JACKSONVILLE, Fla.—After Divine Performing Arts (DPA) enchanted a full house on Friday evening, Dec. 26, James, a 16-year-old violinist who came with his entire family, was intrigued by the orchestra, which he described as “lush” and “precise.”
Combining Chinese and Western Instruments an ‘ingenious move’
“Western orchestras have more tones, colors, qualities, and have a lot of different effects,” said James. “There are a lot of different ranges and different timbres on every single instrument, whereas in traditional Chinese music you have a handful of instruments with their own unique and distinct colors. They have a better ability to portray traditional Chinese music because that’s what they were written for.”James said such a combination provides a wide variety, allowing one to compose using the “technical virtuosity of the Western orchestra and the special unique source materials for the traditional Chinese.”
“To combine the two is an ingenious move, because you are combining the best parts of each—the best parts of the Western orchestra and the best parts of the traditional Chinese instruments, and so you combine these two together and you make a perfect vehicle for expressing Chinese music. And it’s also more accessible to Western audiences.”
He said that the Western audiences are often much more knowledgeable about Western instruments than Chinese instruments. By blending the two, the orchestra provides a “transitional phase” for the audience to get a sense of the sound of Chinese traditional music that is presented in a familiar way.
“After this, they might move onto traditional Chinese, but this is a good way [to reach the audience] and you also have the added drama … for that drama to be effectively portrayed you need the power of the Western orchestra.”
James, who started to play piano at age 4 and violin at the age 7, was particularly fascinated by the violins in the orchestra.
“The technique was very good: in tune, precise, all together. It wasn’t messy, wasn’t disorganized. It wasn’t weak. It was very lush … for some of the music, it was very lush and flowing, and for some others, it was very exciting and stimulating. I really like how the strings were really smooth and lush in the soft parts. It just felt like, ah, it felt like eating chocolate.”
The Combination Generates a ‘new color for music’
James’s father, David Chang, who is an engineer, said the music is very original and traditional.Chinese Culture More Valuable Than ‘all wealth in the world added up together’
Jason, James’s older brother, was enthralled by the prosperous Chinese heritage and culture manifested by DPA, including the depicted divine beings and the pure and beautiful classical Chinese dance that embodies deep inner connotation.He said that he never knew that China has so many distinctive dances and cultures for each ethnicity within the one country. Yet it is “miraculous” that the people of each ethnicity hold tightly together as one body.
“From the show, I learned many Chinese legends. As a Chinese, I feel exceptionally proud. I think the value of the divinely imparted five millennia of culture is much greater than the value of all wealth in the world added up together. I just realized that China is the essence of oriental culture. And we need to protect and revive this culture, which has nearly vanished. I think through this performance, an audience member can discover the authentic divinely imparted culture.”
“It’s really incredible and breathtaking,” said Jason.
“I feel it’s magnificent. Seeing my heritage being presented in America, I don’t know how to put it, but it’s an excellent feeling,” said James.
The boys’ father was deeply touched by the last program, “Knowing the True Picture Offers Ultimate Hope,” at the end of the five millennia.
“I’ve encountered Falun Dafa [also known as Falun Gong] before. I’ve been trying to imagine how a Falun turns, and I finally saw it today,” he said.
“The content of the programs is very good. I feel Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance are very touching.”
A ’very successful' Show
“Very successful!” said Mr. Chang. “From observing the reactions of the audience, especially the American kids, I saw that not only did they watch the show from beginning to end, but after each program, they clapped with exceptional exhilaration. … I think it’s very good. There are wonderful backdrops, great performances, mellifluous music—everything’s magnificent.“We’ve lived here for so many years, and watched numerous Chinese performances. Almost none of them can grab the attention of Westerners. In a regular Chinese show, Westerners tend to lose their interest and leave after the first four or five programs,” said James’s mother.
Kevin Tse, a family friend and an IT consultant, found the show genuinely displayed what the company name suggests.
“The show includes divine beings in the Chinese culture. It is superb and full of style. … Its color and dances are exceptional—manifest the outstanding side of Chinese culture.”
Mr. Chang agreed and said that “the costumes are so glamorous. The costumes I’ve seen previously are often garish. However, the costumes in DPA are simple yet luxurious; the colors are evenly distributed—very beautiful.”
The show transcends all races and all other ordinary performances, James’s father concluded. “It is so different from other traditional shows. It is full of creativity, from the steps, music, to the way they perform—I have never seen anything like this before.”
