Since1995, the Japanese have held a series of “Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9”charity choirs and concerts across European countries. Two decadeslater, Hanoi has been chosen as the first Asian destination of the tour.
Symphony No. 9 (also known as “the Choral”) is Beethoven’sfinal complete symphony. Completed in 1824, it is one of the best-knownworks in classical music. Part of the piece forms the official song ofthe European Union (EU).
The Symphony will be performed by theVietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO), Japanese and Vietnamesechoruses, soloists Sano Masahito (Baritone), Uehara Masatoshi (Tenor),Phuong Nga (sopranpo), Phuong Uyen (alto), under the baton of Japaneseconductor Kotahara Yukio.
It has been nearly a century sinceBeethoven’s Symphony No. 9 was first performed in Japan in 1918.Japanese consider choir and concert performances of Symphony No. 9 to bepart of their culture.-VNA