SHEN YUN PERFORMING ARTS REVIEWS

Shen Yun ‘Is a Feast for the Senses’

Mar 13, 2015
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Shen Yun ‘Is a Feast for the Senses’
Prof. Mag. Peter Widholz, attends Shen Yun Performing Arts at Vienna's Wiener Stadthalle. (Nina Hamrle/Epoch Times)

VIENNA—Professor Mag. Peter Widholz, a well-known tenor and director, with a long list of accomplishments, attended the opening Shen Yun Performing Arts performance at the Wiener Stadhalle.

He performed in operas and concerts throughout Europe, as well as radio and television station broadcasts. He branched out in 1996 and now is known for this work in stage direction and as a moderator.

Professor Widholz was deeply impressed by the Shen Yun show and said, “It was superb. I was not only deeply impressed with the performance by the dancers, but also with the orchestra.”

“What impressed me the most was the solo performance on the two-stringed Chinese instrument. What an excellent tonality and timbre. It resonated well and the soloist appeared to be one with the instrument.”

The two-stringed erhu is 4,000 years old and continues to stir audiences with its hauntingly beautiful sounds that have been compared both to the sound of the violin and of the human voice.

Cherished 5,000-Year-Old Tradition

According to the Shen Yun website, “Through the universal language of music and dance, Shen Yun weaves a wondrous tapestry of heavenly realms, ancient legends, and modern heroic tales, taking you on a journey through 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Its stunning beauty and tremendous energy leave audiences uplifted and inspired.”

The professor said, “What appealed to me above all was that these [performers] not only uphold a 5,000-year-old tradition but also display a great love for that tradition.”

The professor fully agreed with the Shen Yun website which states that “A Shen Yun performance features the world’s foremost classically trained dancers, a unique orchestra blending East and West, and dazzling animated backdrops—together creating one spectacular performance.”

“The symbiosis of the Eastern and Western instruments was harmonious,” the professor said. “In my mind, this combination of these instruments brings the Western audience and Chinese culture much closer … and is perfect in today’s world.”

The Performance Relieves Stress

“Shen Yun relieves stress right from the beginning of the show and it released any tension I felt. In short, the energy created on-stage radiated outwards towards the audience and had a relaxing effect, especially on me,” professor Widholz said.

Using his musical background, he listened carefully to the vocalists: “I noted with interest that the vocalists tried to bring together Chinese music with the European canto culture. This is another interesting observation I made today … What I’m trying to say is that this type of musical expression should be developed further.”

Just as many in the audience, the professor was inspired by what he saw and heard during the Shen Yun performance.

“I was truly inspired this evening by everything, not just the music, but also by the visual effects. That includes the color gradation of the costumes and the 5,000-year-old tradition that was brought to the audience via the computer simulation, creating a homogeneous full story. That was magnificent.”

He will tell everyone he comes in contact with that the Shen Yun performance “is a feast for the senses, as perceived through the eyes and ears.”

Reporting by Alex Hamrle, NTD Television and Heide B. Malhotra

New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts has four touring companies that perform around the world. 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

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