Echoes of the performance lingered in the air. Qi Mu smiled,\noffering his most heartfelt compliment, \u201cI\u2019ve heard this piece so many times\nbefore, but listening to it live is different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Min Chen looked up at him. \u201cHow do you feel?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thinking it over, Qi Mu said, \u201cHow to say it. . . It feels\nmore real. With classical music, you need to hear it live to really understand\nit. You\u2019re able to discern the little details.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the years progressed, so did headphone quality in the\nmarket. Such high-end headphones allowed listeners to hear the subtlest notes,\nbringing CD\u2019s flat melodies to life. Through them, music was vivid and\nimmersive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But. . . for someone with excellent hearing and perfect\npitch, no pair of headphones could match the sound of a live performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, why did most people prefer live concerts?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Electronic equipment could never fully convey the beauty of\nmusic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A smile flashed in Min Chen\u2019s dark eyes. He nodded. \u201cIt will\nbe good for you to attend more concerts while you still have the time.\u201d After a\npause, he asked, \u201cWhat else do you like?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qi Mu knew he wanted to play another song for him. Deciding\nto tease him, Qi Mu thought for a moment then said, \u201cChopin\u2019s\nEtude Op. 10, No. 1 \u300ain C major\u300b<\/a>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen raised his eyebrows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most etudes were not pleasant to the ears. Even Chopin\u2019s\netudes could only be regarded as pieces of melody and harmony at best. Compared\nto his serenades, sonatas and the others, they were far from enjoyable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As an etude, it was meant to hone the performer\u2019s skills.\nEnjoyable or not, a pleasant sound wasn\u2019t its purpose. The most important\ncharacteristic of an etude was the difficult techniques it required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chopin\u2019s Etude \u300aOp. 10, No. 1\u300b was among the best of\nthe dozens he\u2019d written. Even from Qi Mu\u2019s perspective, it was one of the most\ndifficult pieces to perform. Therefore, when he said he \u201cliked\u201d this piece, he\nimplied he wanted to see Min Chen\u2019s skills at the keys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t every day he got to see a piano master perform at\nsuch close range. Qi Mu wasn\u2019t passing up the opportunity to see everything he\nhad to offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen immediately understood what Qi Mu wanted. Faced\nwith such \u201cdifficulty\u201d, his lips curled into a smile. Softly, he asked, \u201cYou\nsure?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu nodded. \u201cYes. This piece is smooth and vivid. I like\nit a lot.\u201d Visual appreciation was still an appreciation. To put it simply, he\ndidn\u2019t lie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At his cheeky expression, Min Chen smiled. His rare smile\nsoon faded, but he nodded. \u201cOkay. . . How many times faster?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu echoed, \u201cHow many times faster?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen\u2019s dark eyes were alight with laughter. \u201cYes, how\nfast would you like it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although he didn\u2019t quite understand what he meant, Qi Mu\nthought for a moment and said, \u201cTwice as fast?\u201d As soon as he said it, he added\nwith wide eyes, \u201cHow fast can you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen raised an eyebrow. \u201cFive times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFive times!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chopin\u2019s Etude \u300aOp. 10, No. 1\u300b at five times the speed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu had never seen it that fast before, but since Min Chen\nwas confident. . . he didn\u2019t mind making the request even more difficult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, to Qi Mu\u2019s surprise, five times the speed. . . was fast\nenough to make him sick, what madness was this!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chopin\u2019s \u300aFirst Practice Song\u300b was just a practice piece. The\nmelody was repeated almost completely for its 2-minute duration. Put it simply,\nthe left-hand movements were simple. The right hand had a wide range, though,\nplaying from the bass to the high tone and back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Chopin\u2019s Etude \u300aOp. 10, No. 1\u300b at normal speed was a\ntest of endurance, then. . . five times the speed was beyond Qi Mu\u2019s\nimagination. It entered the realm of the demons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen\u2019s fingers slid along the keys at such a high speed,\nthey left afterimages. Even Qi Mu, with good eyes for motion, had to bow down.\nNo, it wasn\u2019t just his fingers, even his wrists and arms left afterimages, too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu tasted the bitter fruit of his own planting. Now, even\nif he wanted to appreciate the other man\u2019s beautiful skills, he can\u2019t see his\nfingers long enough to do it. He should\u2019ve known from the beginning that since\nMin Chen could say \u201cfive times the speed\u201d, he was confident and competent enough\nto back it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Performed very vividly, the two minute piece was compressed\nto only 20 seconds. By the time Qi Mu immersed himself in his frustration, the\netude was completely over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen\u2019s faint smile was lit by the cold moonlight. In a\nlow voice, he asked, \u201cDid you like it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a while, Qi Mu hummed and said, \u201cI prefer \u300aR\u00e9miniscences\nde Don Juan<\/a>\u300b.\u201d\nHe went on, earnestly and sincerely describing it, \u201cThe melody\u2019s moving and\nbeautiful. The rhythm is also very concise and light, it\u2019s an excellent piece.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300aR\u00e9miniscences de Don Juan\u300bwas a short piano piece from Liszt\nadapted from Mozart\u2019s opera \u300aDon Giovanni\u300b. The piece reached 22 points of\ndifficulty and was touted as one of the most difficult piano pieces in the\nworld. Very few people would and could play it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What light rhythm? Wasn\u2019t it difficult to the point of being\nnon-human?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu firmly said, \u201cI\u2019ve always liked the \u300aR\u00e9miniscences\nde Don Juan\u300b\nvery much, but. . . There are very few albums in the market. Almost no one has\nrecorded it, not even you. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Full of lament and regret, his tone seemed to say, I didn\u2019t\nexpect even you couldn\u2019t play it. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Could Min Chen play \u300aR\u00e9miniscences de Don Juan\u300b? Qi\nMu intended to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As early as his teenage years, he used Liszt\u2019s other piece, \u300aR\u00e9miniscences de\nNorma<\/a>\u300bin\nhis repertoire for his entry in Xiao Sai. It gained him thunderous applause\nfrom the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rosaire, a British pianist who served as the main judge,\nsaid, \u201cYour \u300aNorma\u300b has surpassed\nmine and I think. . . if you don\u2019t get full marks, then no one will!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu never thought he would succeed with such a radical\nattack. He simply wanted to pay him back for teasing him with \u201cfive times the\nspeed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But. . . Again, to Qi Mu\u2019s surprise, he found there were<\/em>\npeople in the world. . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n That were too childish!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the very difficult \u300aR\u00e9miniscences de Don Juan\u300b\nresounded in the piano room, Qi Mu didn\u2019t realize Min Chen was inspired by his\nwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu had yet to recover, not getting the chance to speak,\nbefore the childish man asked, \u201cDo you like \u300aDanse Macabre<\/a>\u300b?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300aDanse Macabre\u300b was one of Liszt\u2019s representative\nworks. Its difficulty was on par with \u300aR\u00e9miniscences de Don Juan\u300b and\nwas also touted as one of the most challenging piano pieces in the world. In\nthe words of some pianists, each of the five variations in the piece was worse\nthan the others. Liszt must have wanted to embarrass the later generations to\ndeath, ah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu was still in a daze when Min Chen asked him this\nquestion. He just muttered \u201cUh,\u201d and the beautiful notes of \u300aDanse\nMacabre\u300b\nfilled the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the piece, Min Chen again asked, \u201cHow about \u300aLa Campanella<\/a>\u300b?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu: \u201c. . .You. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300aLa Campanella\u300b rang out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDo you like \u300aPetrushka<\/a>\u300b?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c. . . I really do. .\n.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u300aPetrushka\u300b also rang out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u300aIslamey<\/a>\u300b?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n . . . <\/p>\n\n\n\n Intricate pieces resounded one after another, making Qi Mu\ntaste the bitter fruit. He experienced what it meant when people said: \u201cYou\ncannot die twice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just as Min Chen was about to start another piece, Qi Mu\ngrabbed his hands. He looked up at the stubborn, childish man with a sincere\ngaze, and said, \u201cLike. . . I like it very much! I like every piece you play\nvery much!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu\u2019s words stunned him. When Min Chen realized what the younger\nman said, he felt his temperature rise. The man called \u201cThe thick-skinned\ndevil\u201d by Daniel. . . sported a blush on his ears.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen coughed softly and said, \u201c. . . Now, since you said\nyou liked it, I\u2019ll play another one?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu: \u201c. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though he liked it, he couldn\u2019t stay and listen to more\nthan a dozen songs without taking a breather!<\/p>\n\n\n\n . . .<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Qi Mu left late that night, he couldn\u2019t help but sneak\nseveral glances at the other man\u2019s hands. Finally, he couldn\u2019t stop himself\nfrom asking, \u201cYou played so many pieces. . . Ah, difficult pieces. Aren\u2019t your\nhands sore?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c. . . Not sore. I\npractice long hours every day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu practiced violin for at least six hours a day, so he\ncould understand. He nodded. \u201cI think it\u2019s better if you cut back on the hours\na bit. It will burden your fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen, who practiced daily for an hour at a time, said,\n\u201c. . . Well, okay.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu smiled and nodded after receiving an answer. He said,\n\u201cThen I\u2019ll leave first. You don\u2019t have to send me out.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen took out a large, brown paper bag out of nowhere\nand stuffed it into his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu wondered what was in the bag when Min Chen\u2019s low and\nmagnetic voice rang out, \u201cThis is a recording I made last year. There were\nseveral of Liszt\u2019s works, such as \u300aR\u00e9miniscences de Don Juan\u300b, \u300aDanse\nMacabre\u300b\nand \u300aLa\nCampanella\u300b.\nYou can listen to them whenever you like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu finally figured out what was in the bag. It was a\nvinyl of Min Chen\u2019s performances recorded privately. It included Liszt\u2019s\ncomplete works. It was absolutely priceless if he put it on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qi Mu hesitated. \u201cThis is too valuable, I. . .\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can record another\nanytime.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Min Chen blocked all of Qi Mu\u2019s arguments with a single\nsentence. Qi Mu could only smile and nod. \u201cRest assured, I will treasure it and\ntake good care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After exchanging a few more words, Qi Mu left for his hotel.\nJust a few seconds after he left, the childish man frowned and whispered to\nhimself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen will he. . .\nfind out what\u2019s inside?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTomorrow?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The man\u2019s low voice was swallowed by the darkness of Vienna\u2019s\nnight. No one knew what he said nor understood what he meant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The hidden thing remained a mystery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <<< Previous<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n N<\/a>ext >>><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Translator Videos: ...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[66,35,39,68,64,37],"class_list":["post-7920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kocm","tag-betrayal","tag-bl","tag-modern","tag-power-couple","tag-revenge","tag-transmigration"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7920"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7920\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8230,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7920\/revisions\/8230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\n\n\n
Editor
Chopin\u2019s Etude Op. 10, No. 1 \u300ain C major\u300b<\/a>
R\u00e9miniscences de Don Juan<\/a>
R\u00e9miniscences de Norma<\/a>
Danse Macabre (Video 1)<\/a> (Video 2)<\/a>
La Campanella<\/a>
Petrushka<\/a>
Islamey<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"