On June 23-24, the public in the capital will enjoy a special musical performance called “The Little Prince” at the Hanoi Opera House.

The program is organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and Vietnam (April 12, 1973 - April 12, 2023), and the 80th anniversary of the publication of the book "The Little Prince" (1973-2023).

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery (center) and representatives of units and agencies participating in the performance program shared at the press conference. (Photo: Le An)

At the press conference on the afternoon of June 20, French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery said that this is a special cultural exchange program with a combination of three elements: legendary and classic works of French literature, cartoons and musical works inspired by the story of The Little Prince and from paintings. These three elements will be harmoniously combined into a special art program.

According to French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery, the program not only brings a modern touch and fresh energy to this legendary work, but also fully conveys the spirit of author Saint-Exupéry to the audience.

Under the baton of conductor and French composer Marc-Olivier Dupin, the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will perform his own composition. The Little Prince becomes a free-spirited and poetic symphony, a subtle parallel to Saint-Exupéry's famous work.

Through the narration of Hua Thanh Tu and the expressive images of artist Joann Sfar, the symphony seems to invite contemplation of the sad poetry of human life and awaken the sleeping childhood in each person's soul.

In the first part of the program, under the guidance of conductor Tetsuji Honna, the violin of talented artist Bui Cong Duy will take the audience to explore the work Se chi thong kim , through the arrangement of composer Tran Manh Hung and two classic works by two famous French composers: L'Introduction et Rondo capriccioso in A minor, op.28 (Camille Saint-Saëns) and Khuc phuong extracted from the opera Thaïs (Jules Massenet).

Sharing about the performances, Director of the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra Trinh Tung Linh said that the program is special in that it combines three genres on stage at the same time, so during the rehearsal process, Vietnamese and French artists must closely coordinate these three genres.

French conductor and composer Marc-Olivier Dupin also expressed his hope for a good performance for the audience. For many years, he has been interested in and working on multidisciplinary projects such as drama projects, documentaries... combining speech, language and many other forms of expression.

The Little Prince was composed by Marc-Olivier Dupin in 2015, a small version performed with a narrator, projected drawings on a screen and music performed with the participation of 4 instruments. This time, he composed a new work, combined with illustrations by artist Joann Sfar. In addition to Vietnam, this work will also be performed in Switzerland, Germany and the UK in the near future.

At the press conference, Deputy Director of the Department of International Cooperation (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) Tran Hai Van was also excited about the program because the public will enjoy classic works through creative music by leading artists of the two countries.

Ms. Tran Hai Van shared: “This is a meaningful program to enhance people-to-people exchange and mutual understanding between Vietnam and France. I believe that this special performance will inspire Vietnamese artists to renew classic works through creative performances, bringing new emotions to the audience. Thereby, contributing to promoting the diversity of cultural expressions and developing cultural industries in Vietnam."

On this occasion, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also organized many cultural and artistic events in many localities of France, in conjunction with events of the French Embassy in Vietnam, which are expected to create an artistic mark for the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-France diplomatic relations.