Hanoi set for nights of western classical music

The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra will host concerts by world-renowned Japanese conductor Tetsuji Honna and Japanese pianist Koyama Michie this week.

Koyama, 51, will perform works by Beethoven like Leonore Overture No.1, Piano Concerto No.5 “Emperor” in E Major, and Symphony No.5 in C Minor.

She started learning the piano at the age of five and went to high school and university at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.

Koyama has won several international awards – in the 1980’s she became the first Japanese pianist to win prizes at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow and Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw.

She has performed at major music festivals. In 1999 she took part in the International Chopin Festival in Spain, playing Mozart, Bach, Rachmaninov, Scriabin, and Chopin.

Tetsuji Honna, also a multiple award winner, has been the VNSO’s musical adviser and conductor since 2001.

The concerts will be held at the Hanoi Opera House Wednesday and Thursday and tickets will cost VND150,000 (US$7.70) to VND300,000.