Triple threat: Pham Thu Ha's album Queens of the Night, featuring pop, opera, and classical music, was released in HCM City last week.

HCM CITY (VNS) — Pham Thu Ha, winner of the 2013 Devotion Award for Album of the Year, has released a new album blending pop, opera, and classical music.

The Ha Noi-based singer recorded the album with music by an orchestra at the studio of the HCM City Conservatory of Music.

Talented composer and producer Duc Tri produced the album, which was released in HCM City last week.

"We worked for over a year to perfect the album," Ha, a graduate in vocal music from the Viet Nam Academy of Music, said.

Tua Nhu Gio Phieu Du (Love Is like Wind Drift) features eight Vietnamese songs by famous composers like Van Cao, Trinh Cong Son, and Duong Thu besides Duc Tri himself, and two foreign songs by three Italians – one by Louis Ferrari with Vietnamese lyrics by Ha Quang Minh and the other by Eduardo di Capua with lyrics by poet Giovanni Capurro.

The highlight is five melodious romantic songs Tri wrote.

The song that gave its name to the title, Tua nhu gio phieu du, has moving lyrics about broken love that he wrote at the age of 16, and is presented in public for the first time.

He also composed a song named Song Thu Em (Calm River in Autumn) inspired by Ha's life.

Bo Song Trang (White River Band) is based on the theme music of Luu Huynh's movie Lay Chong Nguoi Ta (In the Name of Love), which was nominated for the People's Choice Award at the 37th Toronto Film Festival in 2012.

Ha said, "Although classical crossover is more popular in the world than in Viet Nam, I will continue to do it in my next productions."

At the 2013 Devotion Awards given away by The Thao & Van Hoa (Sports & Culture) newspaper, Ha won the Album of the Year for her debut album Classic Meets Chillout.

It features 10 songs based on works by renowned western composers like Schubert, Chopin, and Beethoven and Vietnamese lyrics by her and Vo Thien Thanh. Thanh was also the producer of the album. — VNS