Conductor Says Shen Yun Orchestra Has ‘distinct sound’

TORONTO—Orchestral conductor Mr. Stratton was highly pleased after watching the Shen Yun Performing Arts show at the Canon Theatre in Toronto on Friday night.

“I liked it very much, it was a very extravagant program, I liked it. The dancing is like nothing I’ve ever seen before,” said Mr. Stratton.

Shen Yun Performing Arts, a New York-based dance company, presents classical Chinese dance and music. Shen Yun also features a live orchestra that boasts a blend of Western and Chinese classical instruments, a mix that has been praised by artists and musicians worldwide.

“I would just say that it was pretty obvious that this tradition understands theater, but not just the theater of the eyes, but of the ears as well, and the theatrical effects in the orchestra match perfectly,” Mr. Stratton said.

NTDTV, a media partner of The Epoch Times. Mr. Stratton said that the Shen Yun music had a very “distinct sound”, and particularly noted the solo erhu performance.

“I think the erhu has such a human voice quality to it, really, and of course I like all the Chinese percussion, it’s so expressive, it’s just wonderful,” he said.

Mr. Stratton is an award-winning conductor and has worked with many orchestras around the world.

He said that watching the show also helped him in taking a break from the “things on my mind.”

“I had other things on my mind when I came, but I must tell you, the dancing put them out of my mind, and that’s really what an evening like this is supposed to do, let you escape a little bit, so my dream was to escape for a little while and I did,” he said.

He said that watching the show made him feel positive and he saw messages and themes of positivity in the show.

“That’s … part of the message, life is not always so pleasant all the time, but it ends in such an affirmative style.”

Referring to the last piece Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope, Mr. Stratton said the ending was “very effective, good theater, powerful ending.”

He expressed that he would like to see the show again and will also tell his family about it.

NTDTV, a media partner of The Epoch Times, contributed to this article.

Shen Yun will play three more shows at the Canon, ending its run on Sunday Oct. 11.

  For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org .