Acclaimed Japanese conductor to lead Mozart concert

Internationally acclaimed conductor Honna Tetsuji will lead a concert featuring the music of Mozart at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on June 8.
Internationally acclaimed conductor Honna Tetsuji will lead a concert featuring the music of Mozart at the HCM City Opera House on June 8. Photo courtesy of HBSO

Internationally acclaimed conductor Honna Tetsuji will lead a concert featuring the music of Mozart at the HCM City Opera House on June 8. Photo courtesy of HBSO

The concert will open with the Overture from the three-act opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio).

Mozart wrote the opera to a German libretto by Gottlieb Stephanie, based on Christoph Friedrich Bretzner's Belmont und Constanze, oder Die Entführung aus dem Serail (Belmonte and Konstanze, The Abduction from the Seraglio).

The play is about the attempt of hero Belmonte to rescue his beloved Konstanze from the seraglio (sequestered living quarters used by wives and concubines in an Ottoman household) of Pasha Selim.

It premiered in July 1782 at the Vienna Burgtheater, with the composer as the conductor.

The performance will feature the HCM City Opera Symphony Orchestra and Ballet’s (HBSO) symphony orchestra.

The night will continue with the three-movement Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra composed in 1779.

The work will be played by violinist Nguyen Cong Thang and violist Pham Vu Thien Bao.

Thang graduated from the Vietnam Academy of Music and later studied at the Hong Kong Music Academy.

He has performed with the Hong Kong Music Academy Orchestra in Austria, France, Italy, the UK and Thailand.

Bao holds a master's degree in viola performance from the Paris National Conservatory of Music.

He has worked with many renowned musicians and orchestras, and performed at many music festivals in France.

In 2015, Bao returned to Vietnam and launched his musical projects to develop classical music in the country.

The programme will include Symphony No. 35, which is also called the Haffner Symphony.

Mozart wrote the symphony in 1782 to mark the birthday of a member of the Haffners, a prominent family in Salzburg, Austria. It premiered in 1983 at the Vienna Burgtheater.

The four-movement work will be performed by HBSO.

Conductor Tetsuji studied at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and the London Sinfonietta, an English contemporary chamber orchestra.

He has won several top prizes at international competitions, including the Tokyo International Competition, Arturo Toscanini International Conductor Competition, and Budapest International Conductor Competition.

He has conducted numerous orchestras including La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra of Italy, the Hungarian State Symphony Orchestra and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.

He was appointed music advisor and conductor of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) from 2001-2009, and as the orchestra's director from 2011.

He took the VNSO to perform at New York's Carnegie Hall and Boston Symphony Hall in the US in 2011, the Teatro La Fenice Venice opera house, Capella Paolina chapel and Italian Presidential Palace in Italy in 2013, and the Grand Hall of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and Grand Hall of the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic in Russia in 2014.

The concert will begin at 8pm at 7 Lam Son square in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue.

VNS/VNA

Other News

Vietnam secure berth at FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 for first time

Vietnam secure berth at FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 for first time

Vietnam national U17 football team secured a place at the FIFA U17 World Cup 2026 for the first time after defeating United Arab Emirates national U17 football team 3-2 on in the final Group C match of the AFC U17 Asian Cup 2026 in Saudi Arabia on early May 14 (Vietnam time).

Vietnam’s most beautiful railway station twins with French counterpart

Vietnam’s most beautiful railway station twins with French counterpart

A twinning agreement between Da Lat Railway Station in Vietnam and Trouville-Deauville Railway Station in France was signed at the French Embassy in Vietnam on May 7, creating new opportunities for cooperation in station management and operations, as well as cultural and tourism promotion between the two sides.

Hanoi gains two more craft villages in World Crafts Cities network

Hanoi gains two more craft villages in World Crafts Cities network

The recognition of Chuyen My and Son Dong craft villages as members of the World Crafts Cities network represents international acknowledgement of the cultural value, artisanal techniques, creativity and sustainable vitality of Vietnam’s traditional craft villages, he said.

Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2026 to return in September

Thang Long - Hanoi Festival 2026 to return in September

Co-hosted by the municipal People’s Committee, the Department of Culture and Sports, and domestic and foreign agencies, the whole spectacle is meant to honour the city’s millennia-old heritage while reafffirming its strategy of establishing culture as a development engine.

Spreading Vietnamese cultural identity in digital space

Spreading Vietnamese cultural identity in digital space

In the context of deep international integration, cultural identity serves as both a “shield” against assimilation and a defining marker of a nation’s image. Protecting and promoting uniquely Vietnamese cultural values has therefore become a pressing task, particularly in an increasingly complex digital environment.

ITE HCMC 2026 to promote Vietnam’s tourism on global map

ITE HCMC 2026 to promote Vietnam’s tourism on global map

With its large scale, the ITE HCMC 2026 aims to promote tourism cooperation between Vietnam and priority markets such as Northeast Asia, Western Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and Oceania while also boosting visitor arrivals from the Indian market

Vietnamese puppetry seeks renewal amid preservation challenges

Vietnamese puppetry seeks renewal amid preservation challenges

Although widely regarded as a cultural “speciality” attracting tourists, Vietnamese puppetry is facing multiple challenges in preservation and development, requiring renewed efforts to both safeguard its identity and adapt to contemporary cultural currents.

Project on digital transformation in cultural sector approved

Project on digital transformation in cultural sector approved

By 2030, the project targets the establishment of shared digital platforms across 100% of cultural sectors. All digitised cultural heritage will be standardised under the national data framework and shared in accordance with regulations, while 80% of public digital heritage assets are expected to receive digital identifiers to clarify ownership and management, encouraging organisations and individuals to do the same and support market development.

Vietnam eyes becoming region’s leading tourism destination

Vietnam eyes becoming region’s leading tourism destination

Vietnam has in recent years undergone a notable transformation in its tourism development strategy, placing a strong emphasis on nature-based and eco-tourism. This shift is not merely aligned with global trends, but represents a necessary step towards safeguarding valuable natural resources, while appealing to a growing segment of environmentally conscious travellers.