The Norwegian Soprano Margrethe Fredheim and the Vietnamese pianist Nguyen Le Thuyen Ha delivered an excellent performance of Norwegian music from various Norwegian composers on January 7 in Hanoi Cinematheque. The intimate New Year Concert was hosted by the Norwegian Embassy to highlight the start of 2011 - the year that marks 40 years of diplomatic relations between Norway and Vietnam.
Soprano Margrethe Fredheim amusingly entered the stage while “calling in the cows from the field” in “Aagots fjeldsang”. Throughout the evening the guests - whom included representatives from different cultural institutions in Hanoi – were presented traditional Norwegian folk tunes, in addition to music from Halvdan Kjerulf, Agathe Backer Grøndahl and the most famous Norwegian composer of all times: Edvard Grieg.
Soprano Margrethe Fredheim (right), student at the Opera department at the Oslo Academy of Arts; and Nguyen Le Thuyen Ha (left), pianist graduated from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, and works now as a piano tutor for the Vietnam National Academy of Music. Photo: Nguyen Tien Ngoc