Renowned German duo begin Việt Nam tour

German cellist Reinhard Armleder and the pianist Dagmar Hartmann. Photo courtesy of German Embassy

HÀ NỘI - A hugely successful German musical duo will be touring Việt Nam along with bringing some master classes to students of music.

The Karlsruhe duo will be performing in Hà Nội and Thừa Thiên-Huế and Bình Dương provinces from September 3 to 6, with free entry to all the dates.

Founded 1999, the pair are cellist Reinhard Armleder and pianist Dagmar Hartmann, who are very successful and much in demand both at home in Germany and abroad.

For their repertoire, the two musicians concentrate on classical-romantic literature and 20th century music.

The concerts will take place at the Việt Nam National Academy of Music (VNAM) in Hà Nội on September 3, at the Huế Music Academy on September 5 and at the auditorium of the German-Vietnamese University in Bình Dương on September 6.

The classical concert tour will appeal to a wide audience and include music by Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Robert Schumann, César Franck, Maurice Ravel and Manuel de Falla.

All these composition will be well known to music lovers, but also as part of their ensemble they are particularly interested in the rediscovery of lesser-known composers and works, along with music of the modern age.

In addition to the performances the musicians will hold three master classes for the students of the VNAM on September 4, thus making a significant contribution to the musical education of young Vietnamese talent.

The duo has won several international competitions in Italy and France.

They have won first prize at various international competitions such as the Lorenzo Perosi Competition in Biella (1999), in Moncalieri (1999) and at the Racconigi Competition (2001). In France, the Karlsruher Konzert-Duo won the Concours Pierre Lantier in Paris (2000) and the U.A.F.M. competition in Chaville (2003).

The attention which followed these successes brought the two musicians a great deal of notice and opened up engagements on national and international stages, setting the stage for concerts worldwide.

Today their concert calendar includes regular tours throughout Europe, as well as North, Central and South America, the Middle East, Asia and countries of southern Africa.

They have performed in more than 80 countries, on all continents and have enjoyed success at prestigious stages and concert series including for the Beethoven Society in Washington, the Schubert Society in London and at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.

This year the duo undertook concert tours to Belgium, the Netherlands, Kenya and Uganda, Portugal, Cape Verde, Malta and Namibia, where they performed Beethoven's Triple Concerto as soloists with the Namibian National Symphony Orchestra.

All the concerts in Việt Nam will be free to attend. - VNS