Concerto for Dan Bau and Chamber Orchestra (2002)
(excerpt) Premiere performance: December 30, 2002, Hanoi National Conservatory of Music, Hanoi, VietnamHo Hoai Anh, dan bau solo, with the Hanoi Philharmonic conducted by Nguyen Thieu Hoa
duration: 19′
program note
Concerto for Dan Bau and Chamber Orchestra was written for the Hanoi Philharmonic, who premiered it on December 30, 2002 at the Hanoi National Conservatory of Music, during my stay there as Visiting Artist through a grant from the Asian Cultural Council. The dan bau is a traditional Vietnamese monochord (one stringed instrument) played by plucking at the harmonic nodes and bending the pitch with a water buffalo horn ‘whammy bar’. The dan bau soloist was Ho Hoai Anh, and the conductor was Nguyen Thieu Hoa. There is also a version for dan bau and piano.