Chapter 31, Song 31...
Qu Jiaying was often dragged to perform by Yan Zheng this summer, but he could only find Chen Li and Yang Jingyi's bar, where the two of them, one playing the violin and the other the viola, played a trio with Chen Li, who played the piano.
Yang Jingyi failed her postgraduate entrance exam last year because Chen Li's grandmother passed away, and Chen Li was in a bad mood. Yang Jingyi had to take care of the bar's affairs, so she didn't have time to study. Now she finally has some free time, and Yan Zheng is giving her some theoretical advice, while Qu Jiaying is guiding her on the problems she encountered while practicing the violin.
It wasn't peak time for the bar yet, and Chen Li was practicing Chopin's challenging "Fantaisie-Impromptu," but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get it right. She sighed, got off the piano bench, poured herself a glass of strong liquor, and sat down next to Qu Jiaying.
Yan Zheng advised Chen Li, "Your emotions are on point. Practice slowly first, and then speed up the pace once you're more proficient."
Chen Li readily accepted, and said with a smile, "I listened to your conducting last time, and it was so much better than your viola."
Qu Jiaying jokingly added, "You've even mastered Chopin, which you're least good at. What else could possibly stump our great conductor?"
Yan Zheng's ears burned, and he chuckled helplessly, "I still have a lot to learn."
"What's Uncle Yan's opinion?" Qu Jiaying asked.
Yan Zheng nodded: "He said that I have surpassed him in musical talent, so he won't make a decision for me directly."
Qu Jiaying was somewhat surprised, not expecting that Uncle Yan could be so understanding.
Chen Li was a bit older than them and understood Yan Jing's thoughts better: "Because he's getting old."
Yan Zheng paused for a moment, then did not deny it: "Maybe, but I'd rather believe that he genuinely loves music."
Before she knew it, the new semester had begun, but Qu Jiaying still hadn't found the right feel for the Russian style. Cai Rui immediately noticed the problem when the school symphony orchestra rehearsed.
Cai Rui was extremely troubled. Qu Jiaying was not in good form and couldn't find her rhythm. The problem lay in her style of play.
"Don't try things recklessly," Cai Rui said.
“I’ve talked to Teacher Xia. Your style was almost entirely Franco-Belgian before, and your acting style lacked personal characteristics. You still don’t have any now,” Cai Rui said bluntly.
"No?" Qu Jiaying still couldn't understand the theory.
“This is not the same as your emotional expression.” Cai Rui tried his best to explain in his non-standard Mandarin. “The performance style I am talking about now is something more external, how to perform, the posture of playing the violin, and the handling of every detail. Russian soloists are all different, while the Franco-Belgian school is very similar.”
Cai Rui continued, "Teacher Xia has been taught by two schools of thought, so she is easily confused. The most obvious difference between the two schools is in the way you hold the bow. Techniques like bowing and vibrato are learned from each other, and now more emphasis is placed on lineage."
"You forced yourself to change your style, and after practicing all summer, you still can't get the hang of it. Even if you find a famous Russian master to guide you, you can only make it to the finals at best next year. Is this what you want?" Cai Rui asked.
Qu Jiaying understood what he meant. She planned to participate in the international competition held in China next year, aiming to win a medal, rather than just making it to the finals again. She also didn't want to automatically enter the finals just because she studied under a famous teacher.
Having practiced the zither for so many years, Qu Jiaying thought she had a pretty good grasp of technique, but she didn't expect that changing schools of thought would be so difficult.
“Your performance style is exactly the same as that of the French and Belgian schools, or rather, similar to that of Teacher Xia. There’s nothing particularly special about it. And your musical performance was completely different before. Now that you’ve found your direction, just keep going down your path. Maybe the reason you can’t change it for a while is because your body is resisting, telling you that you’re on the right path and shouldn’t change it,” Cai Rui said.
Cai Rui earnestly advised, "You should continue to study the Franco-Belgian school. You can't make any major innovations, and being too innovative isn't good either. You'll end up being ostracized like me. Your current expression is just right."
Qu Jiaying was in a dilemma, torn between Xia Xiaolei, her teacher who had been teaching her since she was a child, and Cai Rui, an internationally renowned conductor.
Both sides were authorities to her.
Cai Rui is a more experienced conductor and has given her a lot of advice, but Xia Xiaolei understands her better and knows the violin better, plus there is also the opinion of Muller.
Qu Jiaying was almost persuaded by Cai Rui's conducting, but when she turned around, her weekly violin lessons were still guided by teacher Xia Xiaolei. She felt that she hadn't found the right method, and with her comprehension, she shouldn't have been unable to do it.
Not only Qu Jiaying, but all the members of the "three missing one" quartet band have hit a bottleneck.
Le Yi's confusion and bewilderment hadn't dissipated, and after much hesitation, he decided to temporarily suspend his teaching. He watched as some of his friends planned to continue their studies, like Yan Zheng who started taking English lessons, while highly skilled individuals like Qu Jiaying and Ruan Qi began practicing competition pieces. Gao Ying, aiming to become a professional piano accompanist, was also working hard towards her goal. Even more unusual was Qiu Xue and her recently graduated composition major boyfriend, who started making videos online. She was very creative, and her videos had already become somewhat popular.
Le Yi didn't want to sit idly by and wait for his fate, so he took advantage of the new semester's recruitment to join the choir and accompany the members.
Xiang Min has been feeling down lately. Unlike Le Yi, he isn't confused about the future. He doesn't care about such things and is willing to perform all his life. But what bothers him is his uncle's concern. He has many other worries: he didn't learn any traditional musical instruments during the holiday, he has to interact with Cai Rui for the semester's courses, and there's also a mess of relationships.
Yan Zheng was the only one full of energy, looking everywhere for opportunities to perform with the quartet. However, most of them required classic pieces, either for shopping mall promotions or park events. He wanted more professional occasions.
That day, Gao Ying came to their rehearsal room where they were "one short" and said excitedly, "You guys are really amazing!"
All four were busy with their own things. Qu Jiaying was watching videos of Russian violinists, Le Yi was sitting at the piano playing casually, Yan Zheng kept refreshing his phone searching for information on missing performers, and Xiang Min was holding his bass while strumming the strings in a daze.
"What's wrong with you guys? Give me some feedback!" Gao Ying shouted.
Qu Jiaying then took off her headphones and looked up: "Were you looking for me?"
"I'm looking for the four of you." Gao Ying pulled out a chair and sat down.
"Is there anything else for us?" Le Yi, Yan Zheng, and Xiang Min also put down what they were doing and came over.
"Do you remember that charity event I asked you to attend before?" Gao Ying asked.
"That performance for students at a special education school?"
Gao Ying nodded and then asked, "Do you remember where you met whom?"
Qu Jiaying and Le Yi both shook their heads, while Yan Zheng and Xiang Min slowly remembered: "There was some boss who was also doing charity work, and he gave me a business card."
“President Liu really appreciated your performance and had been wanting to contact you, but you didn’t reach out to him. He then contacted the school’s volunteer organization,” Gao Ying explained.
Qu Jiaying asked with some doubt, "It's been so long, does he still remember us?"
Gao Ying smiled at her: "Of course it's because of you. Didn't a music critic report on the school symphony orchestra's performance of Debussy's 'La Mer' the other day? A lot of the article praised you, and naturally it mentioned that you participated in the string quartet."
"That CEO Liu just happened to see the report?" Qu Jiaying was genuinely surprised.
“That magazine has the highest sales volume in the country,” Yan Zheng said.
Qu Jiaying learned from her father during the summer vacation that Ruan Qi had provided a lot of help. If it weren't for her recommendation, the music critic named Li Yue would not have come to the concert, and would not have been moved by her performance and helped promote her.
Qu's father specifically told her about the subsequent developments of that music review, and how many media outlets wanted to interview her.
Qu Jiaying wasn't very interested. She didn't like going online and spent all her time practicing the piano. Now she's even starting to make time to read books.
Qu's father believed that there was no need for publicity at this stage, and that it would be enough to promote her after she became a soloist. So he turned down the interviews for her, and the hype gradually subsided.
"You just said you were looking for the four of us. Does he have any charity events that require performances?" Qu Jiaying asked.
Gao Ying's expression was somewhat subtle: "It's his wedding."
"..." Qu Jiaying didn't know what to say.
Le Yi, Yan Zheng, and Xiang Min reacted strongly, all of them unwilling.
"It must be a second marriage. I heard the bridesmaid is President Liu's daughter," Gao Ying explained awkwardly.
Le Yi, Yan Zheng, and Xiang Min were even less inclined to go.
"Why?" Gao Ying pressed.
Yan Zheng frowned: "The songs played at the wedding are just the same ones, and they're not professional performances, so there's no need to attend."
Xiang Min shook his head: "I hate weddings."
Le Yi was the most emotional: "If it's a charity event, I have no objection, but I don't want to perform at a rich person's wedding."
"Then forget it..." Before Qu Jiaying could finish speaking, Gao Ying interrupted her.
Gao Ying stared at Qu Jiaying: "But what if I told you that the charity foundation to which this President Liu belongs owns a Stradivarius?"
Qu Jiaying was stunned.
"Are you sure?" Qu Jiaying quickly asked.
“Yes, I checked. That Stradivarius violin belonged to a collector who loved classical music, and his will specified that it be donated to this charitable foundation,” Gao Ying said.
Qu Jiaying's gaze wandered, drifting towards Le Yi, Yan Zheng, and Xiang Min.
Which violinist doesn't dream of owning a Stradivarius?
Of course, Qu Jiaying knew that the hope was slim, but was it possible to take a look, touch, and try playing a piece of music once she made contact?
Yan Zheng and Xiang Min, having both studied string instruments, immediately switched sides upon seeing her glance. They were well aware of the allure of a good instrument to a musician.
Le Yi was still hesitant. He certainly liked Qu Jiaying's persistent and longing eyes, but he really hated conforming to the rules of society.
Gao Ying added, "Only the 'Wedding March' is fixed in the repertoire; you can improvise the rest. Also, the venue for the wedding has a pipe organ."
Le Yi agreed upon hearing this.
Gao Ying looked around. Qu Jiaying didn't like to worry about trivial matters, and Le Yi didn't seem to be cut out for it either. Xiang Min's objection this time was quite strong. She decided to let Yan Zheng, who was more attentive, take charge. She sent all the relevant information to Yan Zheng.
After Gao Ying left, the four of them began a long discussion.
"How can I get my hands on that Stradivarius?" Xiang Min pondered.
“We can’t just perform at one member’s wedding, can we?” Le Yi said.
Qu Jiaying didn't think too much about it: "Let's go perform first."
“From what I know, most of the violinists who play with Stradivarius violins borrow their instruments from the owners. Some are banks, some are charitable foundations, and some are collectors. The users also vary in their circumstances. Some borrow only for certain concerts or competitions, while others borrow for several years. Obviously, those who have the right to use the instrument for several years are soloists or rising stars who are about to become soloists,” Yan Zheng said.
"Then it seems we need to work hard," Qu Jiaying said with a smile. "If we become a promising stock, people will naturally invest in us."
“Then we’ll provide the initial funding,” Le Yi said.
The wedding march was the only one that was decided upon; the other pieces were to be decided by them. Yan Zheng and Xiang Min started selecting and arranging the music according to the wedding arrangements. Le Yi also wanted to play the organ for a while, so that had to be factored in as well.
Qu Jiaying was a little puzzled. Although the choice of music wasn't very important, it was still part of the wedding. Didn't President Liu and his new wife care? Were they just letting these students decide?
Curiosity flashed through Qu Jiaying's mind, but before she could chat with Gao Ying about this little matter, the "three missing one" quartet hadn't practiced together for a long time, and disharmony was starting to appear again.
There was no arguing, just disharmony in the performance.
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