Japanese and Vietnamese artists will perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at a special concert in Ha Noi Opera House on Saturday. — Photo hanoigrapevine

HA NOI (VNS) — Japanese and Vietnamese artists will perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 at a special concert in Ha Noi Opera House on Saturday.

Under the baton of conductor Kitahara Yukio, who has conducted several of Japan's leading orchestras, including the Tokyo Metropolitan, NHK Symphony and Tokyo Symphony, artists will perform Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, which also known as "The Choral".

The work is Ludwig van Beethoven's final symphony. Completed in 1824, it is one of the best-known works in classical music.

In Japan, concert halls across the country perform Symphony No. 9 most of the year, especially in December.

The work was first introduced to Japan during World War I by German prisoners held at the Bando prisoner-of-war camp.

On December 31, 1940, the symphony was performed by the New Symphony Orchestra (currently, the NHK Symphony Orchestra) and broadcast live on radio to commemorate the 2,600th anniversary of the nation's founding.

Since then, the year-end performances have became more widespread, and included the participation of local choirs and orchestras. This has established a tradition that continues today. Japanese consider choir and concert performances of the Symphony No. 9 as part of their culture.

Since 1995, Japan began to hold a series of Symphony No.9 concerts abroad. The first was held at Carnegie Hall in New York, then at Wiener Musikverein in Austria and at Prague Municipal House Hall in the Czech Republic.

After 20 years, Ha Noi has been chosen as the first Asian destination of the much-acclaimed concert. The concert will feature Japanese baritone Sano Masahito and tenor Uehara Masatoshi, Vietnamese soprano Phuong Nga and alto Phuong Uyen alongside the Viet Nam National Symphony Orchestra.

The concert will start at 4pm on Saturday. See Page 24 for ticket information. — VNS