SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Accordionist Says Shen Yun’s Music is Perfect

Jan 11, 2014
SHARE
Accordionist Says Shen Yun’s Music is Perfect

NEW YORK—Chinese culture enthusiast and professional accordionist Alexander Bilyk said the music at the opening Shen Yun Performing Arts’ performance in New York was perfect.

“It’s perfect, absolutely professional, great music,” Mr. Bilyk said.

Shen Yun, a New York-based company, played to a full house this Friday evening during its first of ten shows at the world-famous Lincoln Center, inside the David H. Koch Theatre.

One of the company’s missions is to revive 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture. The Ukrainian musician said he had a fondness for the culture and the music of China, as he could identify similarities in the instruments.

Mr. Bilyk plays accordion at the American Balalaika Symphony (ABS) orchestra based in Washington D.C., and teaches at the Shostakovich School of Music, Art & Sport, Inc. in New York, where he resides.

Mr. Bilyk praised the Shen Yun orchestra, which “combines the spirit, beauty, and distinctiveness of Chinese music with the precision, power, and grandeur of the Western symphony orchestra,” according to the company’s website.

The musician was also impressed with how the scenes on the animated backdrops complemented the dancers. The unique combination was a great find for him.

“It’s very interesting, it’s very original,” he said about the blend of East and West in the orchestra. “It was inspirational for me,” Mr. Bilyk said.

As he listened to the distinct traditional Chinese instruments, he was especially touched by the two-stringed erhu (Chinese violin).

“She was absolutely beautiful, absolutely amazing.” He said the erhu player had to master her skill extremely well to be able to really touch the audience with her music.

“It’s a very beautiful show,” Mr. Bilyk said, “I’m going to recommend it to my friends.”

Reporting by NTD Television and Kristina Skorbach

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org

The Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.