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Blood, Sweat and Tears
Coriolan (or Ouvertüre Coriolan an die Deutschen) was written by the late, great Ludwig van Beethoven back in 1807. Like all great compositions, it journeys through the realms of war, death, family feuds, and of course suicide. What’s not to like? For years it was claimed by some to have been written for Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, but after some contestation it was eventually agreed that it was in fact composed for Heinrich Joseph von Collin's 1804 tragedy Coriolan. The structure of the piece does follow Collin’s play in a general way; the ending shouts suicide! as opposed to murder!, which concludes Shakespeare’s play.
Also being performed the same evening is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, K.467, and Antonin Dvorak’s most popular work Symphony No. 9 in E minor Op. 95, widely known as the New World Symphony.
The concert takes place at 8pm on May 28 and 29 at Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem. Tickets are priced from VND200,000. Swing by the venue’s box office, or order from www.ticketvn.com, ticketvn@gmail.com or 0913 489858
Stopping the Traffic
MTV is staging a free concert at Hanoi’s My Dinh Stadium this month, in a nation-wide campaign aimed at combating human trafficking. A series of live events, TV programmes and youth engagement activities will build up to the flagship event on May 26, which sees rock band Simple Plan take to the stage in this large-scale outdoor concert. The event is being produced in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MOCST), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Australian Government’s Agency for International Development (AusAID), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Hailing from Montreal, Simple Plan’s infectiously catchy brand of adolescent pop-punk has seen them reach enviable chart positions across Asia, South America, Scandinavia and Europe, and shift a remarkable seven million records worldwide. In their debut live performance in Vietnam, the band sees the association with human trafficking as a vital part of their outlook. “Human trafficking is a horrible crime with devastating consequences for so many young people and their families,” says the band’s French-Canadian drummer Chuck Comeau. “We are proud to stand together with MTV EXIT and their partners in the fight against exploitation. We can’t wait to play in Vietnam for the first time and are looking forward to informing our fans on how they can get involved and help out.”
MTV EXIT takes place at My Dinh Stadium on May 26. To find out more about the event and to apply for free tickets check out www.mtvexit.org or follow MTV EXIT on Twitter @mtvexit and www.facebook.com/mtvexit
In Harmony
It’s no mean feat when you can list Nelson Mandela, the Pope and the British Royal Family amongst your fans. But acapella group Black Voices can, and it’s not hard to see or hear why. Over a staggering 24-year career, the group has shared the stage with many musical greats including the late Ray Charles and Nina Simone. Having enjoyed extensive international touring, from Australia to China, Taiwan to South Africa, Malawi to Lesotho, Namibia to Cameroon and just about everywhere in-between, Black Voices celebrate their African, Caribbean and British heritage through traditional folk, jazz, gospel, pop and reggae. Transcending gender, race, religious persuasion and age, Black Voices blend spine-tingling harmonies with elegant, soulful vocals. Cancel everything, it’s going to be glorious.
Black Voices will perform at Hanoi Opera House on May 21, at 8pm. Tickets are from VND50,000, and can be purchased from the venue box office at 1 Trang Tien, Hoan Kiem, or ordered from www.ticketvn.com, ticketvn@gmail.com or 0913 489858
