DUOS-ALONE (BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM)
Duos-Alone is a deeply personal project. Composed as a musical letter of love to my late mother, the
album explores my intimate thoughts on life, family, culture, the value of memories and the profound
impact of maternal devotion. I am sharing these private contemplations through the sounds of the
piano and the Vietnamese zither known as the đàn-tranh.
If you don’t have time to listen to the whole album, here are suggested tracks: “That Bicycle Ride” (track 10) Watch video, or Weeping Mango Leaves (track 1).
Please also send me your projects for consideration on Messenger Via Facebook, I would love to listen!! Click here
Thank you so much for your time and love, dear colleagues and friends. I’m forever grateful.
The first few lines of my letter to my Mother…
This is a letter to you, my loving mother. A letter that I have put into music, starting when I could no longer travel to see you during the Covid-19 pandemic and finishing two years later, after you left me for eternity. It is a letter to thank you for the love you gave me, for the beautiful childhood filled with music, for your education combining East and West, and for the splendid landscapes of our homeland. You have urged me to master both the piano and the đàn tranh; I now play both for you, with glimpses of Bach, Vivaldi and Ravel here and there, and with the ancient techniques of the đàn tranh that, like you said, I am among the last to possess. This is a letter to tell you how much I miss you. Words cannot express what I feel. I hope my music will. Goodbye, Măn chérie. Full booklet
Some Press reviews and quotes
“My gosh Duos-Alone CD by Tri Nguyen is so beautiful. Simple but intricate at the same time. Different worlds and cultures melded together seamlessly.” Email sent to NaxosUSA– Larry LeBlanc – Senior Writer/CelebrityAccess.
Tri Nguyen has woven musical references to JS Bach, Vivaldi, and Ravel into some of his original compositions, creating a unique blending of time periods as well as diverse cultures with his heartfelt original work. It is impossible to be unmoved by the honesty and deep love expressed in this music…. MAINLY PIANO/ Kathy Parsons full review
…this duo performance defies logic… for what you hear is a duo of cultures colliding in the highly refined realm of music... WORLD MUSIC REPORT/Raul da Gama full review
… stormily expressive, gorgeousness of Nguyen’s numbers … will elevate “Sigh Of Sorrow” – a serenade based on Bach’s “The Goldberg Variations” – to paradisiacal heights… LET IT ROCK/Dmitri M. Epstein full review
Credits :
Đàn tranh (Vietnamese Zither) and piano: Tri Nguyen
Art director: Tri Nguyen
Music composed by: Tri Nguyen
Sound engineer, mixing, mastering: Thomas Vingtrinier at Studio Sequenza, France
Liner notes: Tri Nguyen
Cover photo and design: Chris Ferensson
Product design: Sarah Wanstall
Released by Naxos World /August 11, 2023