Epoch Times

December 20, 2008

FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida--Mr. M. Placido, a musician, had a deep appreciation for the singing of tenor Tian Ge, but he also found the words Tian Ge sang very meaningful. Placido saw Divine Performing Arts' Saturday afternoon show in Ft. Lauderdale.

Mr. M. Placido, center, thought the tenor Tian Ge 'an incredible singer'.(Mark Zou/Epoch Times)

Mr. Placido said, "This man is an incredible singer. Not only does he have incredible technique, he has a strong power to his voice, and a clean, even quality throughout the entire registry. Not only that, his range is incredible, I heard him hitting a high C, earlier in the show, and at the same time I have also heard him singing in the low baritone range, and it is all clear and even throughout the entire range of the registry.

"And then on top of that every singer has to put in emotive quality behind it, and you know, you have to feel it. He has got it! I mean, he has got IT! So I was like blown away myself."

ET: What did the song mean to you?

"I was looking at the lyrics on the screen and I could relate to what the song is about," said Mr. Placido. "I got this message of excitement and discovery. There is outer discovery, and there is inner discovery. You can discover things about the world, and then you can discover things about yourself: Truth, knowledge, you can discover--and I got that. Even the music puts it across, this sort of an inspiration of a new perspective on life, of a new way of living, and a new way of looking at the world. And he sang it perfectly." (laughter)

ET: Did you hear that the the orchestra combines Eastern and Western musical instruments?

"Yes, I could tell," said Mr. Placido. "I knew he was classically trained. You know when some one knows how to bel canto style sing. And I did hear the influence of the pentatonic scale and music. And I could tell there is definitely an Eastern influence to it. I loved it! I don't mean to gush like a little girl about it.

Mr. Placido continued, "You know, I love these moments where things just kind of click, you know, where you find out the truth. So that song I really related to. It is kind of personal experience, sort of."

ET: In what way?

"Sometimes I will be sitting around, and just, in the silence and in the moment, something will click and I will look at life in a different way than I looked at it before. I will see something from a different angle. And in that moment it feels a lot like what the music conveyed, which is this sort of, you know, release, and that is during the chorus, "behold, behold, behold," like at that refrain, you know. Like that..."

ET: It touched you?

"Exactly. So that's what I relate to in it."

ET: Some of the dances were about the Falun Gong practitioners in China. Do you know Falun Gong's story in China?

"I am familiar with it, but not very, very familiar with it," said Mr. Placido. "I know the Chinese government is extremely repressive towards any sort of spirituality, and--I think it is disheartening. It is not just because it kills a strong amount of the history, but everybody needs a spiritual element in life. And to have a government in place trying to limit that sort of personal growth is not healthy, at least in my view."

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour.

For more information please visit divineperformingarts.org

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