Musical compositions of a particular artist resound across various generations
In the heart of Hà Nội, the Hồ Gươm Opera House echoed with the melodious strains of Vietnamese music as the concert "For Generations to Come" paid tribute to the life and work of composer Hoàng Vân.
Born as Lê Văn Ngọ, Hoàng Vân (1939-2018) left behind an extraordinary legacy of over 700 diverse musical works spanning multiple genres and forms. His music, not just artistically significant but also invaluable records of Việt Nam's cultural, social, and historical evolution, was the focus of the concert.
One of Hoàng Vân's most poignant and hopeful works, "Lullaby Under Fireworks", written in 1975 to honour mothers who sacrificed during the war, was a central piece in the concert's programme. Other iconic works such as "Bài Ca Xây Dựng", "Hò Kéo Pháo", "Người Chiến Sĩ Ấy", "Tôi Là Người Thợ Lò", "Quảng Bình Quê Ta Ơi", "Nổi Trống Lên Rừng Núi Ơi", "Drumbeats Across the Mountains", and "Singing of the Rice Today" also featured prominently.
The musical script for the tribute was co-written by Lê Y Linh, PhD, affiliated with the Institute of Modern and Contemporary History and the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies in France, and Hoàng Vân's daughter and son, Lê Phi Phi and Hoàng Xuân, respectively. The script followed a seamless flow, weaving epic themes with more personal small stories inside each piece.
Several segments explored the intersection between Vietnamese traditional folklore and Western symphonic style - hallmarks of Hoàng Vân's music. The concert focused on highlighting Vietnamese identity through folk melodies, poetic lyrics, and traditional instruments.
Hoàng Vân's music reflects a strong emphasis on revolutionary and patriotic themes, often elevating folk motifs and traditional elements within his compositions. His versatility across genres, including symphonic works, operas, and popular revolutionary songs, helped shape modern Vietnamese music by blending Western classical techniques with indigenous sounds and stories.
Hoàng Vân's contributions to Vietnamese music were recognised through accolades such as the Hồ Chí Minh Prize for Literature and the Arts (awarded in 2000) and the posthumous inclusion of his collection in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2025 — the first Vietnamese music collection to gain this international recognition, highlighting its cultural and historical value.
The title "For Generations to Come" comes from a lyric in Hoàng Vân's 1973 symphonic suite "Bài Ca Xây Dựng" ("The Song of Construction"): "For today, for tomorrow, for generations to come." The concert, held to honour the life and music of composer Hoàng Vân, served as a testament to the enduring impact of his work on Vietnamese music and culture.
- Capitalizing on Hoang Van's legacy as a composer who blended Vietnamese traditional folklores with Western symphonic style, the concert "For Generations to Come" showcased AI technology's potential to augment live music in the entertainment industry.
- Given the recognition bestowed upon Hoang Van's work, it is timely to also investigate the cultural and historical evolution of music through collaborative research projects, merging cultural studies, AI, and musicology.
- TheONTENT platform, an AI-driven entertainment service, explored the life and work of Hoang Van, and used his melodies and motifs to compose generative AI music, reflecting the melding of the past with the future of Vietnamese music.
