The Music of Vietnam 3 CD Boxed Set [BOX SET] Music Of Vietnam (Series), Various Artists - International - Far East - Audio CD (December 1, 1995)

Editorial Reviews
Volumes 1.1 and 1.2 concentrate on an ensemble of 15 musicians who are among the most respected in Vietnam. They are professors at the conservatories and well-known artists and performers. They present modern "folk" music on traditional and adapted instruments; lutes, one string fiddles, flutes, and percussion dominate the tracks presented, with solo pieces and soloists backed by larger ensembles. Most are theatrical works, carefully arranged and presented, rather than raw field recordings. The western influences are subtle but obvious throughout. One of the standout sounds of Volume 1.1 is the dan bau and an electric cousin. It's a single string attached to a soundboard and a flexible neck. The neck is pulled to create the notes and a glissandi ornamentation, giving the distinct feeling of a slide guitar playing some ancient precursor to the blues. Volume 2 is a major undertaking--one of the few high quality recordings made of the Imperial ceremonial music of the ancient city of Hue. It is a distinctive mix of folk instruments and courtly formality--a highly disciplined and richly ornamented music originally conceived for moments of importance and ceremony. The focus is on the voices and the stories they tell. David Parsons went to Hanoi and Hue to record the music for this set, and he created excellent ambiance as well as choosing wonderful artists and musical selections. Each of the three CDs is also available separately. --Louis Gibson

===============

Music from Lost Kingdom: Hue Vietnam ~ The Perfume River Traditional Ensemble Audio CD (April 21, 1998) Original Release Date: April 21, 1998

This Vietnamese classical court ensemble plays in a style which dates from the 11th Century. For a while during the Vietnam War, the city of Hue retained its sacrosanct hands-off status, but eventually got engulfed by the conflict. The ensemble, meanwhile, became cultural ambassadors -- a position they continue to fill. The striking thing about the repertoire is how closely it resembles classical Chinese and Japanese music, with koto-like lutes and languid vocals, rather than the quirky and hypnotic folk styles of various Vietnamese provinces. Meditative, stately music... definitely worth checking out
=================

Vietnamese Traditional Dan Bau Music Pham Duc Thanh Audio CD (November 5, 2002) Original Release Date: October 1, 2002

Album Description
Pham Duc Thanh performs traditional Vietnamese music on the dan bau, a single-stringed instrument. The Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist is known as one of the world's leading exponents of traditional Vietnamese music. Besides his solo work, Pham has also appeared on over 20 internationally released CDs including the movie soundtrack for Tony Bui's "Three Seasons", winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. This digitally recorded CD contains a 12-page booklet.

About the Artist
Internationally acclaimed dan bau player, Pham Duc Thanh was born in Ninh Binh, northern Vietnam, in 1956. Displaying a remarkable musical aptitude as a child, Pham was already playing the dan bau (monochord) as well as the dan tranh (16-string zither) and dan nhi (two-string fiddle) by the age of six.

In 1974, Pham moved to Hanoi, where he studied at a popular traditional theatre school and joined the leading Hat Cheo theatre group as a dan bau player. After attending Saigon's Research Center for Music, he went on to become one of country's top dan bau players of traditional and contemporary music. In August 1990, Pham and his wife, singer Lieu Nguyet Lan, left Vietnam and moved to Germany for several years before emigrating to Canada in 1996. Today, the Montreal-based multi-instrumentalist is known as one of the world's leading exponents of traditional Vietnamese music. Besides his solo work, Pham has also appeared on over 20 internationally released CDs including the movie soundtrack for Tony Bui's "Three Seasons", winner of the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.

=====================

Vietnamese Zither (Dan Tranh) Various Artists - International - Far East - General Audio CD (August 8, 1994) Original Release Date: 1994

2. Mong Den Vung Viet BacMusic
3. Vinh Ha LongMusic
4. Song Huong Nui NguMusic
5. Tieng Vang Dan Trung Tay NguyenMusic
6. Nho Mien Nam
7. Sai Gon - Chol Lon
8. Vinh Long, Thoi Tho Au
9. Chuu Long Giang Than Yeu
10. Hon Viet Nam

=================

Back To Home Page