Chapter 51, Song 51...
"I don't know," the old headmaster said.
Unable to hold back his tears, Le Yi hurriedly got up and went to the bathroom.
He turned on the tap, wiping his face while taking deep breaths.
A whole host of troubles came rushing at him, and Le Yi smiled bitterly. Actually, he wanted to play the piano, and he even felt that he could play it better because of it, but that was just running away from the problem and not facing the real difficulties.
Qu Jiaying is making great progress, gaining a lot from each performance, but he only talks about it without putting it into practice.
Under her influence, Yan Zheng and Xiang Min also followed suit.
He was the only one lagging behind.
The recent final exams made him feel increasingly like he was falling behind. Yan Zheng's conducting skills were already quite good, and after exchanging ideas with Qu Jiaying, Xiaoxing, and Dawei, Yan Zheng's understanding of the works became broader, and his performance was even better than before. When conducting, you could see from his posture that he was more fully immersed in and enjoying the music.
Xiang Min's work, however, frustrated Le Yi even more.
He did know it was a piece dedicated to Qu Jiaying, but he didn't expect the finished product to be so good. Xiang Min used many elements and combined them very well. The theme melody is also very distinctive and easy to leave an impression. Even though it is only the first movement, it tells a complete story, allowing the audience to feel the curiosity of a young man and woman when they first meet and the gradually warming feelings between them. The level of completion is very high.
Qu Jiaying's performance was impeccable; she also gave advice to several senior students in the composition department on the violin section, helping them improve their works. In turn, this made her, as the concertmaster, better understand how to cooperate with the orchestra.
Le Yi didn't want to lose to Yan Zheng and Xiang Min, nor did he want to fall behind Qu Jiaying, but he really didn't know what to do. He said he had discovered many paths to choose from, but he didn't understand those things, and all he knew was how to play the piano.
Then I can only continue playing the piano.
Le Yi felt much more awake. He returned to the hospital bedside, where the old principal was still awake, unable to sleep due to the pain.
Le Yi said, "You say I'm stubborn, but you're just as stubborn. My senior brother told me that if I don't take the treatment drugs, I should get a genetic test. If it passes, I can take targeted drugs; if it doesn't, I'll have to do chemotherapy. So I went back to practice the piano and prepare for the competition."
“I’ve lived long enough,” the old headmaster said.
“It’s painful for me to hear you cry out in pain,” Le Yi said bluntly.
The old headmaster sighed, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "Alright."
The next day, when his senior came to relieve him, he heard that Le Yi had persuaded the old principal to undergo treatment, and he quickly told him to go back and rest.
"I'll come back tonight," Le Yi said, packing his things.
The old headmaster snorted and said, "If you're tired from practicing the piano, just come and see me during the day. Next time, bring that song 'Destiny' that you recorded with that little girl."
Le Yi smiled gently and nodded in response, "Understood."
As soon as he stepped out of the hospital, he called Qu Jiaying.
"So that's what happened..." Qu Jiaying sighed after hearing the story. To be honest, she had no experience and no understanding of it, but she had communicated with Xiang Min many times recently in order to help him improve his work. She also heard him talk about losing his mother when he was a child, which gave her more insights.
"Are you alright?" Qu Jiaying asked with concern.
A warm feeling welled up in Le Yi's heart. Although he could still smell the disinfectant on his body, he unconsciously smiled slightly and said, "I'm fine."
Qu Jiaying showed concern for the old principal's condition, and Le Yi's lips unconsciously drooped again.
“Even if he starts treatment, it’s uncertain whether it will be effective, given his advanced age, and the side effects of the medication might be more harmful.” Le Yi has been rapidly learning a lot about medicine these days, but it has brought him more anxiety.
He felt that this anxiety stemmed from a fear of death. He was still young, so he placed this fear on his parents, and he had already urged them to get medical checkups.
Qu Jiaying hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do you want to talk to Xiang Min?"
Le Yi politely declined.
Qu Jiaying didn't insist; she simply listened as Xiang Min deeply analyzed his inner thoughts.
Xiang Min told her how he felt when he was a child.
“I feel helpless. Why did this happen to me? I even blame my mother. Why did you make me suffer this at this age? My peers all have a healthy mother who can accompany them as they grow up. I know these thoughts are ugly, dark, and ugly, but they were my true thoughts back then. But I can't question anyone. I even vented my resentment on unrelated bystanders. Now I just accept my fate.”
The underlying theme of "Green Night" is Xiang Min's complex feelings towards his mother. Qu Jiaying was unsure if she had fully grasped it. She read some articles and documentaries about patients and their families in end-of-life care. Sometimes the family members were even more devastated than the patients, but the patients were also very irritable when they were in pain. As an observer, she seemed to understand both of these things.
But it was precisely this mindset that earned Xiang Min's approval in her performance.
Qu Jiaying admits that she is not good enough, but if the experience of life and death can elevate her skills and performance to a higher level, she would rather never have such an experience.
Le Yi said that the old principal wanted to hear the song "Fate" that the two of them had played together before, which brought Qu Jiaying's attention back.
"Although looking back now, I feel there are still many things that weren't good enough, it was my new starting point, and I hope it can bring you good luck as well."
After considering his words carefully, Le Yi asked, "Are you still planning to ask me to be your partner for the competition?"
Qu Jiaying laughed excitedly, "You agreed?!"
Le Yi hadn't played with Qu Jiaying for a while; she had found Gao Ying to be her piano accompanist for her exams, and most of her other activities were quartets.
Le Yi smiled and reminded him, "I said I would go, but I can't guarantee that I won't run into any problems."
"It's alright, I can handle it," Qu Jiaying said confidently.
"So you don't believe me?" Le Yi teased.
"It would be best if you didn't make any mistakes, since only you can keep up with me. But it's okay if you do make mistakes. I've prepared for the worst, but I have a way to cheer you up."
What is that?
"It's no use telling you now," Qu Jiaying said with a smile. "I'll tell you when school starts."
"I believe you, and I will try my best not to hold you back." Le Yi hung up the phone.
He looked up and saw the dark clouds disperse and the sky clear.
It feels like he hasn't been observing the outside world for a long time, which is his favorite thing. So, his condition should be improving. When he gets home, he should try practicing the piece that Qu Jiaying prepared, which is a famously difficult piece.
Le Yi spent this summer practicing piano online with Qu Jiaying while also visiting the former principal.
As the holiday was about to end, the former principal had already been discharged from the hospital. He had passed the genetic testing, taken targeted drugs, and his condition had stabilized a lot. He only needed to have regular check-ups.
Before returning to school, Le Yi had another lesson with the old principal, played the piece he had been practicing recently, tried a few versions, and nervously asked, "This is Qu Jiaying's competition piece. We discussed it and chose these options. What do you think?"
"That's quite a courageous choice, very bold, picking the most difficult piece, 'The Demon King,'" the old headmaster joked nonchalantly. "Hey, isn't my illness just making your rendition of this piece even more perfect?"
It is indeed very helpful, but Le Yi would rather not have it.
"The Erlking" was originally a piano piece composed by Schubert based on Goethe's narrative poem. The poem tells the story of a father who rides home at night with his feverish child in his arms. The child is terrified to hear the Erlking trying to seduce him with sweet words. The father keeps reassuring the child that it is just a natural phenomenon in the forest. When the father returns home with the child in his arms, the child has already died.
It was later adapted by different people, with one of the most famous violin arrangements coming from Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst, the German violin master and successor of Paganini.
In Schubert's works, male singers use different timbres to portray four characters: narrator, father, child, and devil, while the piano accompaniment creates the environment and complements the characters.
Ernst's version features a single violin playing four different roles while simultaneously recreating the sound of the original piano.
A few years ago, Qu Jiaying could never have imagined that she would choose "The Demon King," a song known for its high level of technical difficulty and dramatic expressiveness.
But she chose it, and even played it quite well, while Gao Ying couldn't play it consistently, not to mention the more difficult piano parts arranged by Ernst.
Le Yi was able to try different versions. He discussed it with Qu Jiaying, and she could only practice Ernst because the competition limited the composers, but Le Yi could switch to other versions or use Schubert's original version.
“But we haven’t practiced together yet, so we’re not sure which one is more suitable,” Le Yi said.
The old principal recalled listening to "Fate" many times these days and pondered, "There are some things I don't know whether I should give you pointers on your interpretation just now. If it were your solo, in my understanding, there are some phrasing adjustments that need to be made. But as the piano accompanist, you should play according to the violinist's understanding. If it were someone else, I would suggest that the violinist take the lead, since the piano is just an accompaniment. But the two of you are different, and the combined effect will be greater than the sum of its parts."
After thinking for a while, Le Yi said seriously, "Tell me where I need to improve. The key to Ernst's piece is the competition between the violin and the piano. If I focus on the accompaniment, I will definitely not achieve the best effect."
The old principal smiled with satisfaction and gave him pointers.
But no matter how well Qu Jiaying and Le Yi practiced at home, problems arose when they played together after returning to school.
This song, "The Demon King," is very difficult. It has a fast tempo and requires a high level of musicality.
Although Gao Ying couldn't play consistently, Qu Jiaying practiced the technical aspects of the game quite well by slowing down the pace with her.
Le Yi used the original speed, and Qu Jiaying also returned to the original speed, but the two deviated from the original speed in their performance.
Because Le Yi only started practicing this piece during the summer vacation, and finally settled on Ernst's version just before the end of the vacation, he wanted to ensure his accuracy first, and put musicality second. So he first practiced Ernst's piano accompaniment in the style of Schubert's original version. The piano part of the original version is extremely even, and the triplets cannot become blurry or unstable due to fatigue or the effect of the pedal. This requires extremely high control.
This is quite different from the version by Ernst that added power, range, and complexity. Qu Jiaying actually had no objections. She herself practiced the technique first, so she waited for a while at the beginning.
However, once Le Yi reached the technical standard and began to pursue musicality, his understanding was completely different from Qu Jiaying's.
Or perhaps they both have too many ideas, and they're never on the same page.
"We need to convey the feeling of galloping hooves here, so something rapid would be better," Le Yi said.
“No, I think it would be better to add a breathing opening, so that there is a change in pace,” Qu Jiaying refused.
Qu Jiaying said, "The part where the child screams is where I'll shine. You need to be a little lower in pitch to complement me."
Le Yi declined, saying, "I think Ernst's adaptation here is less heavy than Schubert's original design."
Le Yi added, "The Demon King's part needs to have a singing quality, it needs to be more beautiful."
Qu Jiaying shook her head and said, "I want a sense of horror, and it would be better to increase the sense of disharmony."
But after a day, they all changed their minds again, unable to decide how to perform, and their practice progress stalled.
Meanwhile, Ruan Qi has made new progress. She has also chosen Ernst's work, "The Last Rose of Summer," which is very suitable for her more lyrical style.
Qu Jiaying flipped through the tattered sheet music, frowning as she wrote and drew on it.
There's not much time left before the match.
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