A scene from the Hue’s Royal Essence program (Graphics: NP. Hải Trung)
Royal Hue’s Essence aims to introduce the beauty of "Hue – One destination, five heritages", including the Complex of Hue Monuments, Royal Court Music, Woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty, Imperial Archives of the Nguyen Dynasty and Literature on Hue royal architectural works.
Thus, the program will combine many elements of royal art and traditional Hue art, such as singing, dancing, oratorio, recitation, music, along with sound effects, interactive LED screen, lighting effects, color smoke, technical fireworks, etc. to help viewers understand the historical story as well as feel the cultural values through the captivating performances. The elements are blended and interwoven together to highlight the heroic story of Vietnam in the nineteenth century: the construction of the capital, the exercise of national sovereignty, unification of territory, etc.
The story is narrated using the concurrence technique. Royal Hue’s Essence alternately introduces the Complex of Hue Monuments, Royal Court Music, Literature on Hue royal architectural works, Woodblocks of the Nguyen Dynasty, and Imperial Archives of the Nguyen Dynasty through the chapters: Unification of the nation, A peaceful nation and A thousand-year civilization.
According to Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Hai Trung, Deputy Director of Hue’s Monument Conservation Center, the author and director of Royal Hue’s Essence, the story opens with the scene of Emperor Gia Long seeking to unify the country, to the nation’s unification, to building the capital, to developing cultural values and exercising territorial sovereignty. This has contributed to the convergence of cultural values of generations, so they can crystallize and shine to create an everlasting cultural essence.
In addition to the five cultural heritages of Hue which have been recognized by UNESCO and organizations of UNESCO, Hue’s Royal Essence also ingeniously integrates and introduces many other relevant values, such as chau van singing, the spiritual Huong river, traditional bronze casting art, and the national treasures of the Nine Holy Cannons and the Nine Tripod Cauldrons, etc.
Mr. Nguyen Phuoc Hai Trung said: “This is a performance that is not only of Hue, but a representative of Vietnamese culture. Under the Nguyen Dynasty, the flow of Vietnamese culture converged and shined in Hue. Hue is the old capital of Vietnam; hence, the cultural heritages of Hue are also the cultural heritages of Vietnam.”
“…Legend has it that every time the phoenix perches on the sycamore tree, the country will be prosperous. Vietnam through the process of expanding its territory has unified the country; the people have become happy and prosperous. These are the good omens…”
Chapter 2, with the theme A Peaceful Nation, will tell about the reign of peace when people are prosperous. Hope and the good omens continue to inspire love within the audience for their country and people.
The program is staged at Can Chanh Palace (Imperial Citadel) on April 28 and April 30, 2018.
By ĐỒNG VĂN