TORONTO—As a music producer, Linda Nash was especially struck by the orchestral music of Shen Yun Performing Arts when she attended the renowned classical Chinese dance and music production at the Sony Centre on Friday evening.
“The orchestra is exquisite. Yes, beautiful,” said Ms. Nash, praising the unique sound and character of the Shen Yun Orchestra, which consists of a Western philharmonic orchestra that plays the foundation while traditional Chinese instruments such as the pipa, erhu, and suona lead the melodies.
“The orchestra is probably one of the finest I’ve ever heard,” Ms. Nash noted.
“There was a violinist at one point, who was very passionate, as well as a clarinetist, and the mix of the culture, using the large orchestra, symphonic orchestra, as a background to this ancient form of music and dance is brilliant. It’s blended very well together.”
New York-based Shen Yun was founded on a mission of reviving the Middle Kingdom’s divinely inspired culture, an ancient heritage that has been nearly lost following decades of communist rule in China.
The company uses the performing arts to tell stories that bring to life the essence of traditional China, with themes such as benevolence and righteousness, justice, wisdom, and reverence for the heavens.
A special innovation of Shen Yun is its state-of-the-art animated digital backdrop designs that complement and synchronize with every aspect of the performance, from the costumes and characters to the dance movements and music.
“The synchronization between the dancers and screen and the orchestra is impeccable,” Ms. Nash said, adding, “the costumes were beautiful.”
Another distinguishing feature of Shen Yun is its singers’ masterful use of the bel canto operatic technique to sing Chinese lyrics.
“The singers were wonderful,” Ms. Nash said.
Reporting by Lisa Ou and Cindy Chan
New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform simultaneously around the world. Shen Yun’s World Company will perform in Toronto until Jan. 26. 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.
