A special concert gathering singers and artists from six countries and territories in North East Asia will raise its curtain on December 26 and 27 at the Hanoi Opera House.

The artists performing at the concert will include soprano Ha Pham Thang Long from Vietnam, alto Soo Yun-chung from the Republic of Korea (RoK), tenor Claude Lin from Taiwan and bass Zhong Hao from China.

Under the baton of Japanese conductor Honna Tetsuji, the artists, accompanied by the musicians of the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra, will present the masterpiece Symphony No.9 by great composer Ludwig van Beethoven.

The Vietnam National Opera and Ballet Choir, the Hanoi Freude Choir and Ashikaga City Philharmonic Chorus from Tochigi Prefecture in Japan will also perform at the concert.

Intended to mark the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birthday in 2020, the concert is part of a cultural exchange programme between countries and territories in the region, including Vietnam, Japan, the RoK, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), Taiwan and mainland China.

It is scheduled to perform from 2013 to 2020 with Vietnam as the first destination. Alto singer Han Okhee from the DPRK has also been invited to join the concert but will be absent due to health problem.

Titled Beethoven 9th, the concert will start at 8pm at the Hanoi Opera.

Source: VNA