Munk is bewitched by the exotic melody of the Vietnamese folk song Trong com

Dbbe Munk and his globe-trotting boys’ choir will sing a Vietnamese folk song at their one-off concert in Hanoi on Monday.

The 30-strong boys’ choir, one of the world’s most distinguished, is in Vietnam now, ready to enthrall a mostly Vietnamese audience at the Hanoi Opera House on Monday evening.

Their set will include the northern Vietnamese folk song Trong com, which tells of a girl’s passion for her lover, performed alongside 15 singers from the Hanoi Conservatory of Music.

It was the conservatory’s suggestion to include the song in the concert program.

Munk says he finds the tune of Trong com bewitching and exotic.

“For example, there are several phrases which seem to warrant a medium pitch yet are sung at a higher pitch,” he said.

“We’ve been practicing the song since February but it’s really difficult to pronounce Vietnamese correctly. The song will lose some of its beauty as our pronunciation is not perfect. But it will be an interesting experience.”

Their repertoire for Monday night includes works by Carl Nielsen, Niels W. Gade and other Danes along with pieces by Joseph Haydn and George Frideric Handel.

Munk thinks that much needs to be done to foster an appreciation of classical music in Vietnam.

First, the country is sorely lacking in modern concert halls, especially for chamber music.

Unlike in Hanoi, where all classical music concerts are held in the Opera House, there is a host of concert halls, grand theaters and other suitable venues where chamber music is performed in Europe.

For example, Munk’s choir has sung in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and he thinks the acoustics there are perfect.

Second, the media must do more to popularize the genre.

Third, Vietnamese music students need better training programs, and even audiences should be taught a little about classical music so that they can get the most out of it.

Denmark’s government is an enthusiastic supporter of Danish choirs and shows it by paying the singers and conductors well, Munk said.

The choirs also receive sponsorship from private organizations.

Munk has already done some teaching in Vietnam and is keen to do more. He was here in February for a week to coach two dozen students at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music.

“They are talented but they aren’t used to singing in a choir, and their pronunciation needs correcting. I’ve drawn up several training programs for them, but I can’t change anything overnight. It takes time,” he said.

Born in Copenhagen in 1950, Munk was himself a chorister and later studied musicology at the University of Copenhagen.

After studying choral conducting in Dresden, Munich, Budapest and the US, he founded the chamber choir Vox Danica, which specializes in modern music.

The many CDs he has made with his choir, especially of Danish choral music, have been acclaimed in his homeland and abroad.

Munk has been the conductor of the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir and their choirmaster at Copenhagen Cathedral since 1991.

Founded in 1924, the Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir quickly developed into a full-time institution with the boys receiving their general education alongside full musical and vocal training in Sankt Annæ Gymnasium, the only choir school in Denmark.

Since 1959, the choir has been resident at Copenhagen Cathedral, where the boys sing at High Mass and Vespers. They also perform on state occasions and during royal visits abroad.

Since Munk became the choir’s musical and administrative director, they have given concerts all over the world.

French magazine Le Figaro has placed the choir alongside the Vienna Boys Choir and the choir of King’s College, Cambridge as one of the finest in Europe.

They work regularly with the Copenhagen Philharmonic and the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and have made numerous CDs.

In 2002, they and their maestro were honored with a Grammy in the Danish Music Awards.

Free tickets for Monday’s concert are available at the Hanoi Opera House, 1 Trang Tien Street, and the Danish Embassy, 19 Dien Bien Phu Street.

Reported by Y Nguyen