Opera House on the evenings of November 24 and 25.

On the afternoon of November 12, a press conference for the musical play Co Sao took place in Hanoi. Musician Do Hong Quan – son of the late musician Do Nhuan – happily announced that after more than a year, he and his colleagues had restored nearly 1,000 pages of the score of the opera Co Sao. First released in 1965, this is considered the first musical of the 20th century Vietnamese revolutionary music.

The press conference to announce the crew for the new version of the opera "Co Sao" took place on the afternoon of November 12 in Hanoi.

Inspired by the profound philosophical verse of President Ho Chi Minh: “There are thousands of bitter things in life, nothing is more bitter than losing freedom…”, musician Do Nhuan composed Co Sao between 1960 and 1963 and performed it for the first time in Hanoi on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the National Day of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1965).

In 1976, the musical Co Sao was re-staged in a shorter version. Both performances in 1965 and 1976 were staged by the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet with famous singers of the past such as Ngoc Dau, Kim Dinh, Hoang Hoa, Tam Trung, etc.

Poster of the musical "Miss Star" 2012 version.

The main character of the musical is Miss Sao - a beautiful, young Thai girl, but poor, orphaned and trapped by a mandarin who wanted to turn her into a dancer for entertainment. Her life went through many hardships and sufferings before she became enlightened about the revolution. The theme of Miss Sao's life story is the revolution to liberate people.

Returning after a long period of being forgotten and lost, Co Sao was restored, renewed and supplemented with new arrangements by the son of musician Do Nhuan, Do Hong Quan. The main conductor of the musical is Honna Tetsuji - Music Director and Conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. The work required a large team (nearly 200 people) to practice hard from August until now.

Mr. Honna Tetsuji said: “I love Vietnam and also love my homeland Japan. Do Nhuan is a great composer of Vietnam and his son, Do Hong Quan, is also considered a representative musician of modern Vietnamese music. As a Japanese and a musician, I am extremely touched and grateful for the opportunity to conduct the musical Co Sao, which was revived after 36 years of absence, right on the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the birth of musician Do Nhuan.”

A scene from the play "Miss Sao" performed in 1965. In the photo are two characters Miss Sao (left - played by artist Ngoc Dau) and Ms. Van, a revolutionary cadre.

Musician Do Hong Quan said the most difficult part of this project was the restoration of the score, followed by the compilation and improvement. The original was lost due to poor preservation and storage, so the entire copy could not be kept. The President of the Vietnam Musicians Association recently found his father's handwritten pencil drafts and has been trying to restore nearly 1,000 pages for over a year.

Mr. Do Hong Quan also added that the music this time will be re-arranged, re-arranged or expanded in important parts. However, overall, the third performance of Co Sao will still respect the originality of the original script. This musical will be performed for two hours and three scenes.

Playing the main role, Miss Sao, in this third version is Ha Pham Thang Long, a soprano singer of the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet. The Muong ethnic girl who represented Vietnam at the international opera competition in the US in 2004 is expected to bring a new breeze to Miss Sao compared to the singers who have successfully played this character, Ngoc Dau and Le Dung.

Artist Ha Pham Thang Long plays the role of Miss Sao in the third version, which will be performed at the end of this month.

The re-enactment and restoration of the opera Cô Sao has many meanings for Vietnamese music. Not only is it a performance to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the birth of musician Đỗ Nhuận - former General Secretary of the Vietnam Musicians Association, Term I, II and the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam Musicians Association, Cô Sao is also like a tribute to many generations of Vietnamese people who appreciate classical music. Older audiences have the opportunity to relive old memories, while young audiences can learn about a musical of great historical significance. This is truly a priceless cultural heritage that needs to be preserved and conserved for future generations.

Currently, the cast and musicians are urgently rehearsing for the play on November 24 and 25 at the Hanoi Opera House. In addition, musician Do Hong Quan revealed that if he has the opportunity, he hopes to bring this work to the place where his father - a prisoner during the French colonial period and a revolutionary musician - nurtured and "conceived" Co Sao, Son La.

The organizers have not yet announced ticket prices, but according to Meritorious Artist Nguyen Tri Dung, Director of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra, ticket prices for the opera Co Sao will be equivalent to or slightly higher than those for a regular classical concert at the Hanoi Opera House. The opening night will be broadcast live on VTV.

According to (Vietnamnet) - QN