Veteran musician Vu Huy Tien has spent 30 years writing Vietnamese lyrics and the music score for the contemporary opera Notre Dame de Paris, based on the French author Victor Hugo's classic novel.

The work will be staged at the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, next week.

"The play's music is a mixture of jazz, blues and Vietnamese pop in order to reach the Vietnamese audiences, while its lyrics honour love," Tien said.

Tien, who began to compose songs, musicals and operas at the age of 17, has worked at art troupes like the National Dance School , the Hanoi Art Troupe, and Tuoi Tre (Youth Theatre). He received the prize from the Vietnam Composer's Association in 1999 for his contribution to Vietnamese music.

Notre Dame de Paris tells the story of the hunchback of Notre Dame's (Quasimodo) unrequited love to the gypsy girl Esmeralda.

It depicts the star-crossed romance between the two main characters and Frollo, the archdeacon of Notre Dame, and Phoebus, the captain of the Royal Archers.

The story is told by a poet, played by Tien.

Respected artist Duy Tan, lecturer at the conservatory, will play the hunchback. Young singers Phuong Trinh and Thanh Huyen will be Esmeralda.

Both young and veteran singers and musicians from the conservatory will be performing.

The 90-minute opera is directed by Le Quan and Phan Dien who have spent the past few months with the actors and musicians rehearsing.

It will begin at 8pm on January 13 and 14 at 112 Nguyen Du Street in District 1. Tickets are available at the venue.-VNA