Meritorious Artist Duong Thuy Anh releases album "Ling" and music video "Crossing the Forest"

To celebrate 40 years of her passion for the two-stringed fiddle, Meritorious Artist Duong Thuy Anh has just released her second album titled "Ling" (meaning "to listen"), in collaboration with musician Vo Thien Thanh, who served as composer, producer, and arranger.

The album comprises six tracks: *Crossing the Forest*, *The First Ray of Sunlight*, *The Temple in the Mist*, *Prayer*, *The House on the Prairie*, and *Dance of the Fireflies*. The songs in the album "settle" and tell the story of a magnificent forest, where, through music, listeners discover the vibrant and enduring life that is taking place.

Sharing her vision for the album, Duong Thuy Anh said she hopes listeners will find time to reflect and appreciate life's diverse range of emotions. The unique and captivating quality of Thuy Anh's music in this album is evident in its striking transformations and variations. With her two-stringed fiddle, she surprises listeners with her skillful techniques and distinctive performance style. The music is more serene, refined, and harmoniously blended with the vocals of artist Bao Lan.

Composer Vo Thien Thanh and Duong Thuy Anh chose the genre of New Age & World music, a broad and global musical style, within a musical space encompassing both modern instruments and those deeply rooted in Vietnamese tradition, offering listeners a more diverse experience and adding to their collection of favorite music.

In addition, with the support of friends including Creative Director Lan Huong Nguyen, director Hai Le Cao, Duong Thuy Anh and Vo Thien Thanh decided to choose the song "Crossing the Forest" to create the music video.

"Crossing the Forest" was filmed by Duong Thuy Anh in a pristine, ancient forest in the Northwest region of Vietnam, creating an eerie, mystical atmosphere against a backdrop of traditional music. It's seen as a story about exploring the wild forest, much like the journey the artist has experienced since being inspired by her father. She seems to want to convey a message about positive energy from love, healing the inner world, and enhancing the value of life.

For Duong Thuy Anh, she proposes incorporating various folk elements into her compositions, such as Cheo and Xam, as well as musical styles from Hue and the northern mountainous regions. Duong Thuy Anh's erhu (two-stringed fiddle) is the recurring theme throughout the album, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden. Different sound waves, layered upon layers, are transformed and refined through the artist's creative erhu playing.

The voice of singer Bao Lan – a member of the band Nam Dong Ke – occasionally vibrates, adding a touch of mystique and enchantment to the album. Having worked alongside Duong Thuy Anh from the beginning of the album's production, Bao Lan expressed her admiration for her senior's spirit in conquering difficult musical notes. According to Duong Thuy Anh, composer Vo Thien Thanh used many dissonant and challenging intervals, and notes typically reserved for the violin. Having successfully mastered them, she felt happy to see that the Vietnamese two-stringed fiddle could also reach the essence of Western music.

With her distinctive performance style, Duong Thuy Anh captivates listeners with her masterful handling of sound, aiming for healing music that brings positive emotions to the audience.

Meritorious Artist and Master of Arts Duong Thuy Anh was born in 1977 in Hanoi. She is a lecturer on the two-stringed fiddle (dan nhi) at the Traditional Musical Instruments Department of the Hanoi College of Arts, and also a key member of the Co La music group. Duong Thuy Anh won a gold medal at the 2017 National Festival of Solo and Ensemble Performances of Traditional Musical Instruments and was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by the State in 2019.

MV "Crossing the Forest" - Duong Thuy Anh:

Phuong Thao is an editor at Travellive magazine. She is passionate about traveling and enjoys capturing moments with her camera in every place she visits. Travel, art, and lifestyle are Phuong Thao's favorite writing topics.

Phuong Thao