King of Classical Music 148
The cafe was brightly lit yet quiet.
After Bai Ai’s members finished their afternoon tea break and went to rehearse again, they greeted Qi Mu and Christole at the front door. And after a while, there were only the two left in the quiet cafe.
Qi Mu was there as a spectator, after all. He didn’t need to do anything for the rehearsal. However, Christole could take rest at will. So, they both chatted in the cafe for a while.
Christole was a mild-tempered man. He noticed that Qi Mu was not familiar with Bai Ai as early as his first visit to the orchestra, so he thoughtfully created opportunities for Qi Mu to engage with the orchestra’s members.
Qi Mu felt quite at ease when talking to such a good-natured person. “…So, Christole, your favorite is Wieniawski? I didn’t expect that, I listen to you a lot and you often play Mendelssohn and Sarasate, you seldomly play Wieniawski.”
Although Christole’s facial features weren’t outstanding, he was very pleasing to the eyes. Especially when he smiled, he looked even more pleasant, “Well, I like his music a lot but it’s a pity… Little Seven, I’m not proficient with it.”
Every musician knew their skills and what they were good at and not good at. For example, Qi Mu played Paganini the best. The difficult techniques were just like a child’s play for him. Another example was Evra, whose specialty was Bach’s. He couldn’t control music that was heavy with solemnity.
Qi Mu nodded. “Um, but Christole, your violin is really great. I like your music from early on.”
“Thank you for your appreciation, Little Seven. I also like your music a lot.”
They talked for a while. Just as they were about to end the pleasant conversation, Christole’s mobile phone suddenly vibrated. Picking it up in surprise, a helpless, doting smile lit his face after reading the message.
Seeing this, Qi Mu suddenly had a conjecture. After Christole finished replying to the text message, Qi Mu smiled and asked, “You look really happy, all of a sudden. Christole, if I may ask… was that your lover just now?”
After a moment of shock, a trace of loss flashed on his face. Quickly hiding it, he smiled and replied, “You guessed wrong, Little Seven. It was my good friend. It seems that he just returned to Europe, so he sent a text to tell me about it.”
Qi Mu looked somewhat surprised at the gently smiling man. When he looked closely, it truly seemed that he was in a good mood, as if nothing had happened.
Without thinking too much about it, Qi Mu went back to the rehearsal hall with Christole.
Christole presided over the afternoon rehearsal while Qi Mu carefully jotted down important points in his notebook. The experiences would not only help him in his violin career, but he could also use them in the Palisade Theatre Orchestra.
Bai Ai was really an excellent orchestra. Each of the members played their positions appropriately and brilliantly.
In the evening rehearsal, the third movement of a piece ended in a great momentum. Even the picky Min Chen raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was amazed by their excellent performance.
Qi Mu wrote down the last point in his notebook with flourish. Just then, he was also shocked by the 《Symphony No. 9》 ——
Even if it was just a rehearsal, the orchestra performed outstandingly.
It was no wonder the orchestra was crowned with the title of “The World’s Best Orchestra”.
Before the concert the next day, Qi Mu selected a dark purple tie for his lover with great care.
This was the first time Qi Mu attended Min Chen’s concert after they got together. More than four months ago, they encountered Akkad, who was hell bent on splitting them after just a few days of them being together. And, right now, Qi Mu was carefully tying the tie for his lover with laser-focused eyes.
No matter how experienced a maestro was, when it came to performing, it was always a battle of attention, even on a small stage. Let alone this performance, which was held in the Golden Hall.
The dark purple tie was tied smoothly and neatly. The noble-looking man watched with eyes half-lidded as Qi Mu attentively helped him fasten the tie and clip on the tie clip, then smooth it between his index and middle fingers.
Min Chen’s eyes narrowed slightly and he said, “You’re nervous.”
Qi Mu didn’t deny it.
With his thin lips slightly curled up in a smile, Min Chen added, “Even more nervous than I am.”
After all the preparations were completed, Qi Mu looked at the smiling man and raised his eyebrows. “It’s not me who’s performing. Why would I be nervous?”
Min Chen just smiled and avoided the topic, “I will go back to Berlin tomorrow and have a performance the day after. The schedule is quite tight.” After a pause, he added, “I’ve already made Daniel book the ticket. Qi Mu… go back with me.”
The voice was deep and magnetic, it sounded so loud in the quiet clothing room. Deliberately toning down his voice, he was like a charming demon of the deep sea. At the moment, Min Chen intentionally leaned forward, making his voice ring in Qi Mu’s ears.
With Qi Mu’s hearing, he can hear the other man’s deliberate moves. Pushing Min Chen to the side, he didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. “You’ve already bought the ticket, can I say no? Well, the show is about to start. You’ll be late if you don’t go now.”
As Min Chen went down to get the car, Qi Mu put on his thick wool scarf, thinking, Was I… really nervous, just now?
He actually might be.
In his previous life, apart from being the deputy concertmaster of Wei Jiao, Qi Mu never had a chance to step foot in the Golden Hall. Now, he really felt nervous for Min Chen, even if he was only an audience for this performance.
Thinking about it, Qi Mu suddenly remembered the Little Princess in the Swiss Bank and his light colored pupils shrank. When he got off the elevator, his gaze was firm and determined, having already made the decision for his future.
His life was just getting started and the first step was to——
Get back the Little Princess.
《The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra made another visit to Vienna and their concert was a complete success!》
《The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’s concert received brilliant response with their Tchaikovsky Night! 》
《Bai Ai’s concert: A deep and melodious ode to Tchaikovsky.》
……
After the concert ended, Qi Mu sat in the Vienna International Airport, casually reading some magazines and newspapers provided by the staff.
Vienna was indeed the world’s capital of music. Whenever a world-class orchestra performed, the local media rushed to make a complete report on the concert.
With countless high-level reviews and high-quality reports, the city treated classical music with an attitude of handling government-related politics, no…
It was a hundred times more serious than that!
After reading the high praise written by 《The Voice of Vienna》, Qi Mu put down the magazine with a smile then turned to the man sitting next to him, saying, “In that article just now, they said, ‘Bai Ai played Tchaikovsky’s music in the most rigorous way’. But why did I hear… the tone was slightly different from the rehearsal last night?”
Countless tourists filled the spacious waiting room. Min Chen and Qi Mu were not in the same waiting room as the Bai Ai members. Instead, they found a remote corner to relax.
Min Chen put on big sunglasses specifically so that no one would notice him, even in their little corner.
Min Chen’s eyebrows raised as he whispered, “That was Elov.”
Elov was a member of Bai Ai’s first violin group. After last night, he was so afraid to see Min Chen that when they all came together to the airport, he was eager to find a place to bury himself.
Thinking of the little portly man, Qi Mu smiled helplessly. “Well, you’d better forget it. Elov played Tchaikovsky the right way, but there’s a difference in sound between the score you gave him and the original score. It’s normal for him to forget your adaptation after years of playing Tchaikovsky that way.”
At this, Min Chen’s lips pursed. “He made a mistake.”
Holding back his laughter, Qi Mu said, “Hey, it’s fine to make some changes but I’ve never seen a conductor change the main tune while performing! This gentleman, what you wanted to change is Tchaikovsky. Tchaikovsky, okay? Not a common grandpa next door!”
Min Chen: “…If he was a grandpa next door, I wouldn’t adapt his works.”
Qi Mu: “………….”
Watch your words or the Tchaikovsky’s fans will run over and beat you up!
Having said that, Qi Mu knew that every conductor has their own style. If they wanted to perform a piece perfectly, it was normal to change the tone by a scale or two.
Two days later, when Bai Ai’s last concert in the tour ended successfully, Qi Mu clapped with a smile he couldn’t refrain as he watched the man onstage.
It was indeed as Min Chen said. Even if it was just a small sound, the result was a unique 《Symphony No. 6》 that belonged completely to Auston Bertram.
Onstage, the handsome man easily found his favorite person in the sea of the audience.
And under the stage, Qi Mu raised his head to meet the man’s gaze. His handsome face was lit by a smile but his thoughts were spirited——
To stand shoulder-to-shoulder with this man, he must work even harder!
Translator(s): Kuro
TL Check: Teo
Editor(s): Empress
Proofer(s): Ayn
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
The little princess must feel lonely in the Swiss bank
Thank you!!
Qi Mu, how can the rest of the world compete if you work even harder? The average musician has some hope if Qi Mu was just hardworking or just talented. When he’s both, I guess it’s no surprise this novel is called “King of Classical Music”. It’s sweet that Min Chen could find Qi Mu in the audience so easily. Stage lights are bright! Thanks for the update!
Really surprised that he didn’t have some thoughts about being in the theater where he was killed. Even if you have put what L&Z did behind you, it would still be the site of so much pain. I’m just going to mentally edit in a scene where he was feeling uncomfortable and then listening to Min Chen’s orchestra, it fades away and he’s fully at peace, and there is only one thing left that needs doing: playing at the Golden Hall himself with his princess violin!