Following its successful tour to Thailand in mid-May, the Evergreen Symphony Orchestra (ESO), an affiliate of the Chang Yung-fa Foundation, is currently touring Vietnam for the second time. Four concerts are scheduled for this week-long tour.
Playing the first concert of the tour on September 24, to a full house in Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon Opera House, the concert drew considerable attention from all walks of life throughout local society and the overseas Taiwanese community. In large part, this positive experience was due to the rich and diverse repertoire offered by the ESO, marking another successful example of promoting cultural exchange between Taiwan and Vietnam.
The concert was conducted by distinguished Austrian opera conductor Lorenz Aichner, presenting a wide range of musical styles, including Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Ronald Binge’s Elizabethan Serenade, Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2, as well as folksongs from Taiwan (Clinking Coins), Vietnam (Afternoon Sunlight), the United States (My Old Kentucky Home), along with folk songs from European countries. In addition, theme songs from multiple classic films, such as Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean, were performed.
Meanwhile, famous Vietnamese singer Dương Hoàng Yến was invited to share the stage with the ESO, aiming to bridge the gap between the regular concert going and broader audiences by sharing the power and beauty of the arts. Along with the ESO, Dương Hoàng Yến showcased her artistry in four songs – Một Vòng Việt Nam and Chiếc Khăn Piêu selected from Vietnamese pop music, Chinese song The Moon Represents My Heart, and the classic piece by the Carpenters, Top of The World – leaving the audience with strong memories. At the end of the concert, the ESO gave spirited encores, including Fine Alpine Milkman and Mambo Italiano, for which they received enthusiastic and appreciative audience applause.
The ESO will perform its second concert at Saigon Opera House this evening (September 25), followed by two concerts in Hanoi. The final concert, scheduled for September 29 at the Hanoi Ho Guom Opera, will feature Olivier Ochanine, French conductor of the Sun Symphony Orchestra (affiliated with the local Sun Group), who will lead the ESO and the SSO in a joint performance. With this being the ESO’s second visit to Vietnam ( first tour was in 2019), a new chapter in Taiwan-Vietnam cultural exchange is being opened. Since 2004, the ESO has toured overseas performing more than 80 concerts.
