HCM CITY — Vietnamese pianist Lưu Đức Anh will join the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO) to celebrate the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, one of the most iconic composers of the Romantic era, at a concert in the Saigon Opera House on September 26.

The concert, “A Night of Tchaikovsky”, features two monumental works that capture two contrasting yet interconnected dimensions of the Russian composer’s artistic vision.

Pianist Anh will open the night with Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, op. 23, one of the best-known concertos in the world’s piano repertoire, with its grand and legendary chords.

The three-movement work premiered in Boston, the US, in 1875. It reflects the intertwinement of lyricism and explosive climaxes, crafting a dramatic dialogue between the piano and the orchestra.

Anh will perform along with the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

Anh was born and raised in a family with a rich musical tradition. He began studying piano at a very young age under the guidance of his father, Meritorious Artist Lưu Quang Minh, one of the leading educators of accordion and jazz music in Việt Nam.

The pianist studied at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music and continued his musical journey at the Royal Conservatory of Liège, Belgium, and the Malmö Academy of Music, Sweden.

He has brought his music to audiences around the world, with a career spanning from domestic stages to prestigious international venues.

The concert will be concluded with Symphony No. 5 in E Minor, Op. 64, composed in 1888 and known as one of Tchaikovsky’s most favourite symphonies.

The work was first performed in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It guides the audience through a profound inner journey, where emotions of fate, struggle, darkness, and hope unfold across its four movements.

The performance will feature the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.

Lê Ha My, director of the HBSO, will wave the baton at the concert.

My studied conducting at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory of Music in Russia and graduated with the Red Diploma. While studying and working in Russia, he conducted the Yaroslavl Philharmonic Orchestra, the Moscow State Conservatory Orchestra, and the Glinka Conservatory Orchestra of Magnitogorsk City, among others.

He returned to Việt Nam in 2010, working with the Voice of Việt Nam Theater Orchestra, the Việt Nam National Symphony Orchestra, and the Việt Nam National Opera and Ballet Orchestra.

The concert will begin at 8 pm at 7 Lam Sơn Square in Sài Gòn Ward. Tickets are available at ticketbox.vn. — VNS