Under the project, all 3,254 verses of the epic poem were recited and recorded in a total time of 561 minutes.

The recital featured the beautiful voices of People’s Artists Thanh Hoai and Thuy Nga, Meritorious Artist Quoc Khanh, Van Phuong and Thuy Nga, whose performances were accompanied by zitherist Tran Que Huong, instrumentalist Pham Duc Minh, flutist Le Tien Trung, and fiddle player Xuan Hai.

People’s Artists Thanh Hoai (centre) reciting an extract from ‘The Tale of Kieu’.

The recordings of the recital were divided into 12 parts with an average length of between 30 to 100 minutes, scheduled to be introduced to viewers via the YouTube Channel ‘Folklore Songs and Music’ at 8 pm every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from April 1 to 24.

The project was initiated by folklore music researcher Nguyen Quang Long, the founder of the YouTube Channel ‘Folklore Songs and Music’, the aim being to promote the time-honoured value of the ‘The Tale of Kieu’ as well as the charm of Vietnamese traditional music.

Across 3,254 verses, written in luc bat ("six–eight") meter, the ‘Tale of Kieu’ is widely regarded as the most significant work of Vietnamese literature.

The poem recounts the life, trials and tribulations of Thuy Kieu, a beautiful and talented young woman, who has to sacrifice herself to save her family.

The masterpiece has been translated into many foreign languages, including Russian, French, English, German, Romanian and Spanish.

Painter shows passion for Nguyen Du’s epic poem ‘Tale of Kieu’

Starting drawing illustrations inspired from ‘Tale of Kieu’ in 1999, 42-year-old painter Nguyen Tuan Son got the nickname ‘Son Kieu’ by his colleagues for his long-time passion for the masterpiece.

Masterpiece ‘Tale of Kieu’ staged in puppetry

The experimental puppetry play “Kieu’s Fate”, which was inspired by the Vietnamese masterpiece “Tale of Kieu” and staged by the Vietnam National Puppetry Theatre, has been introduced widely to audiences over recent weeks at the Hanoi Opera House.

Vietnam’s masterpiece ‘Tale of Kieu’ to be adapted for ballet stage for the first time

The Ho Chi Minh Ballet, Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) is creating a new ballet based on Vietnam’s 18th century poetic masterpiece ‘Tale of Kieu’ by celebrated poet Nguyen Du (1776- 1820), marking the first time the masterpiece has been adapted to ballet stage.

Source: NDO