RIGA, Latvia—”Truly Beautiful! I even feel a bit sad because I could only hear the music without seeing the musicians themselves,” said renowned Latvian musician Andris Freidenfelds, expressing his admiration for the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra.
On the evening of Jan. 6, Mr. Freidenfelds attended Shen Yun International Company’s second performance at the Dailes Theatre in Riga. He praised it as “a great performance.”
Mr. Freidenfelds is a celebrated Latvian musician, radio and television host, director, DJ, and comedian. He has hosted the Latvian Music Recording of the Year Award ceremony four times and, together with the group “Labvēlīgais Tips,” has won the Year Award five times. He has also directed and participated in television programs.
As a versatile and award-winning artist, Mr. Freidenfelds was deeply impressed by Shen Yun’s performance. “I absolutely loved it! It was a brilliant production with a lot of hard work behind it. You can feel the artists’ passion. It’s a unique encounter with an exotic culture, truly extraordinary.”
As a musician, Mr. Freidenfelds was particularly moved by Shen Yun’s music, describing it as the touching aspect of the performance: “The music was absolutely beautiful, especially the traditional instruments.”
Shen Yun’s orchestra blends the essence of Eastern and Western music, using powerful Western orchestral techniques to complement traditional Chinese melodies. Mr. Freidenfelds found this fusion to be “a perfect harmony.”
He was especially captivated by the erhu, saying, “I wish I could listen to it even longer!” He also mentioned his admiration for the female emcee’s voice when speaking Chinese.
The elegant and colorful costumes of Shen Yun performers left a lasting impression on Mr. Freidenfelds. “These vibrant colors are uncommon for us Latvians, yet they looked so fitting and perfect on the performers.”
Shen Yun aims to revive traditional Chinese culture, spanning 5,000 years of divinely inspired heritage through dance. Mr. Freidenfelds agreed, “I believe dance itself originates from the divine.”
He found Shen Yun’s mission deeply meaningful. “Traditional culture should never disappear; it should always exist—not only in China but also here in Latvia,” he said, adding, “Without traditional values, we have no future.”
Mr. Freidenfelds shared that the performance gave him much to reflect on and left him inspired. He hopes the Shen Yun artists will “return to Latvia soon” and said, “I look forward to seeing the performance again!”
Reporting by Mary Man, Jana Pruse contributed to this report.
