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The podcast series titled "Glass Sunshine" will present listeners with excerpts from love letters by the late musician Trịnh Công Sơn to his muse, Dao Ánh. In addition, the program will introduce 50 of his songs with new arrangements, such as "Pink Rain," "Glass Sunshine," "Ancient Beauty," and "Looking at the Passing Autumns"...
The program is produced by the film crew of "Em and Trinh" directed by Phan Gia Nhat Linh. The podcast will air starting October 14th, with the first episode, "A Few Encounters," airing at 7 PM on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Podcast.
The two voice actors in the podcast are Alvin Lu (playing the young Trinh Cong Son) and Hoang Ha (playing the young Dao Anh). During his lifetime, the late musician Trinh Cong Son wrote 301 love letters to Dao Anh starting in 1964. At that time, he was 25 years old and Dao Anh was 16, a student in Hue. Because she admired Trinh Cong Son, Dao Anh often confided in him and comforted him after his relationship with her older sister, Ngo Vu Bich Diem, the inspiration for the famous song "Diem Xua". However, the relationship between him and Ms. Diem was not as deep as his relationship with Dao Anh.
The 301 letters Trinh Cong Son sent to Dao Anh were written over 37 years. He wrote most frequently during the first four years, from 1964 to 1967. Through these letters, he expressed his skepticism about a happy ending for the two, believing that heartbreak and suffering were inevitable. In 1967, Trinh Cong Son initiated the breakup with Dao Anh; she emigrated to the United States but remained a close friend of the musician and his family.
Musician Trinh Cong Son and Dao Anh in their youth
In January 2001, he sent Dao Anh his last letter via email, but had to ask a friend to type it up and send it for him because he was ill and unable to write it himself. Three months later, the musician passed away.
Some of the songs the late composer wrote for his lover Dao Ánh became famous works, leaving a lasting impression on music lovers, such as "Xin trả nợ người" (I want to repay my debt), "Mưa hồng" (Pink Rain), "Ru em từng ngón xuân nồng" (Lullaby for you with tender spring fingers), "Lời buồn thánh" (Holy sad words), and "Còn tuổi nào cho em" (What age is left for you?).
"Em và Trịnh" (You and Trịnh) began filming in early November 2020, recreating Trịnh Công Sơn's relationships from the 1960s to the 1990s with women such as Bích Diễm, Dao Ánh, renowned singer Thanh Thúy, and the Japanese student Michiko. The film was originally scheduled for release in 2021, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the late musician's death, but due to the prolonged pandemic, it was postponed to 2022.
