The sacred spirit energy of a nation is the treasure crystallized from the struggles and sacrifices of many generations of our ancestors. The values of peaceful moments today are measured by countless sleepless nights of soldiers and civilians fighting side by side. Those are the blood and tears of many heroes who dedicated their lives to the nation’s springtime. That millennial-old spirit endures in the unity of the people, transforming collective solidarity into an inner strength to preserve and defend our country.
The concert “The Journey of Revival with Liszt, Schumann & Brahms” is a special music voyage leading the audience to profound emotional landscapes. It is from the heroic solemnity of Liszt’s Funérailles as a tribute from today’s youth for our nation’s heroes to the pure and innocent joys of childhood in Schumann’s Kinderszenen, which unfolds a peaceful and warm atmosphere after war. The Brahms Piano Sonata No. 3 Op.5 in F Minor brings pride and reverence, affirming that generations united will join hands to build the nation’s future.
Liszt’s Funérailles opens with its resonant “bells,” creating a solemn and reflective atmosphere guided by noble themes. The march section, with its rapid, urgent tempo and left-hand octave passages, evokes the majestic hoofbeats of a cavalry charge on the battlefield.
The flowing emotional thread ends in a calm tone in the ambiance of tranquility with Schumann’s Kinderszenen (Scenes from Childhood) op.15. Kinderszenen is a stream of innocent, familiar emotions from the world of childhood, delivered in an extraordinarily pure tone. The small corners of childhood that everyone has experienced come alive vividly and clearly with the sounds of fun laughing, children’s lovely games, and times of being spoiled and pleading for a truly lovable and innocent item.
Kinderszenen begins with Von fremden Landern und Menschen (In a new land), opening with clear and pure melodies like a child’s wide eyes when seeing the first new and colorful pictures of life. The piece Curiose Geschichte (The Curiosity) unfolds in a staccato rhythm, reminiscent of children “restless in excitement” recounting their new experiences. And an essential part of that childhood picture is the children’s games like Hasche-Mann (Tag or Blind Man’s Bluff), echoing the call “catch me if you can.” The lively, crisp strokes are like children laughing and playing tag. Bittendes Kind (Pleading Child) follows with harmonies and melodies as sparkling as the adorable eyes of a child wanting to ask for a candy or a toy, with the heartfelt plea “Please! Please!” Please! Please! Gluckes genug (Joy) continues the joyful happiness when the baby has received a toy or candy, savoring it in bliss and contentment.
The piece Wichtige Begebenheit (Solemn) unexpectedly brings a sudden change as the tone shifts from gentle to formal and serious. The mischievous children sometimes line up neatly and orderly, looking very grown-up. Then the stream of emotions returns gently as the piece Traumerei (Dream) floats on a magical harmony like a beautiful and pure dream, carrying the pure vibrations of childhood. Moreover, that childhood picture is painted with an additional warm hue when the rounded notes of Am Camin (By the Fireside) evoke the warmth of a well-behaved child hugging and caressing a curled-up puppy in front of the fireplace. Then, the games continued intertwining in Ritter vom Steckenpferd (Rocking Horse) with lively offbeat rhythms imitating a child sitting and swaying on a wooden horse. The melody becomes more contemplative when the section Fast zu Ernst (Serious) unfolds over a melancholic harmony, with a minor voice whispering hesitantly yet sincerely, like a child sharing their innermost thoughts.
Furchtenmachen (Anxiety) commences a restless course with chromatic notes, evoking the feeling of a kid who appears to have done something wrong and desperately seeks to flee, justify, and win over adults. Then Kind im Einschlummern (Falling Asleep) bursts in, the chords sliding left and right like a young child wiggling for a while before falling asleep and beginning to fly in soft dreams. The melody then softly transitions to the closing piece, Der Dichter spricht (The Poet Speaks), with a sense of melancholy and longing. Each note, “few words but deep meaning,” with surprise at the observation that “the old man is sensitive” to life through the eyes of a child.
Thirteen pieces of Kinderzenen represent thirteen connected and blended emotional hues that transport us back to the nostalgic train of childhood. Kinderzenen depicts a tranquil setting in which the world of childhood grows and thrives. Peace has also been the goal and aspiration of countless generations of our ancestors, those who have battled to protect, nurture, and pass it down.
The soft and tranquil tones of Kinderzenen quickly fade away, and the emotional flow resumes with the heroic and strong resonance of Brahms’ Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 5 in F minor. The composition is divided into five movements, each expressing both harmonious and opposing colors.
The first chapter depicts a tremendous voyage ahead, beginning with incredibly daring leaps and gradually soaring to the summits of the keyboard’s high notes. The music is communicated magnificently, as if by a collective rather than a person, confirming the desire to persevere in the face of hardships and challenges. The following themes were introduced with pride and openness, building into the second chapter, which featured the emotional climaxes of the piece and the entire program. The sounds, as beautiful as if from paradise, flow through each melody like a breath of love into its heartbeat. Two deep, high voices caress one another in an incredible soul merger on the delicate harmony. The third chapter continues on the emotional highs with a dance and stimulating laughter, slightly proud but full of forgiveness, driving and linking seemingly incompatible contrasts. The fourth chapter delves into the emotional current with flickering uncertainties and hesitations, but is quickly followed by a four-note bass pattern conveying ambition and unalterable trust. The last one marks a turning point when the ideas of change and experimentation, which were initially sketched out individually without a typical “path,” are brought together by a “guiding theme” that emerges in the middle, orchestrating all of those sketches of ideas to find unity and move towards a vision for a bright future. The song closes with a triumphant return to a dominant major key.
The Piano Sonata No. 3 Op. 5 in F minor shows an immense mental effort to discover a consistent topic throughout the work. When the piece closes gloriously in a flood of emotion, the piano keys release a soaring sound of unity and objectivity.
Pianist Luu Hong Quang, with the child’s pride of Hanoi, takes the audience on a musical journey full of nationalistic pride. Luu Hong Quang’s piano performance with masterpieces composed by Liszt, Schumann, and Brahms showcases the delicate beauty of sound and takes the audience to the heights of sparkling emotional peaks. The concert is also a tribute from pianist Luu Hong Quang to his homeland and the previous generations who sacrificed their lives for the glory of our country.
The concert “The Journey of Revival with Liszt, Schumann & Brahms” took place at the Grand Concert Hall, Vietnam National Academy of Music at 8:00 PM on October 8th, 2024, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of the Liberation of Hanoi, leaving a lasting and heartfelt impression on the music-loving audience.
Editor Chau Anh.
