The concert Berlin im Licht, featuring songs by German composer Kurt Weill, will take place on February 21 at the Ho Guom Opera in Hanoi.

One week later it will come to HCM City. Both will feature world-renowned soprano Katharine Merhling.

According to the German Embassy in Vietnam, the composition, with lyrics by Bertolt Brecht, was created in 1928 especially for the Berlin Festival of Light in September 1928.  

The son of a Jewish cantor, Weill was a student of Ferruccio Busoni and had his breakthrough collaboration with Bertolt Brecht.

Soprano Katharine Merhling will perform at Ho Guom Opera, Hanoi. Photo Katharine-merhling.de

His other compositions that will be performed at the theater will include Seeräuber Jenny, Bilbao Song, Salomon Song and Speak Low.

Merhling, an internationally renowned artist who performs around the world, has become one of the most important interpreters of Kurt Weill in recent years. She has won the Golden Curtain Audience Award six times as Berlin's most popular actress for performances in productions such as Arizona Lady, Ball, and My Fair Lady.

She studied acting and musical theater at the London Studio Centre and the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. Merhling also starred in the Hollywood film Valkyrie.  

The concert will also feature the Vietnamese song Beo dat may troi (Drifting Ferns, Floating Clouds) with Vietnamese soprano Dao To Loan, under the baton of conductor Tetsuji Honna.
"It will be great to meet you in Hanoi and HCM City," Mehrling said in a video clip posted on the fan page of the Goethe-Institut Hanoi.

The artists will be accompanied by pianist Ferdinand von Seebach and the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra.
The concert is a joint cooperation of the German Embassy in Vietnam, Goethe Institute Hanoi, and AHK to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Germany in 2025.

According to German Ambassador to Vietnam Helga Margarete Barth, the 50th anniversary will be marked by a series of rich cultural events, sports activities, a job fair, and an innovation day to highlight the success and diversity of Vietnam-Germany relations.

"These activities will not only help us look back on our shared history but also look forward to future potential and opportunities in the economic, cultural and political fields," she said.

In addition to Katharine Mehrling's concerts, singer Thomas Anders of the legendary band Modern Talking will also perform at the My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi on October 25.

German Ambassador to Vietnam Helga Margarete Barth shares information about upcoming events. Photo: Thanh Dat/The Hanoi Times

The highlight of the calendar is the German Festival, which will take place from September 19 to 21 in the Hoan Kiem Lake area.

It will be a cultural festival showcasing the joint achievements of the two countries and will feature a multimedia presentation of Vietnam-Germany development cooperation at an exhibition stand.

In addition, a program of various activities has been planned, such as musical performances, thematic discussions and presentations on the stage by Hoan Kiem Lake, exhibition booths of German organizations, interactive outdoor exhibitions on the history of Vietnam-Germany development cooperation, the national final round of the Learning about Germany Contest with the grand prize of a trip to Germany.

Earlier, the German Embassy launched the "A Day as an Ambassador" writing contest, which offered the winner the chance to work as an ambassador for a day.

The Embassy emphasized that the contest was more than just an opportunity to showcase writing skills, but also a platform to empower and encourage the next generation of female leaders.

"We are convinced that witnessing first-hand the dynamic work of a successful female leader can be a powerful source of inspiration. Therefore, we call for applications from creative young Vietnamese girls and women who are curious and want to be," said a release from the German Embassy.
Significant progress has been made in advancing women's rights and equality in recent decades, but women are still underrepresented in many leadership positions across the globe, including in diplomacy.

This gap highlights the need to further encourage and support young women to fully realize their potential and pursue their personal aspirations.

This year, a unique art project will invite Vietnamese artists to transform the exterior wall of the German Embassy into an outdoor painting reflecting different perspectives and views on the multidimensional relationship between the two countries.

According to the Embassy, the Vietnam Football Federation is expected to sign an agreement to cooperate with the German Bundesliga.