—– Đọc bài tiếng Việt —–
On Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 of 2015 Professor, Composer and Librettist, P.Q. Phan appeared on Paris By Night 114 as an honored guest. During this appearance, an excerpt from his opera The Tale of Lady Thị Kính, the aria Taking You To The Market Place, was also performed.
Notes for the song by P.Q. Phan: Taking You to the Market Place, the last aria of Act II – Scene 9, is a transcendental song, both physically and spiritually. In this song, Tiểu Kính Tâm embraces an abandoned new born, taking him to the market place. The song divides into two parts: recitative and aria. In an aspirational tone, the recitative explains why Tiểu Kính Tâm decided to take the new born in as his own. And the aria is sad but uplifting, and a spiritual expression of a new venture for both. In both sections, the music travels from low to high as an aspiration to reach for a higher meaning of life via compassion and selflessness. The ascending direction of the music also indicates the foreseeable entrance into Nirvana of Tiểu Kính Tâm. In a comfortable “rocking – walking” rhythm, the aria portrays a warm uplifting spirit, instead of a depressing attitude, of the young monk toward the mortal challenge. The music, both recitative and aria, carefully conveys the profound meaning of the text. Each high or low note specifically portraits the meaning of the word. Toward the end, the word “live” is carried by the highest pitch to show his aspiration for the well-being of the new born; while the word “grow” is portrayed with a lower note to indicate the contrast to the monk’s ill health as death is near.
Taking You to the Market Place is performed by Teresa Mai, Hoang Nguyen, and Thi Nguyen.
Teresa Mai is a classical singer. She received her MA in Voice from Boston Conservatory. Hoang Nguyen is a music professor at Santa Ana College. He is pursuing a PhD degree in Piano at Claremont Graduate University. Thi Nguyen is a Juilliard graduate. He is currently Master Concert of Fresno Grand Opera.
anvi hoàng 