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| Musician Le Quang Vu receiving the 7th Ancient Capital Literature and Arts Awards |
Though being born in the Ancient Capital, Mr. Le Quang Vu followed his family to move to Ho Chi Minh City. Here, Quang Vu has been participating in music clubs since he was in 3rd or 4th grade. In 1976, he entered the Ho Chi Minh City Conservatory of Music, majoring in the monochord, followed by guitar, trumpet, cladinet, etc., and then studied composition with musician Nguyen Van Nam, who wrote more symphonies in Vietnam than anyone else.
Since then, musician Le Quang Vu has shot to stardom, gaining certain achievements. In addition to composing, he also participated in music arrangement and instruments mixing for the brass bands of Military Region 7, Army Corps 4, Army School 2, and joined the Vietnam Musicians Association in 2005.
In 2017, while being the Chief of Office of Ho Chi Minh City Music Association, Mr. Quang Vu left Saigon for Hue to take care of his parents. Realizing the scale and stature of the Ancient Capital Literature and Arts Award, Mr. Quang Vu decided to strive for such a prestigious award. He set himself three goals, namely, taking care of his parents, establishing a brass band in Hue, and winning the Ancient Capital Literature and Arts Award.
Vu recalls asking musician Vinh Phuc to introduce and invite his fellow men who were passionate about Western brass to establish a brass club on the first days of returning to Hue. In 2018, from the proposal of Ho Dang Thanh Ngoc, poet, Chairman of the Union of Literature and Arts Associations of Thua Thien Hue, Hue Brass Orchestra was formed on the basis of the Brass Club, with the support of provincial and city leaders. After going through difficult days due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on January 1st, 2021, Hue Brass Orchestra was officially launched at the Octagonal House (Nha Ken) after 75 years of absence.
At the time of its establishment, the Brass Orchestra had nearly 40 members. After the pandemic, though, there were only 13 members, with Vu being the director and conductor. In order for the Orchestra to operate and develop, musician Le Quang Vu has to play the role of not only a director, but also a teacher who passes principal knowledge about music down to members of the Brass Orchestra.
With his enthusiasm, the Brass Orchestra becomes not only a musical home but also a place to which each member attaches their spiritual life and shares their passion and daily hardships with each other. The Brass Orchestra gradually becomes known with its participation in musical events in Hue and the Central Region. With that contribution, musician Quang Vu, as Ho Dang Thanh Ngoc commented: “Without this person, the Hue Brass Band would not exist.”
Vu’s third goal when returning to Hue is to “win the Ancient Capital Award”. Inspired by the poem “Green City along the Green River” by poet Le Nhuoc Thuy, synchronized with the emotions when enjoying the cool, clean, and beautiful atmosphere of his hometown, Mr. Quang Vu created the work “Green City along the Perfume River” after spending two years refining it.
Composed in the form of three complex sections, Quang Vu included the traditional folk music of the Ancient Capital and the Mai Nhi tunes (barcarolle) in the symphony, and combined such elements with the Western instrumental music. The work conquered the Final Jury of the Ancient Capital Literature and Arts Award. Ho Dang Thanh Ngoc, poet, Vice Chairman of the Council, commented that this was a symphonic work “never seen before in Hue”, surpassing all the remaining symphonies of the Ancient Capital when “the melody and chords in the work have expressed the grandeur and splendor of Hue city”.
Musician Nguyen Duc Trinh, Chairman of Vietnam Musicians Association, after listening to the piece of music, said: “It is simply good” to express his recognition of the work of musician Le Quang Vu. “Green City along the Perfume River” won the A prize when the average independent score given by 12 members of the Council was 9.75/10 points, the highest in all categories.
Living in Hue for seven years, including “2 years of COVID”, musician Le Quang Vu has reaped sweet fruits that many people who have been attached to Hue for their entire lives do not have. When asked, however, he humbly said: “It is Hue that gives me the sweet fruit from the great love I have for this city”. He is currently the Permanent Vice President of Thua Thien Hue Music Association, a member of Vietnam Musicians Association, and still the enthusiastic Director of Hue Brass Band.