Raised in a family of culture and the arts, the daughter of poet Cu Huy Can, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen is known not only as a music theorist but also as a composer.
Born in 1965 in Hanoi, she began formal piano studies as a child at the Vietnam Music School (now the Vietnam National Academy of Music), then studied music theory at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia), where she successfully defended her doctoral dissertation in art studies in 1998.
Returning home, music theorist Cu Le Duyen began teaching and now serves as Head of the Faculty of Theory – Composition – Conducting at the Vietnam National Academy of Music.
Alongside her role as a music theorist, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen also composes songs, collected in three albums: “Huong Son Ca” vol 2 (2011), vol 3 (2012) and vol 4 (2014).
Attending the tea party introducing the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra at the Sheraton Hanoi Hotel on the afternoon of June 9, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen shared her impressions of the music that Shen Yun’s artists bring to the public.
Speaking about enjoying music in general and symphonic music in particular, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen said that music is perhaps not meant to be understood: “People think symphonic music is academic and very hard to understand, so when listening, they may try to use their knowledge to grasp certain ideas, but perhaps that is not how it should be. In our view, when the music flows and the listener keeps trying to understand it, the enjoyment of the sound in the soul is perhaps interrupted. Music is really not for understanding but for feeling, simply for feeling what flows in our souls with all the harmony of nature, the universe and humankind”.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen, although it has only appeared in Vietnam in recent times, Vietnamese audiences are no longer strangers to symphonic music – the pinnacle of academic music, with the power to convey every emotion from joy and innocence to grief and sorrow… Many artists have tried to bring symphonic music closer to the public through performances in theaters and on the streets, making it increasingly loved by Vietnamese audiences.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen and composer Tran Manh Hung talking with the guests at the program
Performing at many of the world’s renowned venues such as Carnegie Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall and Daegu Concert House…, the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra is becoming a phenomenon of global music. The orchestra’s concerts not only bring the public classic works of world symphonic music but also original compositions written by the orchestra’s own composers.
Having heard works by the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen was deeply impressed by this world-famous orchestra’s unique combination of the essence of Eastern and Western music.
“This is perhaps the only orchestra in the world with a permanent lineup of both Eastern and Western instruments.” – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen
At the program, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen and the other guests experienced many emotions while watching videos introducing the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra and videos of some of its symphonic pieces. Among them, the melodies of “Mongolian Bowl”, led by the vibrating sound of the Eastern erhu, took audiences to the open space of the vast steppe, with green grasslands stretching as far as the eye can see and eagles soaring across the sky.
In “Mongolian Bowl”, the Eastern erhu leads the cellos and the whole Western orchestra, taking listeners on an inspiring adventure through the nomadic life of the Mongolian people, with the sound of galloping hooves and the joy of welcoming guests from afar to their steppe homes. Through its seamless blend of Eastern and Western instruments, “Mongolian Bowl” connects a fascinating land of Asia with European culture, giving listeners a profound musical experience.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen: “The sounds of East and West are blended so completely that listeners can no longer tell which is Eastern and which is Western”.
The sounds of traditional Eastern instruments such as the pipa, the erhu and the bamboo flute are uniquely combined over the majestic foundation of the Western orchestra.
When combining these two musical systems, the first contrast lies in the instruments, but the most fundamental difference is in their inner meaning. This requires Shen Yun’s musicians to aim for high standards in both technique and spirit – not only special orchestration skills but also moral elevation in order to express the true form of music.
According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen, the knowledge an artist gains through training is very important, but it is only a small part. To write works of genius, an artist needs not just technique, knowledge or a kind heart, but a soul that has reached a transcendent level of compassion; only then can they capture the essence of the universe.
“Shen Yun’s music does not stop at ordinary music; it reaches the sublime – the harmony between nature, humankind and all things in the universe.” – Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen
Music is the embodiment of cultural values. Each instrument and its timbre carry not only the long history and culture of one nation but the essence of all humanity. Shen Yun chose an art form that every nation embraces, crossing the borders between countries, peoples and territories.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen believes that although in today’s electronic age music lovers can listen to the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra’s works on electronic devices, hearing these gifted artists perform live means hearing living sounds that deeply touch the soul and uplift the listener through the harmony between humankind and the essence of nature and the universe.
Throughout human history, the mission of music has been to preserve divine sounds and melodies, behind which lies profound wisdom that warms people’s hearts. Using music to convey and revive the traditional cultural values of both East and West on stage, Shen Yun brings the public the sounds of humanity’s thousands-year-old civilization, with a magnificent, grand, pure and kind beauty full of compassion. According to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen, it is the most wonderful combination.
That is why Assoc. Prof. Dr. Cu Le Duyen hopes that Vietnamese music lovers, as well as her colleagues in the music world, her family and her friends, will soon have the chance to hear the sublime sounds of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra live in Vietnam.
Viet My Traditional Culture Company
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