Quan họ folk singing introduced to Hà Nội audience at New Year

The show Âm Sắc Miền Quan Họ (Sounds and Beauty of Quan Họ Region) will be held in Hà Nội on December 31 and January 1. Photos of organisers

HÀ NỘI — A exclusive performance of UNESCO intangible cultural heritage of quan họ (love duet) folk singing will be organised to celebrate the New Year festival in the capital.

The show entitled Âm Sắc Miền Quan Họ (Sounds and Beauty of Quan Họ Region) will appeal to all ages, including young people who want to learn about the nation's traditional culture.

Bringing quan họ to the city, the organisers hope to ignite a desire to promote the singing to a wider community. Quan họ lovers will not have to travel to Bắc Ninh but enjoy the traditional folk singing just a few kilometres away from their homes.

"The idea of ​​​​organising the show originated when I saw many artists invited to perform at many families in Hà Nội when they welcome guests and friends, especially international ones," said producer and artist Thu Hiền.

The songs are performed as alternating verses between two women from one village who sing in harmony, and two men from another village who respond with similar melodies, but with different lyrics.

"Quan họ lyrics and melodies have left a deep impression in people's hearts. Many quan họ clubs have been established in Hà Nội recently which shows the strong attraction and great love of the people for this form of art," Hiền said.

The performances, on December 31 and January, will feature famous artists in this traditional singing community such as People's Artist Thúy Hường, People's Artist Thúy Cải and Meritorious Artist Xuân Mùi, as well as young talented singers of the Bắc Ninh Province's Quan Họ Theatre.

They will perform different forms of music including solos and alternate singing between men and women, either in a cappella style or with backing music.

The songs will use either traditional or new lyrics, across different melody variations, so the audience will be able to fully immerse themselves in the typical quan họ style.

In addition to beautiful music and songs, artists will also perform traditional dances imbued of national identity on the stage, arranged with many large LED screens featuring familiar images of quan họ such as a betel plate, large round hats, traditional men's and women's costumes and village landscapes with bamboo, lotus ponds and green rivers.

The audience will have opportunities to interact with artists and gain a deeper understanding of the quan họ singing rules, unique features of multi-layered dress and scarves for women and turbans, umbrellas and tunics for men as well as the quintessence of this cultural heritage.

Researcher and Meritorious Artist Xuân Mùi, who is known as 'The soul holder of Bắc Ninh's quan họ singing', will tell many beautiful stories and explain many questions and redress misunderstandings of people about the singing.

"I have been singing quan họ for 56 years. I am honoured to take part in this show which is a chance for me to introduce the beauty and sweet melody of quan họ to the audience of Hà Nội," said People's Artist Thúy Cải.

People's Artist Thúy Cải. performs at the rehearsal of the Âm Sắc Miền Quan Họ (Sounds and Beauty of Quan Họ Region).

"I really hope to have many programmes like this so that quan họ artists and I can spread quan họ's images and songs to larger community and together we preserve and promote this traditional art."

Producer Hiền said, as a daughter of Bắc Ninh, she always wanted to promote the singing more widely.

"This is a long-term and brave plan. Throughout the year 2025, they will be able to listen to quan họ every month at Đại Nam Cinema in Hà Nội," she said.

Bắc Ninh's quan họ was recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Quan họ (love duet) singing has been UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage of humanity for 15 years.

The songs are performed as alternating verses between women from one village who sing in harmony, and men from another village who respond with similar melodies, but with different lyrics.

More than 400 song lyrics, sung with a different melody variations, express people’s emotional states of longing, sadness and happiness.

Quan họ singing is common at rituals, festivals, competitions and informal gatherings. VNS