MONTREAL—Musician Véronique Potvin, one of Canada’s foremost violists, left lighter than she came after seeing Shen Yun Performing Arts at Place des Arts on Friday night.
“I have no more stress in my life,” enthused Ms. Potvin, the principal violist of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal where she has performed for almost 20 years.
During her distinguished career Ms. Potvin has played with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and has also toured with Céline Dion and Cirque du Soleil, alongside other Canadian and international singers.
“Artistically it’s just a good show for the soul, especially these days with everything happening on the planet,” she said.
Shen Yun Performing Arts, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance and music company, has been touring the world for the past nine years wowing audiences on five continents with its artistry and its mission of reviving 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture.
“All the costumes are beautiful, the music is beautiful. For two hours you just forget about the things you don’t want to think about. So it’s very relaxing and it’s very good for you,” she said.
Shen Yun also features a unique orchestra that combines Eastern and Western instruments, bringing out the best of the two classical traditions in a fresh, harmonious sound.
“This is top quality,” said Ms. Potvin.
“The blend was beautiful. Acoustically it was not too loud, not too soft, it was actually perfect,” she said.
Shen Yun’s all-original compositions capture the flavour of Chinese songs and the strength of the Western classical tradition.
“The melodies are beautiful,” she said. “Very, very relaxing music actually. Very good for the soul. I play a lot of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky so for me this is more relaxed music. So I can come to this show and just enjoy myself,” she said.
Ms. Potvin was particularly impressed by the solo by erhu virtuoso Mei Xuan. The ancient Chinese instrument is 4,000 years old, and although it only has two strings, it is very expressive, capable of imitating a great variety of sounds, from chirping birds to neighing horses, according to the Shen Yun website.
“She was quite spectacular, this musician,” said Ms. Potvin. “Very sensitive, very emotional. And she has a beautiful sound. It was beautiful. Her performance was top, really.”
“Everybody has to go see this show I think,” she said. “You’re going to get out of this concert really relaxed, you’re going to sleep well. Your stress will be all gone, I tell you it’s true,” she said.
“Invite your friends,” Ms. Potvin advised. “It’s really spectacular.”
Reporting by NTD Television and Madalina Hubert
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. The Shen Yun International Company will perform until Sunday at Place des Arts. For more information, visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Epoch Times considers Shen Yun Performing Arts the significant cultural event of our time. We have proudly covered audience reaction since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
