Pianist Impressed by Shen Yun Orchestra

For Ms. Antunes, seeing a live orchestra accompany the first Shen Yun show in Vienna was a special treat.
Pianist Impressed by Shen Yun Orchestra
Updated:
VIENNA, Austria—For Ms. Antunes, seeing a live orchestra accompany the first Shen Yun Performing Arts’ show in Vienna on April 5, at the Wiener Stadthalle, was a special treat.

Ms. Antunes, a Brazilian pianist currently studying in Vienna, said that from a musical standpoint she could appreciate the live harmonious sounds of both Chinese and Western instruments that complemented the classical Chinese dance performances throughout the show.

The Shen Yun orchestra brings together two of the world’s greatest classical music traditions—Western and Chinese. Using a classical Western orchestra as its foundation and augmented with traditional Chinese instruments, the sound captures the full potential of Western orchestral music, and yet is rich in Chinese qualities.

Ms. Antunes, who attended the show with her friend, said the music was something she had not heard before. “It is calm, yes,” she said.

“Harmonious,” added her friend.

“Yes, it is different,” noted Ms. Antunes.

Ms. Antunes’s comments come from a discerning musical ear. She is able to identify the differences between Chinese and Western instruments.

“The instruments are easy to tell apart—hearing a violin means Western music, different from the Chinese instruments. The tone is completely different and creates a different mood.
 
“Yes, it is discernible. Also when listening to the instruments one can discern the different instruments, it is easily discernible. ... Also, one can discern differences from the atmosphere. It creates a totally different atmosphere.

“The environment is much calmer; it is just totally different.”

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Shen Yun Performing Arts 2009 World Tour. For more information please visit ShenYunPerformingArts.org