2023 marks the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Sergei Rachmaninov (1873  – 1943) and the 70th Anniversary of the Death of Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953). In honor of these visionary composers, on June 25, the Ho Chi Minh City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera will celebrate with an evening of their works as performed by accomplished pianist Trà Nguyễn and conducted by Trần Nhật Minh.  

A master of numerous genres including operas, symphonies, ballets, concertos and sonatas, Sergei Prokofiev’s career left an indelible mark on classical music in the 19th Century. While global fame during his lifetime was hampered by the Cold War tensions that impacted critics and audiences, his legacy has endured. His children’s symphonic fairy tale, Peter and the Wolf, in particular, remains one of the world’s most played and listened to classical songs to this day.

The HBSO will perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 19, which he composed in 1917 and premiered on October 18, 1923, at the Paris Opera. The delay was attributed to Prokofiev’s migratory lifestyle in the ensuing years as well as the challenges in finding a suitable violin soloist. Its Paris debut was a disappointment, in part because of the French audiences preferring more stylish, controversial pieces. But Concerto No. 1 faired much better when later performed in Prague and then elsewhere in Europe and America.

The piece is noted for its shifting tones and energies. It begins softly and lyrically in the first movement before growing bold and violent in the second and returning to a calmer, lighter tone for the final movement. For the performance at the Saigon Opera House, Jeon Minh will perform the violin solo.

While Prokofiev is remembered most fondly as a composer, Sergei Rachmaninov’s greatest lasting legacy may be as a virtuosic pianist. Unlike Prokofiev, whose career mostly occurred in Russia, Rachmaninov spent the majority of his productive years touring in America. 

Rachmaninov composed Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, op. 30 in the summer of 1909 and served as the piano soloist when it premiered that year in New York City. Notoriously difficult to play, it appealed to and frustrated many pianists. Critics contend that its melodic density and the first movement’s complexity make it among the most challenging of all of Rachmaninoff's works but also perhaps the pinnacle of his career as a composer.

British-Vietnamese pianist Trà Nguyễn will be seated at the piano for Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Saigon Opera House. With previous performances praised as “coruscating” (The Independent), “sophisticated” (Rheinpfalz-Zeitung) and possessing “surpassing artistry and passion” (American Record Guide), she will offer audiences a thrilling take on the famous concerto. Born in Vietnam, she made her first public solo appearance at the Hanoi Grand Opera House at the age of ten. She has since gone on to perform at prestigious venues in England, Tokyo, Hong Kong and elsewhere with live radio and television broadcasts appearing around the world.

Trần Nhật Minh, the Head and Chorusmaster of the HBSO Opera will conduct the evening. After earning his Master's degree from Moscow’s Tchaikovsky Conservatory, he performed with the Moscow Conservatory’s Chamber Chorus in Russia, France, Italy and elsewhere and won Best Conductor in the National Competition of Voice-Dance and Music for his work with the HSBO in 2009.