LE VAN KHOA and his Nocturne for Violin and Piano -

by Dam Xuan Linh (violinist, graduated from Viet Nam National Music Conservatory in 1962)

It is a big surprise for me to listen to a nocturne written for Violin and Piano by Le Van Khoa.

First, it is a purely classical music composition written by a Vietnamese composer that I have never heard before, but more importantly, it is an absolutely ravishing piece of music.

Le Van Khoa is not a new name in the small world of Vietnamese composers writing Western classical music. Many years ago, I had a chance to see him leading choirs in a concert in Saigon, and I was impressed with his beautiful arrangements of choral pieces. I had no idea that Le Van Khoa is also a gifted composer of Classical Music in instrumental forms.

His Nocturne for Violin and Piano is surely one of his best works presented in a CD just released, featuring the Kiev Orchestra of the Ukraine. The violinist in this performance of Le Van Khoa’s Nocturne is Svyatoslava Semchuck, a superb musician who is a winner of many prestigious competitions; she is accompanied by Irina Starodub, an Ukrainian pianist much honored in her country.

Nocturne, as a musical form, was started by the Irish composer John Field, who published his set of Nocturnes in 1814; many other composers followed his lead and wrote other nocturnes - Gabriel Faure and Francis Poulenc wrote for the piano, and Debussy for orchestras – but this musical form reached its highest peak of perfection with Frederick Chopin’s Nocturnes, written for the piano.

When night falls, and all the noisy sounds of everyday life die down, one is left with a special atmosphere that is ideal for self-reflection. It is then that we tend to forget about earthly things that constantly follow us with worries and, in this modern day, other negative emotions. The quiet and serene air of the night allows us to “be ourselves” in the best sense of the words. Traditionally, composers have written Nocturnes as a kind of musical compositions that are usually free in form, reflective in nature, and romantic in character. Le Van Khoa’s Nocturne for Violin and Piano follows closely that tradition.

The piece begins with the soft and lovely sounds of the piano, and the violin comes in with soaring runs as if memories are rushing back. They are wonderful memories of the past, certainly, and sweet and sad. But then come the variations in a major scale as if memories also contain happy days not to be forgotten. The wandering, however, soon stops; and we are back to the beginning, and lovely days of the past are gone, leaving us with the quiet of the night once again.

The principle of “return” is one that is familiar to all of us, in old and new compositions alike. The main theme is introduced, then come the variations – one or more – but we always come back to the original theme. In his Nocturne, Le Van Khoa uses this principle of “return” with great skills. His variations never stray too far from the main theme; and as a result, the whole piece is one beautiful structure.

Listeners, by comparison, might be interested in another nocturne, the famous Nocturne No 20 in C sharp minor, written by the Polish composer Frederick Chopin but transcribed by Nathan Milstein for Violin and Piano. The two nocturnes have a lot in common, and it is interesting to hear how the piece is performed. Milstein himself recorded Chopin’s Nocturne No 20, and we can hear his incomparable interpretation in EMI’s “The Art of Nathan Milstein.” In the recording, he plays his violin with a mute to soften the violin’s tone; the sound of his violin seems to float in the air throughout the performance. And it is magnificent, capturing the essence of a “night music piece.” In another performance of the same piece, in her solo debut at Carnegie Hall, the violinist Midori performed without a mute, and with a lot of passion. Which performance comes more closely to the spirit of Chopin’s Nocturne is of course up to the listener to decide. I tend to be on the side of the many musicians who think Milstein wins out; but then he was one of the few giants among violin artists revered throughout the world.

I feel Semchuck’s approach is similar to Midori’s, and it is beautiful in its own way. It is not at all a surprise to me that an Ukrainian somehow fully understands and successfully interprets a composition written by a Vietnamese composer: Le Van Khoa’s Nocturne is written in a completely Western classical music style.

Some final thoughts: I wonder how many Vietnamese composers have tried their hands at this form of music? I know of one song named “Da-Khuc” ( Vietnamese for Nocturne) written by the composer Thanh-Trang, a truly memorable piece with a beautiful melody and words that are real gems. And now, with Le Van Khoa's Nocturne for Violin and Piano, I want to ask myself these questions: how often has this piece been performed? Has it been included in concert programs by international violin artists? If not, it should be. Le Van Khoa's Nocturne deserves to be heard in the concert halls of the world.

Notes:

- Chopin's Nocturne in C sharp minor performed by Milstein can be listened at this link: http://cothommagazine.com/nhac/Nocturne-Csharpminor-Chopin-Milstein.mp3

- Midori's live performance at Carnegie Hall can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHex-NcqX6c. Midori was then nineteen years old, but her reputation as a violin virtuoso had already been established with appearances with great orchestras under the conductor Zubin Mehta.

- Le Van Khoa's Nocturne by Semchuck can be listened at this link: http://cothommagazine.com/nhac/Nocturne-LVK.mp3