(Clearwisdom.net) Taichung City, Taiwan is the proud winner of the 2007 Worlds-Best Cultural and Art City, of the World Leadership Forum Award, and a city known as the "City of Culture." The New York-based Divine Performing Arts (DPA) fourth Chinese Spectacular show in Taichung attracted many people from the artistic community. Ms. Lin Yueh-Li, conductor of the Taichung Municipal Chinese Orchestra and a music professor in the General Education Center of National Taichung University, said the Spectacular's celestial melodies blended Chinese and Western music perfectly and harmoniously and brought freedom that transcends the world. She highly praised the vocalists' extraordinary skills and ability to interpret music. She also admired the DPA artists' dedication in spreading goodness and beauty around the world.
The following was transcribed from a recorded interview with Ms. Lin.
Ms. Lin Yueh-Li, Conductor of the Taichung Municipal Chinese Orchestra: "The show was too short. I could watch it on and on and on."
The DPA Artists are Dedicated to Spreading Goodness and Beauty
The Taichung Municipal Chinese Orchestra has been established for twenty-six years, and most of our members are from different universities. We practice together every Sunday, and we have never stopped once during all these years. We hold Chinese music concerts from time to time in Taiwan, and we also have traveled abroad to perform. We have been making efforts to let more people appreciate Chinese music's beauty so we can pass down the essence of our Chinese culture for many years to come.
I have been deeply moved by watching the show. I saw so many people, in particular, many young people who grew up in the US, dedicating themselves to others, and they have done such a great job, so great that it is beyond my imagination. The whole show was full of surprises. A lot of effort was given to the music, dance, performance, and design in every aspect. It's so touching and it really reached people's hearts. Sitting here, I was able to clearly see the performers' expressions. Their performance was vivid and lively. Everyone gave their all in performing and interpreting with their hearts. Seeing them working so hard to spread goodness and positive things moved me so deeply.
Celestial Melodies Bring Transcending Freedom
I am in the music profession, and I am sensitive to music. I feel that the Spectacular's original musical compositions, musical instrument integration, and performance were all outstanding, and they simply blended perfectly and delicately with the dance, backdrops, lighting, and the different numbers on the program. They complemented each other well and demonstrated the inner meaning of the show.
I feel that the major pieces of music in the show like "Descent of the Celestial Kings," "The Risen Lotus Flower," "The Power of Awareness," and so on, were of epic proportions and at the same time touching and delicate, which brought out different scenes' atmosphere and the inner meanings.
The music for the female dancers perfectly fit, and they were very gentle and touching. The music played by different instruments like the guzheng, flute, and erhu were all presented beautifully and attractively. The music in "Water Sleeves," "Lightness and Grace," and "Nymphs of the Sea" had a southern Chinese flavor, with each piece having its own characteristics and thus being very unique.
The music in the fan dance "Lightness and Grace" was very refreshing and elegant, and demonstrated southern Chinese ladies' lightness and grace. The music and dance movements coordinated perfectly and exquisitely. "Water Sleeves" was even purer and more subtle and graceful, with some dramatic elements. In "Water Sleeves," the body language in each and every movement of extending, retracting, raising, dashing about, resting, swirling, and throwing was perfectly integrated with the musical rhythm. The music for "Nymphs of the Sea" had a very special spirit and liveliness and a celestial flavor. The graceful and beautiful music complemented the nymphs' exquisite dance movements. The guzheng's unique melody portrayed a boundless, vast ocean with undulating waves, bringing a sort of freedom that transcended mankind. "Forsythia in Spring" had the flavor of the northern folk dance, Yangge, which was very lively and uplifting. The coordination of music, dance, and backdrops was great, and it displayed the renewal of all lives and [the feeling of] looking ahead with hope in springtime.
Since I said the gentle and beautiful music in the women's dance pieces touched me deeply, I would have to say the two drum pieces moved me greatly. The music for "Drummers of the Tang Court" was full of spirit. There was a time when there was almost no music, yet a very pure and strong power could be felt. The ending piece "Victory Drums" was in sync with the famous "King Chin's Victorious Marching Troops" piece of the great Tang Dynasty and demonstrated the bleakness of battlefields and the force of conquering. When the music stopped abruptly amidst the loud drum beats, it seemed to shake the audience's souls and make them feel like they could not get enough. I felt the two-and-a-half-hour show was simply too short. I wanted to keep watching and listening.
In addition to the Han nationality's music, there were also dances and music from minorities such as the Manchu, the Mongolian, and the Tibetan. They all had their own unique traits, and the coordination of music and dance movements were all wonderful.
Music Blends Chinese and Western Music Perfectly and Harmoniously
Looking ahead, the combination of Chinese and Western music will probably become a music trend in the world. Each Chinese music instrument has its own characteristic. The most prominent ones are the guzheng, which is graceful and subtle, the erhu, which penetrates and touches people's hearts, and the flute, which is very refreshing and bright.
In term of melody, they are expressive and capable of demonstrating the uniqueness, grace, and beauty of Chinese music. However, Chinese music is inadequate in bass and in heaviness which makes it not suitable for large-scale orchestral performance.
The DPA's orchestra combines Western and Eastern music with Eastern traditional strings and woodwind instruments, and Western orchestral instruments. Western instruments are used for making adjustments. In particular, the bass instruments like the viola and cello are used to blend well with Chinese instruments, while the main melody is still Chinese.
The Spectacular's music has the strength of Eastern music and the broad and magnificent essence of Western orchestral music. It sounded very natural, cordial, spirited and lively. It is also versatile and easily grasped by the audience. Taiwan's Spectacular Show was performed with prerecorded music. Today's music and sound effects were well controlled, and the result was very moving. I cannot imagine what a beautiful joy it would have been if it were performed with a live orchestra.
Vocalists Have Extraordinary Skill and Ability to Interpret Music
I was really amazed with the DPA's vocalists. They each had their own unique sound which lingered and resonated. It was even better that their interpretation of the musical pieces and their singing skills were both outstanding. Perhaps it was because the inner meanings and realm of the songs closely matched their faith and conviction. They had this special charisma that penetrates people's hearts.
I heard that all the lyrics and melodies were original creations of the DPA's musicians. The creators of these songs are indeed people of great profoundness. The vocalists perfectly displayed the profound inner meaning with strong technical skills. It was indeed remarkable.