Soulful music night remembering Trinh

His music still remains in life, lives strongly, persistently, defying time... On the first night of April, in many locations in Vinh city, "Remembering Trinh", "Like a farewell", "Calling each other's names forever"... music programs were organized warmly and simply... for those who love Trinh's music to light candles, remember the talented musician, to sing together the beautiful melodies in the treasure trove of songs that he dedicated to life after more than 40 years of diligent composition. In those music nights, both the people who came to enjoy the music, and the performing artists, were moved...

Journalist Pham Thuy Vinh sang passionately at Trinh Cong Son's music night: Forever calling each other's names. Photo: Canh Yen

The concert left many unforgettable impressions in the hearts of Trinh music lovers. Photo: Cao Dong

For many years now, on the anniversary of the death of musician Trinh, journalist Thuy Vinh and her friends have organized music nights to remember him. At a coffee shop in the city, they play the guitar and sing Trinh's songs to each other. This year, she shared, is it because the chosen space is more spacious, or because of something else, that "Calling Each Other's Name Forever" - the name of the program they organized at a coffee shop on Nguyen Quoc Tri Street (Vinh City) - attracted a lot of listeners, mainly the 7x, 8x age group. The shop with a capacity of 300 audiences had no empty seats. It was so crowded, but still orderly enough for that space to be filled with only music.

Musician Hoang Son and singer Phuong Linh's family sang the song "Boarding" together with a cheerful melody. Photo: Canh Yen

The “artists” performing on stage were mostly not professional singers or musicians. They were journalists, photographers, teachers, engineers, office workers or laborers… who loved Trinh’s music passionately. In that concert, on stage there were “artists” in their 80s and even children as young as 5 or 6 years old singing together. They played instruments or sang their simple songs in an innocent, spontaneous way. The audience, mostly friends, enjoyed the music with respect and gratitude.

In the candlelight, the audience turned on their phone flashlights, swayed and sang along to the familiar melodies of “Staying in a Boarding House”, “Let’s Love Each Other”, “The Night Sees Us as a Waterfall”…. Ms. Thanh Nhan, an audience member present at the concert, shared her feelings: “We - those who have spent our youth loving Trinh Cong Son’s music, are very moved to sit in this space with friends who share the same interests and passion. There’s nothing to say, just being quiet to listen and absorb is enough.”

A warm music night with a large audience of Trinh music lovers. Photo: Canh Yen

Still amateur musicians, the Diem Xua Club also performed “Like a farewell” which was very touching and impressive to the audience. Mr. Xuan Dinh, a member of the Club, said: “None of us are professional artists, but because we love Trinh’s music, we gathered together, practiced music, and performed for people with the same interests as us. The audience quietly came to see us, and considered this a meeting place every weekend. Personally, I think that when it comes to Trinh’s music, just listen, without having to think about how old you are, who you are, or what job you are doing… Because Trinh is for everyone…”.

Beautiful and cozy space called "Like a farewell". Photo: Nguyet Anh

In the garden space, under the spring drizzle, the audience sat listening to teacher Ha Hue, businessman Huu Lam, auto engineer Bao Thai... sing their songs. Those amateur artists said that every time they sang Trinh's music, they felt like they found themselves in it and each time they sang, they were full of emotion. The organizers only arranged a certain number of chairs for guests to suit the not-so-large space of the restaurant. Without anyone telling them, they all tried to sit close together, leaving room for those who came later. At the end of the music night, the audience still didn't want to leave.

The small space of "Like a farewell" attracts a large audience. Photo: Nguyet Anh

Not only did the audience come to listen to Trinh's songs, they also expressed their love for the talented musician through their own works, and "introduced" them to friends who love Trinh Cong Son's music. On the stage of "Like a farewell", teacher Thu Hien (Ethnic Boarding High School) read the poem "Chieu Trinh", a composition she wrote on the day the musician passed away 22 years ago. The poem is her own memory, and also the feelings of all those who love the talented artist.“The crystal sunshine takes the angel to heaven/ I thought it was a joke on “April Fools’ Day”/ It’s so peaceful to return to dust/ I raise my glass to drain the day…”With her expressive voice, Thu Hien brought regret and emotion to the listeners when she shared that "Faced with life's upheavals, she relied on Trinh Cong Son's music to get through, even though the journey was still very shaky."

As a special gift to the talented musician and his fans, teacher Kim Oanh and her husband (Provincial Political School) combined the names of 139 of his love songs to create the song "Trinh Cong Son Love Songs". For the first time on stage, Meritorious Artist Diem Hang performed this song, bringing tears of emotion to the eyes of the composer Kim Oanh and her husband and the audience who love Trinh's music.

It is not difficult to understand that 22 years have passed since musician Trinh Cong Son passed away, but his musical legacy still lives in the hearts of the audience. In one way or another, organizing Trinh Cong Son's own music nights on the musician's death anniversary is also a way for many generations to preserve and continue Trinh's music, so that this music genre can have an everlasting vitality that is unchanging over time. Trinh Cong Son's music nights organized on the day of the musician's death have become a wonderful musical space for Vinh city audiences to immerse themselves in a stream of emotions. There, they can live with their passion, connect with like-minded souls to make a pilgrimage together to find the original values ​​of Trinh Cong Son's music, many years after he left this "temporary world".

Nguyet Anh