The Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra (VNSO) on October 1 completed an
11-day tour of Japan that encompassed seven major cities under the
baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji. Tetsuji has devoted over 12
years to the VNSO. He talked to Lao Dong (Labour) newspaper.
* Why you have stayed in Vietnam for so long, despite those experiences?
It is simpler if you look at them as cultural differences that took me
time to get familiar with. It is these very differences that mean I am
felt bored of living and working in Vietnam. After more than a decade, I
have started to understand the things that I found so strange during my
first days here. Life in Vietnam is never boring.
I
have many wonderful Vietnamese friends who always make my life more
interesting with invitations like: “Honna, come for a coffee or tea!” If
they run into me in the street, they always stop and offer me a ride to
wherever I want to go to. Such warm hospitality is not easily found in a
developed country with a breathless industrial rhythm like Japan.
* You revealed “three wishes” when you first arrived in 2001. Have you achieved them now?
I realised my first and foremost wish to conduct the orchestra for a
performance at the 1000th anniversary of capital Hanoi (in 2010).
My second wish to conduct an orchestra of amateur, young
instrumentalists from schools around Vietnam is still a work in
progress. I want to bring classical music closer to Vietnamese children,
and encourage them to experiment with music from a very young age.
However, it’s not easy because Vietnamese children have to spend so much
time on their studies which leaves too little time for music.
I’ve had to give up my last wish of buying a house in Hanoi for financial reasons.
* It’s hard to believe you can’t afford a house in Hanoi, isn’t it?
I attached myself to the VNSO due to my love for music and for the
friends that I have the chance to work with, not for the money. A
conductor’s salary is low due to the VNSO’s small budget.
Vietnam is different from the rest of the world. Generally, national
symphony orchestras are highly respected, but in Vietnam, it’s hard to
find a real music lover who is willing to pay for a concert ticket. Many
want free invites, but we have to work pretty hard to put on a
performance. This sounds unfair.
Is that because symphonic music is not particularly popular among the general public, and only a select few enjoy it?
My biggest wish is for the VNSO to gain a unique position in the
hearts of music lovers both in Vietnam and the world over. I do not aim
to be number one because it’s hard to fulfil and there are some world
class orchestras out there, but I’m convinced that Vietnamese
instrumentalists are capable of reaching out to audiences because they
are always looking for a creative and unique angle in their
performances.
* What was the highlight of the tour in Japan?
Major newspapers in Japan including Asahi, Nikkei, Mainichi and Sankei
printed stories promoting the VNSO’s performances in Japan, which were
also publicised on 160 billboards and posters in Tokyo’s most crowded
metro stations.
Our key event was to perform at the
ancient Todaiji Temple in Nara Prefecture. In 736, Phat Triet – a
Vietnamese monk from the Champa area (south central Vietnam today) –
arrived and led a religious life there for two decades. He introduced
the Cham people’s music and dances to Japan. During (former) President
Nguyen Minh Triet’s visit to Japan in 2007, Japanese Emperor Akihito
mentioned the story and said he thought of it as the start of cultural
exchanges between Vietnam and Japan. Our performance there was to
commemorate the cultural connection between our two countries for the
past 1,000 years.-VNA