TORINO, Italy—For singer and singing teacher Federica Tovoli, music is not just a career. Music is not beautiful if there is an ugly intention behind it.
“Music’s relationship with me is: there is no aesthetics without ethics,” shared Ms. Tovoli.
Shen Yun Performing Arts is an intricate combination of classical Chinese dance and music. The company also puts on a new production every year.
“The performance was wonderful. I came out of the performance and I said to my husband, I would watch it one more time. And it is very nice that every year it changes and so there’s the possibility of enjoying it every year in a different way,” said Ms. Tovoli.
As a singer, she was particularly struck by the power of Shen Yun’s singers, who are trained in the traditional Italian bel canto style of singing.
“The soprano was very powerful but the tenor as well, so there’s a power,” she said.
With the help of the digital backdrop, a transcription of what is being sung is made available so that audiences of any nationality will be able to follow along.
“It was also nice to be able to enjoy the lyrics, very deep lyrics, which you could also hear in the melody. He definitely wanted to pass on the intensity of the message,” added Ms. Tovoli.
Another virtuoso captured Ms. Tovoli. The erhu is a two-stringed instrument with over 4,000 years of history. With no frets and no fingerboard, the erhu is challenging to play but immensely expressive.
“I loved this music so much and I fell in love with the instrument. I don’t know if I’m pronouncing ‘erhu’ correctly but I loved this performance,” she said.
China before communism was a deeply spiritual place. Each dynasty was strongly influenced by the divine. In fact, the emperors of China used to be referred to as the son of heaven.
“I was also very struck by this theme of a spiritual quest, a spiritual message. It reminds us of perhaps a need to find that again in our present time. I was very impressed by their bringing this to the stage. It is a very courageous thing to do,” shared Ms. Tovoli.
Reporting by NTD and Maria Han.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yun’s inception in 2006.
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