In the thirty years since the last helicopter lifted off the U.S. embassy roof in what is now Ho Chi Min City, the relationship between Vietnam and the United States of America has undergone a remarkable transformation. After a period of recrimination, followed by an excruciatingly slow thaw, the two countries are now poised for an entirely new relationship that promises the benefits of collaboration and mutual respect.

When the United States military involvement in Vietnam ended, a long period of external domination that began with French colonialism also came to an end. Vietnam began to reestablish its own national identity based on the indigenous culture and spirit of its people. As both a recognition and celebration of this reborn Vietnam—an independent Vietnam actively engaged in building bridges to the global community—we propose to produce a media event: a filmed musical tribute celebrating Vietnam’s culture and its increasing openness to the international worlds of art and commerce.

March 2014 in Ho Chi Minh City, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony—which climbs out from despair and isolation to become a radiant paean to universal “brotherhood”—will be performed by the Seattle Symphony.  These musicians will lead the way toward a reconciliation based on mutual respect and common hopes and dreams.

Ludwig van Beethoven was not only one of the greatest of all composers, he was a public figure committed to individual liberty and freedom from foreign domination. Disgusted with the imperial conquests of his time, Beethoven composed music that inspires solidarity for and among all human beings.

Our concert will be videotaped as part of an educational documentary focusing on why music is a universal language. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony will be the starting point for this eye and ear opening exploration. What qualities in this work—one of the most famous pieces of music ever composed—communicate so powerfully across mountain ranges, oceans, cultures and political systems? Experts from the disciplines of music, anthropology, mathematics and biology will examine these questions in collaboration with musicians native to Vietnam and other distinct non-Western cultures. Does the melodic music composed on a bamboo flute bear any resemblance to Beethoven’s symphonic themes? Does the rhythmic dynamism of an Indonesian gamelan invite comparison to the demonic energies unleashed in the 2nd Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth? How does the warm allure of the dan bau compare to an instrumental choice Beethoven made in his lyrical slow movement?

The ways Beethoven organized sound to create the music of his Ninth Symphony can be seen in music from the world over. These elements are the building blocks of what humanity knows and enjoys as music. When used artistically, these elements penetrate more deeply into our soul than other modes of communication that use images or words. Biologists will help us see how our internal organs beat a universal rhythm, how the wind and ocean tides are captured in the shape of a melody. Music can help us find a harmony not only with our human brothers and sisters, but also with nature itself.

“IN SEARCH OF A UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE: Beethoven in Ho Chi Minh City” will start locally, focusing on the changes in the relationship between Vietnam and the United States, but will grow that new relationship into a metaphor for all that brings us together, for the universality of music.