Chapter 44, Song 44...
Wang Zhou reminded Qu Jiaying in advance that there would be many people performing at the cultural center today, so she put on her makeup, changed into a formal dress, put on a thick coat, and rushed over with her violin.
Qiu Xue will also be performing. Her videos have a high number of views, and she is quite well-known. She and Qu Jiaying are both in the youth group. After them will be well-known figures in the classical music world in China and even Asia.
The event was quite large, almost a music festival, and many people came. Wang Zhou was so busy that he didn't even have time to drink water. After explaining the precautions to Qu Jiaying and Qiu Xue, he hurriedly left.
Mr. and Mrs. Qu were looking for their seats when they saw their tickets. Mrs. Qu complained that Mr. Qu had left late and there was almost nowhere to park. Mr. Qu made a few excuses.
Le Yi leaned closer and said, "Uncle and Auntie, the seats are over here."
Qu's mother immediately put on a kind smile: "Why don't you perform together? I've heard Jiaying say that you're very good at playing the piano."
Le Yi was taken aback: "She said that?"
Mr. Qu nodded: "When we went out together last time, we didn't find a suitable opportunity to hear you play the piano."
Le Yi pursed his lips, then smiled again: "This time it's Qu Jiaying's stage, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to hear me play the piano in the future."
After sitting down, Qu's mother looked around and asked, "Where are Yan Zheng and the others?"
Le Yi pointed to the distance: "They're all here. The two of them are sitting over there."
Yan Zheng muttered under his breath, "Le Yi distributed the votes; he really knows how to play the 'upper-level' route."
Xiang Min glanced at him: "You've known each other since we were kids, why don't you take this path?"
Yan Zheng hesitated for a long time. He couldn't do it. Not everyone can win the favor of others as easily as Le Yi.
However, even Le Yi, whom everyone considers an optimist, has his own unresolved troubles.
He accomplished nothing this semester and it's almost over. No matter how little he pays attention, the quartet he formed with Qu Jiaying and the others only has a year and a half left.
This doesn't even take into account that Qu Jiaying and Yan Zheng will have to reduce their quartet activities in order to work towards their future goals starting next semester.
Compared to Yan Zheng, Le Yi cares more about Xiang Min, who is more like him; they are both lost souls.
Therefore, he could not tolerate Xiang Min and Qu Jiaying getting closer.
But no matter what, Xiang Min still has one goal—to complete her graduation project.
Le Yi only plays the piano. After finishing one piece, there is another. But what is the purpose of improving his skills and enhancing the musicality? Without a purpose, there is no motivation.
Le Yi smiled bitterly. He had never been confused about this before. He used to play the piano only for his own happiness, but now he didn't know the answer.
Qu Jiaying and Qiu Xue were chatting backstage. Qu Jiaying was a little surprised. Apart from being well-tailored, the black dress under Qiu Xue's down jacket had no special features: "Doesn't your dress have any decorations?"
Qiu Xue was also surprised. Qu Jiaying doesn't usually dress up much. She wore a black dress for the school symphony orchestra performance, but it was more stylish. But she had never seen her dress so different for an off-campus performance.
The flame-like hem of her skirt swayed slightly at her knees, making her look even more radiant and elegant under the stage lights.
Qiu Xue leaned against Qu Jiaying: "I'm starting to fall for you."
"Stop being silly," Qu Jiaying said with a smile.
The two sat and rested in a corner backstage. The indoor heating was on full blast, and there were many people. The event had already started, but it was still during the leaders' speeches. Qu Jiaying felt stuffy, so she got up to find a window to get some fresh air.
Qiu Xue didn't want to get cold, so she sat in her seat and looked at her things.
As Qu Jiaying turned the corner, she saw that Teacher Xia Xiaolei and her acquaintance had just finished chatting.
Teacher Xia Xiaolei was also wearing a black dress, and her sparse white hair had been dyed black again.
"Uh, teacher, are you performing today too?" Qu Jiaying asked, forcing herself to be polite.
Xia Xiaolei looked at her, sighed almost imperceptibly, and nodded in response, "Yes, behind you." She couldn't help but ask with concern, "You chose Mahler's Fifth Symphony? Did you encounter any difficulties?"
Qu Jiaying smiled and said, "That's right, we encountered too many problems. You'll hear them later."
Xia Xiaolei felt both gratified and disappointed: "You've grown up."
Qu Jiaying may appear very confident, but she still gets caught up in her own struggles and occasionally doubts herself.
She had also discussed the same issue with Yan Zheng.
Yan Zheng was analyzing Mahler's Fifth Symphony with her at the time when he glanced at her and asked with a light laugh, "Who else did you ask?"
"No one but you." In Qu Jiaying's eyes, only Yan Zheng is not confused now, but moving forward without hesitation.
This straightforward answer instantly cheered Yan Zheng up. He thought for a moment and replied seriously, "If you ask me if I understand Western European culture, I can't do it no matter how hard I try. But can modern Europeans fully understand Europe from hundreds of years ago?"
Qu Jiaying nodded thoughtfully.
“I haven’t really thought about this question much.” Yan Zheng carefully chose his words. “Comparatively speaking, I am more proficient in Bach’s works, but he spent most of his career in the church. He firmly believed that most of his works were religious music. So why do you think I can still interpret these works well?”
Qu Jiaying shook her head blankly.
“Although I know almost nothing about religion, I can understand the grandeur of those works. However, how the audience feels is not something I can control,” Yan Zheng recalled. “My father took me to a rural church. They were very devout, but it was different from what I learned in books and movies. The church activities of those villagers were very localized and integrated with our folk customs. If you removed the crosses and the text on the banners, it would look no different from ordinary rural activities.”
Qu Jiaying wasn't too surprised. She had been to Black churches before, where the services involved loud singing and chanting, creating a very powerful atmosphere. The friend who took her there had explained that in early America, this style evolved into gospel music in rural Black churches, and later combined with blues to become jazz. Each denomination is different, and religions also integrate with local culture; in Latin America, it even combined with Marxism to form liberation theology.
Yan Zheng continued, "They also have a choir, but they sing opera and folk songs with slightly different lyrics. I conducted them in singing the gospel song 'Amazing Grace.' I don't know if I interpreted it well, but most of the audience liked it."
A staff member came over to remind her of the time, and Qu Jiaying snapped out of her daze. She quickly met up with Qiu Xue, took off her coat, tuned her piano again, straightened her red skirt, and went on stage.
Many people came to the scene today, including Qu Jiaying's parents, Le Yi, Yan Zheng, Xiang Min, and others, as well as relevant professionals.
Music critic Li Yue, who previously covered Qu Jiaying, also came.
Li Yue's eyes lit up when he saw Qu Jiaying take the stage. Her red dress was stunning. Last time it was the school band's performance, and even as the principal, she couldn't stand out too much. This time it was perfect.
Modern musicians not only need to captivate audiences, but also need to be visually striking. Despite the traditional and conservative nature of the classical music world, audiences still appreciate female musicians who possess both musical talent and charisma.
During the last interview, Li Yue discovered that Qu Jiaying doesn't care much about her appearance in daily life, but this kind of dressing up is very useful when she performs on stage, as it helps her create a confident and beautiful image.
Li Yue nodded approvingly. The audience members around him were whispering about Qu Jiaying's appearance and her outfit. Even if it wasn't intentional, it was very effective. With some packaging and marketing from her agent, Qu Jiaying would become famous among the general audience.
Qu Jiaying hadn't performed for an audience alone on stage for a long time. She was slightly nervous and excited. She took a deep breath and began to play.
This piece of music was not well-known to the average listener, but it quickly captured their attention.
Most of the young musicians who performed earlier hoped to leave a deep impression on the industry professionals present today. They always chose technically challenging pieces that could better showcase their abilities. They often took an unconventional approach, choosing extremely niche or self-composed pieces. Professionals might appreciate them, but most ordinary listeners found them unpleasant to listen to.
The program list shows that most of the well-known musicians playing pieces that are familiar to the general public.
Qu Jiaying only realized later that the selection of music was not as novel as she had thought; the level was just right. After all, Mahler's works have stood the test of time and would attract ordinary listeners.
Yan Zheng, sitting in the audience, also thought of this. He glanced at Le Yi, who was sitting next to Qu's parents.
He remembered that Yue Yi had said he didn't want to play the piece composed by Xiang Min. Was there another reason besides jealousy?
He shook his head inwardly, thinking it must have been a coincidence.
Mahler's Fifth Symphony's third movement opens with a vibrant Austrian country dance, bold and full of life, before transitioning into a somewhat melancholic and lyrical passage. Gradually, it is interrupted by interludes, transformations, and cadenzas that become uncontrollable and frenzied, before finally restating the theme and solidifying its power once again.
Xia Xiaolei stood quietly in the corner, listening to Qu Jiaying's performance. She had really improved rapidly. No one would have thought that she would be able to perform such a moving and emotionally rich piece in just one or two years.
Qu Jiaying said at the time: "I am not performing for certain judges or teachers in the industry. My audience is a much larger group. Those people do not understand which school of technique I use. They only care that I am a pretty girl. But so what? My performance will move them."
She did it.
Xia Xiaolei looked at her with satisfaction.
Music critic Li Yue listened to Qu Jiaying's performance with a smile. The overall tone of the piece was full of vitality, but beneath the surface was an undercurrent of anxiety about life. It mixed various emotions: the joy of a banquet, the hustle and bustle of a rural market, personal struggles, and the magnificence of nature, all of which came together, collided with each other, and pointed directly to the questioning of the meaning of life.
Few young musicians can truly capture the essence of this complex and varied piece.
Qu Jiaying even managed to move the audience, with many people in the audience having tears in their eyes.
Xiang Min couldn't quite pinpoint what it reminded him of, but it immediately moved him. Mahler had just recovered from a serious illness when he composed this piece, and while the expression of complex life experiences was one aspect, Qu Jiaying's interpretation was even more so.
Concerts transcend nationality, race, prejudice, and differences—this is a truism, but in Qu Jiaying's performance, it is a completely validated fact.
She puts the truth of music into practice through her performances.
Le Yi's tears fell in a stream.
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