Chapter 51 Come and play a piece for me
The actual combat location where Xiao Peng and Felix were to be held was at the C2 Hotel.
The C2 Hotel building itself is a 200-year-old mansion located between the Old Port of Marseille, the Abbey of Saint Victor and Notre Dame La Garde, so it also maintains the architectural style of that era. From the outside, it has only four floors in total, but there is actually another floor underneath, including a bar, gym and spa, all in the basement. It is a typical small but complete hotel.
However, Xiao Peng did not take Felix to the bar, but to the cafe next to the stairs.
There is a black German-made Schiermann piano here. It is rare to see French pianos in France.
Why is Felix, a young pianist, so famous in France? The reason is simple: despite their love of romance and music, the French lack a truly top-tier classical pianist. Compared to their European neighbors like Austria, Italy, and Germany, they pale in comparison!
Jacques Lucier is an 'alternative' in the classical music world; Richard Clayderman is a laughing stock in the eyes of many insiders; Bertrand Charmet and David Card are good, but just 'good'...
It's not just that their piano playing skills aren't as good as others', they're also not as good at piano manufacturing. France has no other notable piano brands besides the relatively good Pleyel brand, a brand the French themselves don't recognize, preferring pianos from other countries. More of these pianos are exported than sold domestically. As a last resort, France added the EPV (Electronic Practical Vehicle) label to its portfolio, ensuring the state protects these companies and keeps them open.
The hotel does not employ a pianist. The piano is usually placed there for tourists to perform - many people in Europe play it a few times.
When Xiao Peng and his friends arrived at the coffee shop, they heard the sound of a piano. A girl was playing the piano there.
The girl looked like a tourist from the looks of it, wearing a polo shirt, jeans, hiking shoes, and carrying a small backpack, but she was playing a very beautiful classical piano piece.
Xiao Peng and Felix found a seat at the table, led by the waiter. Bo Ke also arrived, but Xiao Peng refused to let him sit with him: "We're here to pick up girls, not to scare people! What do you look like? Can't you look in the mirror?"
This made Boco feel wronged but there was nothing he could do. He could only sit in the corner and play with his mobile phone in a depressed mood. He had to report what happened here to Paris at any time.
Xiao Peng ignored him and sat there with Felix listening to the girl play the piano. Just then, the girl changed the song, and Xiao Peng was delighted: "'Twinkle, twinkle little star, how can you tell what I am doing?' This girl is quite interesting. She can even play this on the piano."
Felix's face was filled with anguish. "Master, she's playing Mozart's 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' Variations. 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' is an ancient European nursery rhyme, and Mozart created twelve variations based on it while in Paris in 1778. Don't underestimate this piece. It looks simple, but it's played at a very fast tempo and has many ornaments. Playing it well is not an easy task. Although the technical difficulty isn't very high, controlling the tone is extremely difficult..."
Now it was Xiao Peng's turn to be speechless. He interrupted Felix directly: "Are you my master or am I your master? Are you giving me a lesson?"
Felix curled his lips and stopped talking, but there was obvious contempt in his eyes.
Xiao Peng ignored him and looked at the girl playing the piano: "Felix, how does she play?"
Felix shook his head and said confidently, "It's just average, pretty good for an amateur! Master, why did you bring me here? To listen to people play the piano to improve my piano skills? Master, you underestimate me. Although my level is not very high, it is indeed much better than the people here."
Xiao Peng rolled his eyes at him and said, "Why are you so proud? Master, I haven't even heard you play the piano properly!"
Felix asked in confusion, "Master, I'm learning from you how to become stronger and pick up girls, why are you listening to me play the piano?"
Xiao Peng coughed twice and started talking again, "Do you think you don't need to understand music to fight? Every boxer must have his own rhythm. Look at those Muay Thai fighters. They have to dance to the rhythm of the music before going on stage. What do you think they do? It's to get into their own rhythm as quickly as possible! Do you think I can't play an instrument? Let me tell you, my instrument playing level is quite high, but it's not the piano you are familiar with... Forget it, why am I telling you all this? I want to listen to you play the piano because I want to know where your rhythm is! If you consider me your master, do as I say!"
Felix nodded quickly. He had found the right master! They say practice makes perfect. His master really had it covered!
Just at this time, the girl finished playing the piano and applause was heard in the cafe. Europeans were not stingy with their applause for women who dared to express themselves.
Xiao Peng said, "You should also play a piece of Mozart. Not something too simple, not too difficult either."
Felix considered it for a moment. "How about I play a passage from the first movement of Mozart's sonata?"
“…” Xiao Peng didn’t know how to answer this question. He really wanted to ask Felix, do you think I look like someone who has heard Mozart’s first movement sonata?
He coughed twice and pointed at the piano, saying, "Go play it!"
After listening to Xiao Peng's words, Felix walked to the piano. He did not rush to play the piano, but stood beside the piano and bowed slightly in several directions before sitting in front of the piano. He played a few notes casually to familiarize himself with the timbre of the piano. Then, a lively and beautiful piano music jumped out of the piano and into everyone's ears with the dancing of his fingers.
As the old saying goes: "An expert can tell the quality of a piece with just one touch." Felix's piano playing skills were truly exceptional. Even if Xiao Peng didn't know much about piano, he could tell that he was significantly better than the girl who had just played.
When Felix finished playing the piano, the audience burst into warm applause. Of course, many of the people applauding here may not know anything about piano like Xiao Peng, but seeing such a child playing the piano so fluently, everyone would give their applause.
After Felix finished playing, he bowed again to thank everyone and returned to Xiao Peng and asked proudly, "Master, how did I play? Did you find my 'rhythm'?"
But Xiao Peng frowned and shouted, "What kind of crap did you play? You really let me down!"
"Ah?" Felix was dumbfounded. This was not the answer he had imagined!
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