King of Classical Music 184

This wasn’t Wei Ai’s first time performing at the Paris Philharmonic Concert Hall, but the sensation of this concert was not inferior to any previous performance. Hundreds of classical music fans gathered in this huge concert hall. Its 2,400 seats were all almost full.

A serious old man should have been unimportant among such enthusiastic fans. But, as soon as Akkad took his seat, someone beside him exclaimed, “God! Are you Master Reed Akkad?”

So far, Akkad had only been recognized once as part of the concert (‘s audience). 

When attending concerts and operas in the past, the master always wore a casual suit. Most of the time, other than hair gel, he didn’t even bother to tie his tie. Someone once wondered in a low voice, “Eh, is that Master Reed Akkad?”, but they were soon persuaded by their companion, “How could Master Akkad dress so casually?” 

Now that he was recognized by his fans, Akkad signed their autographs responsibly. The fans returned to their seats when the concert was about to begin. At last, Akkad was able to take a breath and really hear all the whispers abounding in the audience. 

“When I read 《The Sound of Music》 earlier, they said Wei Ai’s European tour was excellent!” 

“Ah, I also saw 《The Sound of Music》’s high evaluation. I came here especially from Marseille!” 

“Eh, you guys too? I heard my professor say Wei Ai’s tour made a great breakthrough and that it was always praised! This time I asked him for leave to attend the concert, and he just gave permission without saying a word!” 

……

The world was both fair and unfair. 

Once a small shortcoming was reported, it would be magnified until it became unrecognizable after one, two, three, and even 100 passes. For example, the scandal with Zayev last year grew into, “Zayev hated the strength of the newcomer and murdered him before the opening of the performance”.

But, on the contrary, it was difficult for a good thing to spread. Wei Ai’s reputation had been accumulated for a hundred years. A “concertmaster scandal” incident flawed the brilliant surface of that century-old orchestra. After just half a year, it had its first upturning praise. This could only be explained by one thing——

Their performance was truly outstanding!

Only when a good thing is so good that it cannot be ignored or refuted could it be praised across the globe. 

Wei Ai’s previous four concerts in Brussels, Manchester, Rome, and Geneva were all well-received. 

《Join hands with Julie Adelitt, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to start the trend of Piano Concerto! 》《The intersection of classical and modern, the well-deserved king of romance——Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra》《Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra: The glory of an ancient myth!》

……

Among these acclaimed praises, 《Hope》by Belgian’s national treasure music critic, Master Grant, was the most shocking. 

The musician rarely wrote music reviews for orchestras in recent years. The most recent one was over《Madame Butterfly》by the Dresden Symphony Orchestra. Yet, just half a month ago, the master published a 5,000 word review in Belgium’s 《National Palace of Music》magazine. 

The title alone expressed Grant’s view——

《Hope》.

Wei Ai ignited a fresh and refined hope, and its music had undergone new changes in even the smallest corners. This was the rebirth awakening of this orchestra, the start of a new trend, and perhaps a revolution for the world of classical music. 

With such seemingly exaggerated praise, some began to question Master Grant’s words. However, many still decided to listen to Wei Ai’s concert deemed worthy of “hope”.

And Akkad’s attitude was… 

Ahem, I bought ten copies of 《National Palace of Music》in one go for my collection. Isn’t that a good treasure? The violin Department of the National Conservatory of Music in Paris, from the dean and professors to the assistant students, have all promoted it anyway, right?

All in all, although he said, “Little Seven, don’t let me down,” the night before, Akkad had been waiting half a month to enjoy his student’s wonderful performance. 

In the modern-styled concert hall, an opening warning gradually sounded, causing the audience’s whispered discussions to subside. But, after barely a moment, Akkad found the figure of his student among the group of musicians at a glance. The little old man immediately sat up straight and thought to himself: My Little Seven is outstanding!

The innocent members of Wei Ai who felt like they’d been shot: “…” 

This concert was no different from those Akkad had attended in the past few decades. It still followed the usual format of conductor, concertmaster, and at most, a piano player bowing in thanks then the opening performance. 

It wasn’t until the second section of the《Walstein Sonata》rang out that the fickleness in Akkad’s eyes slowly dissipated. He listened to the music carefully. 

In Wei Ai’s few touring performances, aside from the forever unchanged 《Waldstein Sonata》, almost every performance changed several pieces of its repertoire. Being able to keep the repertoire of their performances showed that the orchestra was confident. 

It was needless to say that Julie Adelitt’s piano performance made 《Waldstein Sonata》lifelike under her hands, as if dawn had reappeared. Akkad never underestimated Dorenza’s command. That mild temper did not mean this old friend of his had no strength, for he was as famous as Farrell. 

But when he heard Qi Mu’s performance with Wei Ai, he was stunned. 

The more brilliant the musician, the more meticulously he could detect the slightest gap and feel the almost indistinguishable progress. Perhaps it was increased femininity and delicacy in the chords or the elevated  passion in the collective allegro. Progress was progress and could not be ignored!

Akkad finally understood why, among all the reports praising Wei Ai’s tour, the most exaggerated seemed to be Grant’s 《Hope》. It was precisely because of the high level of appreciation that they could identify more shining points and hear Wei Ai’s most authentic sound. 

This was really… a piece of hope!

《Waldstein Sonata》、《Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor》、Grieg’s《Piano Concerto in A minor》… and the final returning pieces,《Toccata》and《Sicilian Dance》 were endless. After more than two hours, the audience felt the performance was memorable, and it was difficult to extricate themselves until after the curtain fell. Even then, the applause continued long afterwards. 

After three minutes of applause, the old man sitting in the middle of the crowd slowly raised his hands and clapped gently. 

Akkad’s applause was so light that it was quickly overwhelmed by the thunderous applause around him, but his movements were very steady. He clapped one after the next, his hands meeting with gratification and praise. 

His student had successfully finished his apprenticeship! 

……

After Wei Ai’s performance in Paris, Qi Mu went to Akkad’s house to spend a few more hours with the old man. Qi Mu sincerely invited Akkad to Vienna to attend Wei Ai’s last European tour concert this season, but his professor was unable to attend because of his bad back.

However, while Qi Mu was frustrated, Akkad laughed and patted the back of his student’s hand. “Little Seven, I will watch the live broadcast. Your teacher will hear it. Really, it’s a waste for you to lose weight like this. You can’t work so hard in the future, remember to eat more! You must reach 80 kg, you know?” 

Qi Mu nodded with tears of laughter, “Yes, yes, yes, I will try my best to eat more.” 

As for weighing 80 kg… Teacher, even if you killed me, I couldn’t do it!

On the afternoon of the second day after Wei Ai’s performance in Paris, the orchestra took a plane and returned to Vienna. 

The city was still cold when they left, but when they returned, the ground was covered with flowers. There were many unknown wildflowers even beside the roads. Vienna’s spring was as warm and charming as ever. When they returned to their base camp, everyone in Wei Ai felt much more comfortable. Even the sun felt rounder. 

There were still three days to go before Wei Ai’s last European tour concert. As soon as he got off the plane, Dorenza asked everyone to go back to their homes and rest until their return to work the next day. 

When Qi Mu walked into Wei Ai’s large rehearsal room with his violin case the next day, before he put down his things, he saw Carl mysteriously approaching. He whispered, “Little Seven, someone was waiting for you downstairs this morning. Mr. Anthony just brought him up.” 

Hearing that someone was waiting for him under the Friends of Music Association building, Qi Mu was taken aback. He thought for a long time but didn’t know who it could be. After thanking Carl, he quickly put his things down and went to Anthony’s lounge, intending to see the guest. 

After a brief, “Please come in,” Qi Mu gently pushed open the door to the concertmaster’s lounge. The bright, warm sun shone down through the blinds. Qi Mu saw Anthony sitting behind his desk for the first time. When he looked inside and saw a black-haired man at his side, he was slightly stunned. 

His eyes gradually widened. But before he could speak, the other man pushed the frames further up the bridge of his nose with a smile. He said politely, “It’s been a long time, Qi Mu.”