“Suite Kieu” guitar piece performed in Berlin

Vietnamese music professor and guitarist Dang Ngoc Long ( third from right) performs the "Suite Kieu" at the House of World Cultures in Berlin. (Photo: VNA)

Berlin (VNA) – The “Suite Kieu” (To khuc Kieu) by Vietnamese music professor and guitarist Dang Ngoc Long was one of the six works played by Zafraan Ensemble - a German group based in Berlin that is well-known for its classical concerts with a distinct crossover flair at the House of World Cultures in Berlin on March 1.

The other five works are composed by artists from Algeria, Angola, Cuba, Ghana and Chile.

"Suite Kieu" features “The Tale of Kieu” - a literary legacy left by great poet Nguyen Du. With Vietnamese materials based on European harmony, Long composed the “Suite Kieu” in 2016. He wrote it for Zafraan Ensemble at the request of this band, playing with guitar and flute, clarinet, violin, and piano.

Zafraan Ensemble’s performance formed part of the cultural and artistic activities to reminisce the past between Germany and countries within the framework of the exhibition "ECHOS DER BRUDERLÄNDER", a multidisciplinary project on international relations heritage.

Professor Dang Ngoc Long is known as the person who brought Vietnamese music, from Nghe Tinh folk songs to Quan Ho folk songs, to Europe.

As the art director of the International Guitar Competition & Festival Berlin, Long has turned Vietnamese folk songs into arrangements in this major music competition. To promote Vietnamese music, he composed seven suites to enhance the value of the German translation of the Tale of Kieu./.