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| STRONG TIES – German award-winning actress, singer and songwriter Katharine Mehrling (M) and German and Vietnamese artists will perform at the Berlin Im Licht (Berlin In The Light) concert at the HCM City Opera House on February 28 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam – Germany diplomatic relations. VNS Photo Phương Mai |
HCM CITY — A celebration of the 50th anniversary of Việt Nam – Germany diplomatic relations (1975 – 2025) will officially kick off in HCM City with a gala concert at the Opera House today (February 28).
Josefine Wallat, Consul General of Germany in HCM City, said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, “We have prepared a fantastic programme which is very diverse and will cover all the different aspects of the relationship.
“We have a lot of activities, for example, that relate to studying and working in Germany, which is of huge interest to many people in Việt Nam. We have topics on climate change and other societal challenges in both countries. We also have topics such as the relationship between countries.”
A concert entitled Berlin Im Licht (Berlin In The Light) will be presented by the Goethe-Institut HCM City and the Delegation of the German Industry and Commerce in Việt Nam, in collaboration with the HCM City Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera (HBSO), and under the patronage of the Consulate General of Germany in HCM City.
The programme will highlight the works of Kurt Weill, one of the most influential German composers of the 20th century.
Weill’s music bridges the classical and popular, conveying messages of humanity, social justice, and mutual understanding — values that continue to resonate today.
Born in 1900 to a Jewish family, Weill gained early success in Germany during the 1920s. He later continued his career in the US, leaving behind a legacy of innovative and socially conscious compositions.
He collaborated with German playwright Bertolt Brecht between 1927 and 1933 to compose operas with political critique. His best-known work is Die Dreigroschenoper (The Three-penny Opera), which premiered in 1928 and criticizes capitalism and corruption.
Weill’s compositions will be performed by German award-winning singer and actress Katharine Mehrling, who has been honoured eight times with the Der Goldene Vorhang (Golden Curtain) award as Berlin’s most outstanding stage performer given by the Berlin Theater Club.
One of the most anticipated performances of the evening will be a duet of Vietnamese folk song Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi (Water-Fern and Wandering Clouds) featuring Mehrling and soprano Phạm Khánh Ngọc of HBSO.
This marks Mehrling’s second performance in Việt Nam, following her successful concert last weekend at the Hồ Gươm Opera in Hanoi, where she performed alongside the Việt Nam National Symphony Orchestra and other renowned artists from the capital.
The concert will also feature German pianist Ferdinand von Seebach and the HBSO Symphony Orchestra.
Conductor Lê Ha My, HBSO Director, will lead the concert.
My graduated in piano from the Việt Nam National Academy of Music in 1999, and then was sent to the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory for conducting in Russia.
He has worked with orchestras in Russia and Việt Nam.
The concert will begin at 7.30pm at 7 Lam Sơn Square in District 1.
Following the celebration, the German Career Truck will travel through Việt Nam to show career and educational opportunities in Germany to young people and the public from April to November.
The Career Truck will have multi-day stops in HCM City on June 1-6 and Hà Nội on November 3-8, offering information on events at educational institutions, education fairs, alumni meetings, migration opportunities to Germany, interactive activities and German food.
The celebration will feature literature days, a film festival, a German Festival and climate talks on the future of the Mekong Delta which will be held throughout 2025.
More information about the celebration programme can be found at the website www.50vietduc.de. — VNS
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