My goal for this orchestral realization of scenes from The Tale of Kiều is, in a way, the same as Du’s original intention for the poem. I want to bring this beautiful piece of Vietnamese literature to an audience not well-versed in this story and in a language that is both understandable and relatable to them. Western listeners and classical music enthusiasts may find that the motifs and harmonic language in the piece reference other major works in the classical repertoire, mainly Strauss’ Don Juan and Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. I also employ compositional styles that would roughly remind the audience of composers such as Sibelius and Shostakovich. This retelling of a Vietnamese poem includes allusions to Vietnamese and Chinese musical instruments, mainly the đàn bầu of Vietnam and the guzheng of China. This is akin to Du’s allusions to various Chinese literary works and Vietnamese metaphors that made the tale more accessible to the masses.
If the main goal of the piece revolves around Du’s poetic masterpiece, then my secondary goal is to introduce Western listeners to another form of Vietnamese culture, mainly the music. More specifically, I aim to highlight the music of Vietnamese composers in the 20th century. My family endured the hardships of war and, like so many in the diaspora, escaped communist rule and settled in America. They brought with them memories of their homeland in the form of their music. This music, often very sad and nostalgic, forms the basis for the identity of the first generations of Vietnamese immigrants. The singing style, form, lyrics, and instrumentation are also a mixture of Eastern and Western traditions (in fact, many are marked “in the tempo of a bolero!”). The song I chose to highlight in this piece, called Thương Về Miền Trung (1960) or roughly translated as Longing to Return to the Central Highlands, was written by Vietnamese composer Duy Khánh (1936–2003). It is full of nostalgia and love for ones who are far apart.