Dang Thai Son, *2 July 1958 Hanoi, Vietnamese pianist. In 1965–76, he studied piano at the Hanoi Conservatory under the tutelage of his mother, pianist Thai Thi Lien. In 1977–83, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory with W. Natanson and in the master class of D. Bashkirov. In 1980, he took first place at the 10th International F. Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, also winning special awards for the best interpretation of mazurkas (PR award), polonaise (F. Chopin Society award) and concerto (Warsaw Philharmonic award). Since 1988, Dang Thai Son combined concert activities with teaching work in Tokyo and then also in Montreal. He has performed in many European countries, as well as in Asia, North and South America and Australia, collaborating with many orchestras, including the FN Orchestra in Warsaw, the BBC Philharmonic, the philharmonic orchestras in Dresden, Oslo, Helsinki, and outstanding conductors. In 1999, he performed at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw at the concert inaugurating the Chopin Year celebrations. He recorded Chopin’s works for the Japanese company Victor (preludes, nocturnes, waltzes) and for CD Accord (concertos, ballads, scherzos, impromptus). In 2000, he was a member of the jury of the 15th International F. Chopin Piano Competition. In 2010, the F. Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz awarded him an honorary doctorate. The characteristic features of his pianistic art are emotional restraint, impeccable finger technique, delicate but resonant sound and a wide range of dynamic and colour nuances.
