Tran Tuan An, a 24-year-old Vietnamese guitarist, won second prize at the International Guitar Competition & Festival Berlin, held in the German capital from October 15-16.
The biennial event, first held in 2006, attracted competitors from Vietnam, Denmark, Russia, Peru, Columbia, Portugal and Belarus.
Vietnamese professor and composer Dang Ngoc Long chaired a board of five judges at the competition, which was sponsored by Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, Berlin’s administration and the Goethe Institute.In the first round, contestants performed the piece Mua (“Rain”) by Dang Ngoc Long and Nguyen Thinh and free pieces no longer than ten minutes.
In the final round they played another of Long’s works, Nui rung Tay Nguyen (“ The Mountains and Forests of the Central Highlands”) and then a fifteen-minute free performance.
Tran Tuan An, who comes from Hanoi, is studying in the US and came in second after a 27-year-old competitor from Denmark. Third prize went to a 26-year-old Peruvian.
Prof. Dang Ngoc Long, Director of the Berlin-Gesundbrunnen Music School, has created a number of guitar pieces, including Nui rung Tay Nguyen—considered one of the best works by an Asian composer.
