AN TRAN
Stay, My Beloved: Vietnamese Guitar Music
Release Date: April 18, 2020
PROGRAM NOTES
Thánh Gióng (The Legend of the Bamboo Child) was composed in the capital of the Czech
Republic during Thế-An’s time of study with composer Štěpán Rak. Inspired by his teacher’s
composition Remembering Prague, Thế-An wrote The Legend of the Bamboo Child to express
his nostalgia by musically returning to his native land through Vietnamese legends and folklore.
This work is his remembrance of childhood, motherland, and the war. It is an epic legend of a
child leaping out of a crib (made of bamboo) and within three years becomes a giant. He goes on
to fight invaders on horseback with a bamboo tree as his weapon. After his victory, he rides on
his horse up the mountain to ascend into heaven. He is venerated as one of the Four Immortals,
where the bamboo becomes a symbol of the subtlety and vigor of the common people.
Thánh Gióng is composed of five movements with a leitmotif for a guitar solo, which has a
variety of timbre and extended techniques. This composition and its virtuosic technical demands
are a significant contribution to the Vietnamese guitar repertoire.
At a young age, the author of Ru Con (Lullaby) traveled abroad to study, and later lived far
away from his native Vietnam. Remembering his homeland and his roots, Thế-An yearned for
his mother and her lullabies. “Perhaps because I was young, I only knew the words to this lullaby
to be just soft, and gentle, which helped me fall asleep. But later, as I got older and became more
mature and experienced, living far away from my mother's arms, I could understand more about
these feelings, and of the feelings that my mother had sent through those lullabies.” He
imaginatively conveys what his mother went through when the melody starts to slow down and
becomes dissonant. As the child gradually starts to fall asleep, the mother's lullaby is the only
sound surrounding them as they are together. It is very light and very soft. Through the lullaby,
she quietly confides her true feelings, her thoughts, and worries. It is at this moment that she
hopes for a better future for her child. This piece is a beautiful memory of sacred maternal love,
the intangible and extremely strong, emotional bond. Nothing can replace it. Every moment the
melody goes up is a time we can remember our beloved mothers with the most assured moments
of our hearts. An Tran commissioned this piece for his Toronto Debut at the Guitar Society of
Toronto’s 2019 International Concert Series.
Familiar to most Vietnamese, Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi (Floating Duckweeds, Drifting Clouds) is a
traditional folk song from Bắc Ninh, a city north of Hanoi. After graduating from the Hanoi
Conservatory of Music in 1979, composer Đặng Ngọc Long arranged “Bèo Dạt Mây Trôi” for
the classical guitar. Since then, it has become one of the most significant works for the classical
guitar in Vietnam.
© 2020 An Tran | Frameworks Records. All Rights Reserved. 1
Mưa (Rain) is inspired by the theme of a poem by Trần Đăng Khoa (Waiting for the Rain on
Sinh Tồn Island), and the music of musician Nguyễn Thịnh. The sound of the rain is the
recurring theme in this piece with different variations: from a light pitter-patter to a strong storm.
It also gives you a sense of the passage of time, as the rain starts to move farther and farther
away into another world. The composition ends with a brush stroke while shaking the guitar to
describe the last rumbling sound from the afterlife.
With the use of new and unique techniques on the guitar, the sounds of nature are captured in
Núi Rừng Tây Nguyên (Central Highlands of Vietnam). In this work, Đặng Ngọc Long paints
the musical painting of the mountains in this region. From the muted pizzicato to the continuous
trills, one can close their eyes and imagine the wind blowing along the tall grass, birds chirping,
and the water streaming down. Folk musical elements can also be heard to describe the lives of
the Ê Đê and Gia Lai, tribal people from this region.
Hồi Tưởng (Remembrance) is a piece that delves into the depths of a happier time and evokes
memories. For Đặng Ngọc Long, this composition is a reflection of his childhood years, his
friends, and relatives as well as when he was studying at the Hanoi Conservatory of Music. Long
shares, “I dedicate this composition to one of my closest friends, while he was going through a
dark time with a mental crisis. The melody touched his heart and somewhat helped restore him to
his old self - a gentle and affectionate person.”
Người Ơi, Người ở Đừng Về (Stay, My Beloved) is a folk song from the city of Bắc Ninh, a
province north of Vietnam. The song is often sung when festivities are about to end, as people
start to depart. The sweet melody of this song emphasizes the sadness of parting, and the longing
for the day for all to reunite, not knowing when they will meet again. Composer Thế-An
Nguyễn arranged this piece for the classical guitar using the theme and variations compositional
technique. This arrangement follows the song's structure between the female soprano voice and
the male bass voice. You can also hear elements of improvisation throughout the song, where it
is up to the performer to interpret and improvise.
I am forever grateful to my family for their continuous support and guidance: my mother and
father, Phuong Nguyen and Tuan Tran; and my brother, Phap Tran. To my wife, Lucina
Sosa, for believing in me and for being there every step of the way.
This recording is made possible by my family, friends and supporters around the world during a
month-long crowdfunding campaign. Special thanks to Olga Pérez, Toan and Violeta, Rosa
Sosa, Anh-Tuyet Nguyen, Bernard Dobroski, Anh Pham and Hien Nguyen, Tung and
Chau, David Helwig, Peter Swenson and Lina, Simeon Bogdanov and Galina, Phuong Ho,
Giang Hoang, Keith Nguyen, Tío Rafael Pérez Hernández, Rafael Pérez, Marisela Pérez,
George Pérez.
I am most grateful to all my teachers who taught me how to play and listen to music, especially
Nguyen Hai Thoai, Vu Bao Lam, Vu Viet Cuong, Julie Goldberg, Tom Zelle, Ben Verdery,
Mark Maxwell and Anne Waller. And to Jerry Tietz and the Bienen School of Music for
letting us record this album in the magnificent Galvin Recital Hall. And of course, thank you to
all who I've met and have helped me during my time in the United States. I am grateful for all of
you.
© 2020 An Tran | Frameworks Records. All Rights Reserved. 2
