King of Classical Music 202

If one dared to think about the three remaining days to the concert, New Ai naturally had the confidence to rehearse this piece perfectly. When Qi Mu made this suggestion, the chief conductors of both orchestras—— Mr. Dorenza and Mr. Boswell—— began to adapt the instrumental configuration of  《From the New World》.

Yes, not to drastically change the melody, but to alter the instrument arrangement.

With the score in the hands of the two conductors standing at the pinnacle of classical music, it took them almost only a single night to make the alterations to the fourth movement of 《From the New World》. They changed the insertion order and performance rhythm of some instruments. At the same time, a few notes were moved to make the song more harmonious.

There were three days left, and in those most critical days, everyone had to rehearse this adaptation of 《From the New World》 to absolute perfection.

Once Qi Mu got this thick sheet music, he immediately opened it and stared at it for a long time. When he was still at the academy, Professor Deville once said, among the master conductors living today, Albert Dorenza’s scores were the most well-deserved textbook for all conducting students.

Dense attention points, when to use half a beat, when to accentuate, this conductor’s scores were serious to the extreme and nothing like his free, gentle commanding style.

In this adapted score, Mr. Dorenza clearly utilized his meticulousness to the extreme. If a novice violinist who didn’t know 《From the New World》  received this score, he could practice the song in no time at all.

Once the score was finished, the next step was rehearsal.

In fact, whether it was New Ai or Wei Ai, for a piece like 《From the New World》 that was recognized as one of the top ten symphonies in the world, they have already mastered it at heart. Pull a member at random, and they can play the previous section directly.

So, during those three days of rehearsal, excepting the first due to their unfamiliarity with the new arrangement, the two-month collaborative regiment that had been chaotic at the beginning soon merged their very different voices together. By the third day, the two became one and there was no longer any abruptness.

Wei Ai’s purity, New Ai’s freedom, the two orchestra’s sound blended together. As if the goddess had sown a magical seed, a budding lotus grew in lush land. Bringing both gorgeous red and pure white together produced an indescribably beautiful effect!

……

The three days passed quickly, and New Ai’s anniversary officially arrived.

The appeal of this century-old orchestra on the American continent was not inferior to Wei Ai’s influence in Europe. An hour before the concert began, music fans from all over the United States, even Mexico and Canada, rushed to the scene with great interest.

Carnegie Hall in New York was one of the top ten most famous concert halls in the world. This modern city had witnessed hundreds of years of development since being erected in 1890.

It was a rare all-masonry building in New York City. Its dark, narrow bricks and elaborate sculptures on the walls separated Carnegie Hall from the modern skyscrapers that surrounded it. It did not adopt the popular Baroque style, instead, several Koslin-style marble columns propped up this magnificent concert hall, making it part of New York City’s charming landscape.

Carnegie Hall, Chief Lounge.

Qi Mu carefully took “Edith” out of its crimson case. His soft, focused movements attracted the attention of the bearded chief beside him.

“Hey, Little Seven! What’s this? Your violin is beautiful! You weren’t using this one at the Hong Kong Music Festival, right? Oh, no, this isn’t the one you used in rehearsal the other day.”

Originally, Hooke and Qi Mu should have each had their own lounge, but the hospitable concertmaster waved his arm and said, “Little Seven and I haven’t seen each other in a long time. Let’s share a lounge.”

Qi Mu could only look on at this curious gentleman and smile helplessly, “Yes, Hooke. Her name is ‘Edith,’ and I’ve only just started using her recently. Her sound is excellent. You’ll hear it once we’re on stage.”

Hooke observed “Edith” for a long time. He finally had to bow and worship the little princess’s glamorous curves. “What a beautiful lady! I haven’t seen such a beautiful violin in a long time, ittle Seven. You’ve put quite a lot of pressure on me like this!”

Qi Mu only smiled and did not reply.

The two adjusted the pitch of their violins a bit. Qi Mu lifted the rosin to wipe his bow and heard Hooke say, “I still remember when we first met two years ago, Little Seven… You performed that song 《The Boy’s Magic Horn》 as your audition song at the Hong Kong Music Festival. Do you remember?”

Qi Mu immediately recalled the scene from back then. He remembered feeling nervous. He also remembered Min Chen’s gentle encouragement before the audition, and the inspiration Min Chen gave him for the 《The Boy’s Magic Horn》 adaptation that obtained Mr. Boswell’s approval.

Thinking about it like this, it really felt like he was right in front of him. Qi Mu smiled. “I do remember. After that successful audition, I performed Sibelius’s 《Symphony No. 1》 with New Ai.”

Hooke nodded. “So you do remember, but, Little Seven, you probably don’t know. After you left the stage, Mr. Boswell said to the rest of us, ‘This child’s music is mature. His grasp of subtlety is well rounded. He reminds me of someone else, I think… if these two can play together, it’ll be the most wonderful ensemble in the world.’”

With anticipation in his heart, Qi Mu asked, “Mr. Boswell said my music… is very similar to someone else?”

Hooke laughed, “Yes. He said your music resembled Mr. Bertram.”

Qi Mu, who had already predicted the answer, raised the corners of his mouth into a smile but did not speak. His eyebrows softened with his smile, and the color that emerged from the edges of his eyes suggested he was in a pleasant mood.

Of course, the thick-headed Hooke didn’t notice the abnormality at all and sighed, “Little Seven, if only I could hear you and Mr. Bertram play together! The last time I heard his piano was three years ago. I was unable to attend his recital last year due to some business. It’s the biggest regret of my life!”

Qi Mu suddenly recalled. “Hooke, why do I feel… every time you meet Min Chen, you’re unlike that of a fan at all, and there’s even this aggression towards him?”

Hooke’s eyes widened above his large beard, and he said innocently, “Can’t you understand my mood?! The last time I saw Mr. Bertram at Paris’s Ecole Nationale Supérieure, only God knows, my heart almost jumped out of my throat! But… But… But I’m shy!!!”

Qi Mu: “…”

Sorry, he really couldn’t see, in this man that could block the academy concert hall backstage with an expression that read “I’m not scared of you. If you stop me from recruiting musicians, believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death”, a single bit of shyness!!!

Are you sure you know how the word “shy” is spelled?!

Are you sure you didn’t roll up your sleeves and almost punch your own idol in the face?

“Alas, when can I hear Mr. Bertram play the piano again?”

At Hooke’s “crying without tears” sigh, Qi Mu paused in rubbing his rosin and said with a slight smile, “Maybe… that day isn’t all that far away. You might just be able to hear him play again soon.”

Hooke was taken aback. “Eh? How do you know?! Oh yes, you do seem to know Mr. Bertram well! Did he tell you?”

Qi Mu raised an eyebrow calmly. “Guess?”

Hooke: “…”

“Little Seven, just tell me!!!”

At Hooke’s attention-seeking buffoonery, Qi Mu merely smiled his calm, unhurried smile and didn’t answer. After all, it was still indeterminate. Qi Mu didn’t dare seal the deal, and…

Why did he know Min Chen might play the piano again soon?

Because… maybe it was more than just a solo.

The waiting time gradually passed. When there were only twenty minutes left before the concerts’ start, Qi Mu and Hooke exited the lounge together.

In the spacious backstage, most of the members had left the lounges of their respective instrument groups and were waiting together. They happily greeted Qi Mu and Hooke.

Hooke naturally returned the greeting immediately, laughing and asking if everyone was ready, if they were nervous. Qi Mu, however, was stopped by the vibration of his phone.

He took his phone out of his dress pocket. When he saw the familiar name, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled upward, and he opened the SMS.

Min Chen: 【New Ai’s anniversary is live in Germany. Waiting for you to take the stage.】Qi Mu quickly sent back: 【Well, there’s a surprise in the finale. I’ll give you three minutes to guess… Guessing correctly also gets you a surprise.】 There was a slight pause then Qi Mu received a reply: 【The last piece, the fourth movement of Dvorak’s 《From the New World》, did you make an adaptation? Will there be the splendor of the violin?】 In just a few short lines, the entire adaptation was perfectly guessed!

Qi Mu stared at the text in surprise for a long time. Finally, he responded: 【You planted a spy?】 Min Chen cut right to the chase: 【I got it right, I want to be surprised.】 Looking at this guy’s simple words, Qi Mu could imagine that on the other end, a certain man wearing that stern, indifferent face was staring straight at him, waiting for his surprise.

The smile on his lips grew brighter and Qi Mu answered: 【The show is about to start. I’m shutting off my phone now. As for your surprise… Be good, back to Europe with you.】 On the other side of the ocean, it was already early morning in Berlin.

The darkness of night shrouded this beautiful city that never seemed to sleep, and all things seemed tranced with slumber. On the top floor of a high-end apartment complex next to the Spree River, there was a light that never went out.

Min Chen looked down at the flashing text on his phone. His eyes remained fixed on that word “surprise” for quite some time. Then his lips curled, and his proud gaze lifted to the live broadcast on the tv.

You said “be good”?

Sorry, didn’t see it.

But then again… “Be good” about what? The young people in his family just wanted to touch, touch, and touch, it’s all love!