King of Classical Music – Chapter 205 Part 1

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The Vienna Philharmonic’s footsteps did not immediately stop after the New York Philharmonic’s anniversary celebration officially came to an end. The next day, they were invited to Washington to perform a stirring rendition of the “Heroic Symphony” in the nation’s capital, in honor of that great pioneer.

Three grand and solemn performances left American music enthusiasts both satisfied and happy.

If someone were to ask which of the Vienna Philharmonic’s three concerts was the most impressive, most would likely answer “Definitely the one performed with the New York Philharmonic”; But if someone were to ask, which performance would you like to relive if given the chance?

Everyone would probably choose the third!

There was only one piece “Heroic Symphony”, and it was even without a rehearsal due to time constraints, but this third performance left an unforgettable impression on everyone, so much that some audience members were still humming the melody with joy as they left the venue.

The solemn and grand melody, the passionate notes — under the Vienna Philharmonic’s passionate interpretation, the “Heroic Symphony” really ignited the atmosphere of the audience, as if it was burning to the highest point, boiling, boiling, and boiling!

This was a tribute to a great hero of democracy. This was also a tribute to a hero who pioneered the world, and would rather die than surrender.

Originally, this “Heroic Symphony” was composed by Beethoven at the invitation of the French ambassador to Vienna, to write a hymn for the democratic-advocating Napoleon. However, upon learning that Napoleon had proclaimed himself emperor, Beethoven angrily changed the original title “Napoleon Bonaparte Symphony” completely to “Heroic Symphony”.

Thus, this hymn composed for the heroes who stood up for the world may be more appropriate now to be used to praise Washington, the founder of the United States.

After the third performance, in response to the enthusiasm of the fans, the Vienna Philharmonic also played an encore. However, since it was an evening party in honor of Washington, this performance ended after just two pieces.

On the plane back to Europe, the members of the Vienna Philharmonic were still discussing in low voices lively.

“That last evening party performance was so rushed. Ah, if only we had more time to rest.”

“Richard, don’t think about using ‘lack of rest’ as an excuse for almost hitting the wrong note. Hahahaha, everyone, do you guys know? When I was sitting next to Richard, I heard with my own ears how he almost missed a note in the second movement! Oh God, you should’ve seen his expression at that moment, Richard’s eyes were about to pop out in fear!”

“Damn it, Eco, don’t talk nonsense! I only almost missed… almost, okay!!!”

…

Listening to the chatter of these members, Qi Mu couldn’t help but raise the corners of his lips, chuckling. He tidied up his meal plate and heard Mr. Dorenza beside him say with a smile, “Little Seven, are you in a good mood?”

Qi Mu replied, “Mr. Dorenza, don’t you think Richard is so funny? I can almost imagine the look on his face when his eyes almost popped out.”

Hearing this, Mr. Dorenza raised his neck to glance at the group of musicians about to start playing behind him. He coughed lightly twice, causing those two guys to tone it down a bit, then turned back and whispered to Qi Mu, “I actually heard Richard’s little mistake too. He almost slowed down half a beat. I’m afraid he’ll have to practice properly when we return to Vienna.”

Qi Mu nodded understandingly, “Okay, Mr. Dorenza, I’ll pay attention to it.”

After the two exchanged a few more words, Master Dorenza smiled and said, “But Little Seven, there’s also no need to rush about the orchestra’s affairs. There will be three weeks of vacation after we return this time. What are you planning to do with it?” Pausing for a moment, he then added, “My doors are always open to you. Since you turned down my New Year invitation last time, I’ve always kept it in my heart.”

As he spoke, this gentle-tempered master even pretended to be serious, forcing a stern expression, but still couldn’t help but reveal a kind smile. Seeing this, Qi Mu said helplessly, “Mr. Dorenza, I’m afraid I won’t have time to visit your house this time.”

Hearing this, Mr. Dorenza was surprised, “Not even during three weeks of vacation?”

Qi Mu smiled and nodded, “Yes, I have some very important matters to attend to.”

It was rare to see his own family’s concertmaster in such a happy mood. That joy was completely undisguised, completely revealed in his smile. After a moment of contemplation, Master Dorenza asked, “Dear Little Seven, may I know what important matters you have to attend to? In three weeks, you actually won’t even spare a day for poor me…”

Seeing Mr. Dorenza’s disappointed look, Qi Mu wanted to agree, but then remembered the “surprise” he had promised. He shook his head, pretending to be mysterious, “But my dear Mr. Dorenza, do you really want to stop me from spending time with my beloved little girlfriend?”

“Beloved little girlfriend…” Eyes widening suddenly, Mr. Dorenza exclaimed, “Little Seven, do you really have a girl…”

“Shh!” Qimu placed a finger on his lips, then whispered, “It’s a secret, Mr. Dorenza. My girlfriend… um, she’s especially shy. If he… cough, if she knew that you all know about her, she would definitely be so shy that she would ignore me.”

Mr. Dorenza nodded in understanding, saying with a smile, “You young people just don’t like sharing your personal lives. Little Seven, when can you bring your little girlfriend for me to see? I imagine this shy young lady must be very cute. Someone you’d like… should be the a lady with big eyes and sweet dimples, right?”

“Pfft.” Qimu couldn’t help laughing out loud.

“She must also like to smile. Oh God, this is such a lovely young lady. Little Seven, why can’t you bring her to show us? She’s really too shy!”

Qi Mu nodded repeatedly, already laughing so hard that he couldn’t make a sound. He couldn’t imagine a man with big eyes, sweet dimples, and a smiling face all day long…
If one day Min Chen really liked to smile, hmm, forget about him, perhaps Daniel, Christole, and even all the members of the Berlin Philharmonic would all probably need to call the police right…

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King of Classical Music – Chapter 204 Part 2

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…

Isaac Auditorium, New York Carnegie Hall.

All six pieces of the night had been performed, but the applause from the audience below never stopped. Under Mr. Dorenza’s lead,  Qi Mu and all members of the Vienna Philharmonic smiled and bowed to the audience, thanking them for their praise. Then, all members of the Vienna Philharmonic left the stage in an orderly manner and returned the stage to the New York Philharmonic.

Mr. Boswell stepped onto the stage from the side, and the remaining thirty percent of the New York Philharmonic members also returned to their original positions. After all, this was the New York Philharmonic’s anniversary celebration. The next three encores would be performed by the New York Philharmonic alone, and from now on, the Vienna Philharmonic’s mission in this concert had been successfully completed.

As soon as they stepped off the stage, the members of the Vienna Philharmonic excitedly hugged and encouraged each other.

Every concert was the most nervous and anxious time for all musicians because no one could guarantee that a concert would always be successful, just like “you can do your best, but you cannot guarantee that God wouldn’t suddenly play a joke on you.”

For example, last century, in a concert by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, one of their violinists had been playing just fine when suddenly… the string broke.

These kinds of things where fate played a joke on you really were the most terrible accidents, and they were absolutely·not·funny·at·all.

“Phew, Little Seven, I was so nervous when playing the sub-theme just now. Fortunately, you and Mr. Hooke were leading in front!” A player from the first violins exclaimed.

This player had been previously selected as one of the four violinists to “replace the French horns to play the main melody and accompany Qi Mu and Mr. Hooke”. This was both a supreme honor — to be involved in such a wonderful adaptation — and at the same time, also a kind of pressure and responsibility.

After hearing this, Qi Mu smiled and gave the other person a comforting hug, “Mazzes, you did great.”

“Did you see it just now, Little Seven? Sitting in the front row was Mr. Eto’o, the editor-in-chief of ‘Sound of Vienna’ New York branch! He has interviewed us before, um… his words can be quite sharp. He won’t give us any negative reviews, right?”

Upon hearing this, Qi Mu couldn’t help but laugh, “You can rest assured, Richard, I saw that Mr. Eto’o had been clapping the hardest just now.”

“Really? That’s great!!”

…

On stage, the New York Philharmonic’s encore was still ongoing. When they had all ended, Qi Mu had already packed up his things and walked out of the concertmaster lounge with his violin case.

Qi Mu had just seen the members of the New York Philharmonic walking off the stage one by one. Before he could react, he felt himself being hugged tightly, “Oh, Little Seven! The ensemble just now was amazing! I can’t believe ‘From the New World’ can be played like this!”

Qi Mu struggled to break free from the big-bearded concertmaster’s steel-like embrace, but how could he, with “small arms and legs”, be a match for this muscular big-bearded man?

So Qi Mu smiled helplessly, “Hooke, if you keep hugging me like this, I feel like I’m going to suffocate.”

Hooke said casually, “You’re leaving tomorrow, Little Seven. We probably won’t see each other for a long time again. Just let me hug you a little longer!”

Qi Mu, “…”

He wasn’t Buddha’s foot, why hug him!!!

After a while, Mr. Dorenza and Mr. Boswell also walked over with smiles. Mr. Boswell said, “Alright, Hooke, let Little Seven go. You’re not Little Seven’s girlfriend. What are you doing, holding onto him and not letting go?”

Hearing the gentle reprimand from his own family’s conductor, Hooke reluctantly let go, “Aren’t I just missing Little Seven too much? Mr. Boswell.”

Mr. Dorenza thought for a moment and said with a smile, “But Hooke, Little Seven really does have a girlfriend. If you do this, his girlfriend will be jealous.”

As soon as these words fell, everyone immediately went into an uproar. All the members gathered around, exclaiming in surprise —

“What? What? When did Little Seven have a girlfriend?!”

“Who! Who is it! Who actually dares to snatch my family’s Little Seven?”

“It must be a King Kong Barbie. My family’s Little Seven is so cute, who kidnapped him?!”

…

Not to mention these members, even Qi Mu looked at Mr. Dorenza with horrified eyes, swallowed hard, and asked in disbelief, “Mr. Dorenza, you said… I have a girlfriend?” He had never told Mr. Dorenza at all!

He only saw this gentle and kind old man nod slightly and say with a smile, “Yes, Little Seven, don’t you have a girlfriend? I often see you secretly laughing at your phone. Oh, my daughter is often like you, texting her boyfriend like this. Aren’t you texting your little girlfriend?”

Qi Mu, “…”

Going back to blacklist Min Chen after going back!

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King of Classical Music – Chapter 204 Part 1

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“From the New World”.

As Antonín Dvořák’s most famous Symphony No. 9, “From the New World” continued to embody the solemn, orthodox, magnificent musical style of this music master. Especially its fourth movement, which had been praised by people as music that “strikes the soul”.

No different from the usually heard “From the New World”, the piece still started with the intense and rapid introduction of the string instruments. A few low-pitched staccatos quickly immersed the listeners into a tense and oppressive atmosphere. The tension built as the sound of the strings rose higher and higher, intensifying the atmosphere, leaving the audience below even more eagerly anticipating what was to come.

The combined performance of the Vienna Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic brought together the strengths of both orchestras. Just from the opening, one could discern the Vienna Philharmonic’s delicacy and depth, and the New York Philharmonic’s grandeur and solemnity. They were indeed top world-class orchestras! And with Maestro Albert Dorenza conducting, it was even more remarkable!

Next, it should be the french horns’ entry into the theme…

Suddenly!

The sudden loud sound of the violin astonished the entire audience. They sat up straight, wide-eyed in complete disbelief, staring fixedly on the two concertmasters standing at the front of the stage!

The main melody, which was supposed to be performed by the french horns, was unexpectedly played by the two concertmasters joining hands! The originally formidable music seemed to have gained a touch of tenderness at this moment, as if within those iron-clad bodies, there was a vibrant and beating heart!

Throughout history, many people had believed that compared to wind instruments, string instruments were always somewhat softer. Especially the violin, often referred to as the “queen of instruments”. Its exquisite and graceful tones were loved by many. Yet, they also agreed with the notion that “the violin is a gentle and beautiful instrument”.

But in fact, there was no instrument in the world that could not be played well, only players who were not outstanding enough!

On the dazzling stage, two outstanding concertmasters were putting on a breath-holding performance. The vigorous melody, the resolute notes, this music carried an unstoppable momentum. Each melody resonated throughout the entire concert hall, like a mighty army, overwhelming and dominant, shaking the souls of everyone present!

Under the main melody of the two violins was the gentle accompaniment of four violins; behind the howling of two violas were the low chorus of three violas; there were also the lamenting cellos and the chanting double basses!

In this rendition of “From the New World” that completely uses string instruments instead of wind instruments, not a single bit of its majesty was lost. On the contrary, behind the more powerful and impressive aura, there was an added touch of tenderness and delicacy unique to string instruments!

Here was a desolate and tragic land. God had forgotten this place, letting it be engulfed mercilessly by darkness. But! The flame of hope had never been extinguished. The gentle yet strong and unyielding sound of the string instruments sang of the determination to fight to death, to sprinkle fresh blood onto this land, to fight against the enemy with blood and flesh.

We come from the new world!

There will be a better tomorrow there!

The New World has the dawn of humanity, the new world will be a splendid and beautiful home!

Darkness cannot dominate everything, cold-bloodedness can only boast for a moment!

When the sun rises from the east, it’s another wonderful new world!

The fast and compact music, the increasingly angry sound of the strings, everything mixed together, ultimately subliming into an anthem of praise and admiration! They used music to depict a beautiful new world, they used music to sing a song of hope!

After the storm, there will be a rainbow.

Let’s look forward to that beautiful new world, there will surely be a better tomorrow!

The entire piece ended with a sonorous and powerful staccato. When the last murmur gradually faded away, Mr. Dorenza tightened his fingers, and the sound of the orchestra abruptly disappeared, giving way to silence. Only the seemingly lingering music in the concert hall seemed to be reminding everyone that just now, a soul-touching hym had resounded here!

There was a long silence in the auditorium.

No one knew how long it had passed before a resonant male voice rose from the back of the audience, “Bravo!!!”

Immediately afterwards was enthusiastic applause that showed no signs of stopping!

Such a refreshing adaptation, such majestic music that stirred the soul, even the most ruthless and indifferent people couldn’t help but be deeply moved by the light of hope and the call for progress within the piece.

Some people had even associated it with the terrible disaster that had occurred in Utah last week. Floods, mudslides, nature destroying human hope using the most ruthless means. But we had never been afraid. We advanced fearlessly, because behind the darkness was a beautiful new world!

On the top floor of a high-rise apartment in Berlin, a cold, elegant man applauded gently, offering the most sincere praise towards such a magnificent piece of music.

In fact, the Vienna Philharmonic was not quite suitable for such passionate music, and although the New York Philharmonic’s style was close to it, there were slight differences. The most suitable orchestra in the world for such a solemn and majestic style was the mighty army sleeping in Berlin at this moment.

However, as the chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, at this moment, Min Chen couldn’t help but applaud the collaboration of these two top orchestras. Because he deeply knew that the Berlin Philharmonic absolutely could not reproduce the gentleness of the fourth movement of “From the New World” he had heard just now.

Yes, they could produce the sonorous sounds, they could also produce a terrifying momentum, they had a tone as cold as metal, but they had no way of playing that tenderness that belonged solely to string instruments, hidden behind the resolute and unyielding nature!

This piece… was the most beautiful “From the New World” Min Chen had heard in the past thirty years.

“The well-deserved… number one?”

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King of Classical Music – Chapter 203 Part 2

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…

Qi Mu, who was far away in New York, naturally had no idea that somewhere outside the TV, a man was already secretly preparing to change the sound system. After “Spring” ended, it was Rossini’s “String Sonata No. 3”, Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun”…

At this time, the first half of the concert came to an end, and Mr. Dorenza took over, initiating a passionate and exciting second half.

It started off with the grand and majestic Brahms’ “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6”, followed by Mendelssohn’s soothing and delightful “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” as a transition. When the two songs ended, amidst the thunderous applause of the audience, Mr. Dorenza smiled, bowed to the audience below, and then turned to glance at the two concertmasters sitting beside.

On stage, Qi Mu and Hooke exchanged a glance, and then, the two stood up simultaneously.

A murmur erupted in the audience seats as everyone looked in surprise at the two concertmasters suddenly standing up, puzzled by their actions.

They naturally recognized Hooke, the concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra; and standing next to him was obviously the recently renowned concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Qi Mu. This young and handsome violinist was known for his outstanding violin skills and his music that was rich of emotion and full of vigorous and proud vitality.

You’re both concertmasters, that’s right… but why are you both standing up?!

Even if for a cadenza centered around the violin as the main body, that wouldn’t need the two people to both stand up right?

Wait, what cadenza? Wasn’t the next piece Dvořák’s “From the New World”? Where did the violin cadenza come from?

Rustling sounds suddenly arose in the audience as many audience members pulled out the tracklist they had received upon entering the venue, carefully examining the writing on it. After confirming that the last piece was indeed “From the New World”, they became even more perplexed.

While they might not be familiar with other orchestral pieces, when it came to “From the New World”… how could there be anyone who hadn’t heard of it?

Since they were playing “From the New World”, why would the concertmaster need to stand up?

No one answered the audience’s questions, because after Qi Mu and Hooke shook hands with Mr. Dorenza, all three of them returned to their respective positions, ready to perform. Mr. Dorenza picked up the baton from the conductor stand, while Qi Mu and Hooke stood together on the left side of the conductor’s podium, gently placing their bows on the strings.

Under the dazzling lights, a tall and handsome youth stood upright on the stage, awaiting the start of the music. In contrast with the thick-bearded concertmaster standing beside him, the youth was indeed charming and attractive, making people unable to take their eyes away.

His fingers were placed lightly on the strings, as if gently embracing the little princess in his arms.

With a wave of Mr. Dorenza’s baton, the next second, the passionate and fervent sound of the violin burst forth!

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King of Classical Music – Chapter 203 Part 1

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The lively and spacious Isaac Stern Auditorium was the main auditorium of Carnegie Hall. The auditorium’s color scheme was primarily warm beige and bright red, with cream white marble architectural structure and special audio equipment, giving this auditorium first-class music effects. Upon entering, one would immediately feel a sense of warmth and romance.

At this moment, the over 2800 seats of Isaac Stern Auditorium had been filled with people one after another. And on the stage at the front of the auditorium, there were noticeably one and a half times as many chairs as usual! It was clear that the collaboration between the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra was indeed about to integrate the members of the two orchestras together.

As the audience finished entering, after a harsh warning sound, the whole hall gradually quieted down. But at that moment, the first musician was seen walking onto the side of the stage, and applause erupted immediately, warmly welcoming these outstanding musicians.

A total of seventy percent of the musicians from the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and seventy percent from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra had been selected for this performance. The two parties entered and took their seats in alternating order, truly making this performance a well-deserved grand ensemble.

Once the two deputy concertmasters of the two orchestras came onto the stage, it was time for the concertmasters to come on stage.

Qi Mu took a deep breath, about to step out from behind the curtain when he was suddenly pulled by someone. He turned around in surprise only to see the big bearded concertmaster say with a smile, “It’s our home ground, of course we should go first. Little Seven, give me some face.”

Qi Mu was momentarily stunned, then nodded with a smile. Watching Hooke’s departing figure, he felt moved in his heart: He said to give him some face, but in fact… this was Hooke taking care of him. It was popular knowledge that the later one’s entry was, the more significant their role. Hooke was encouraging him, supporting him.

After a moment, Qi Mu raised his head confidently and walked towards the stage step by step.

Thunderous applause filled the entire concert hall, as if using utmost strength to welcome this top-tier orchestra coming from afar, and even more so welcoming this young and outstanding concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

After Mr. Boswell had also come on stage, the renowned conductor led the orchestra in bowing to the audience below. Without explaining the presence of two concertmasters on stage, he simply stood on his conductor’s podium, raised his baton, and spoke with music!

There could be two concertmasters on stage, but there absolutely could not be two conductors on stage. And in tonight’s concert, Mr. Boswell was the conductor for the first half, while Mr. Dorenza took over for the second half.

The violins rang out cheerfully and lightly, the familiar music making the audience smile involuntarily.

This piece was the “Spring” chapter from Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons”, also known as the “Violin Concerto in E major”.

This world-renowned Italian composer was born into a musical family with good family tradition. He had a happy life filled with smooth success, always accompanied by light and nimble notes. As a representative figure of the Baroque style, Vivaldi’s music carried a rich classical flavor, orthodox and dignified, yet without losing liveliness.

“The Four Seasons” was Vivaldi’s most famous masterpiece.

On stage, the string instruments were playing attentively and seriously, the bows moving up and down rhythmically, the wonderful violin sounds pouring out like a cascade from the f-holes, bringing beauty and fragrance to the audience.

Vivaldi was the first composer to depict the four seasons through music. In his compositions, the lively and vivid violin seemed like birds on the branches singing to the spring breeze, while the playful sound of the viola was like loyal dogs barking to the spring breeze.

The first movement of “Spring” was a lively and beautiful Allegro, with a charming nickname, “Song of the Birds”. In the concert hall, the touching string instruments were resonating leisurely, the musicians skillfully executing spiccatos and staccatos, the violin sounds resembling the song of birds, making people feel as if they were in the forest of spring.

The cello murmured softly, a heavy rain was about to hit. The wind instruments rumbled, this was the spring rain under lightning and thunder. When everything recovered and the dark clouds dispersed, the joyous sounds of the string instruments resumed floating in the air again.

The dancing notes flew throughout the concert hall, dancing joyfully hand in hand, sharing the joy of spring with every member of the audience.

Mr. Boswell raised his baton, and the two excellent concertmasters led the first violins to make the violin sound rise sharply; Mr. Boswell suddenly held his baton down, the suddenly calmer atmosphere seemed to be brewing something.

Finally!

All instruments played in unison, all sounds came together, forming a grand and joyful ocean of music!

In the early hours of morning in Berlin, a handsome and indifferent man sat on the sofa, watching the live broadcast of the concert on TV. The pitch-black night outside created a serene atmosphere, and the music flowing from the speakers filled the quiet living room with moving melodies.

When all the melodies came together, forming a magnificent and lively climax, even Min Chen couldn’t help but curl his lips and praised, “The timing is spot on… Sure enough, Boswell is best at these warm melodies.”

After the words fell, the man did not speak again. He continued to listen carefully to the sound coming from the speaker, as if wanting to identify the youth’s unique and beautiful violin sound. But after listening attentively for a long time, his face became darker and darker. Right at the moment when the song ended, Min Chen couldn’t bear it any longer and made a phone call, “Daniel, I need to change to another sound system tomorrow.”

“… You dare to call me at one in the morning just for this kind of thing?!!!!”

“Going to continue listening to the music. I’ll leave it to you tomorrow.”

“Do you believe it or not, I’ll beat you to death tomorrow………………”

Calmly and decisively hanging up the phone, Min Chen raised his head again to watch the concert.

Although… he couldn’t distinguish his youth from these mixed sounds, at least he could see his face, right?

Hmm, the broadcast director of this concert wasn’t bad, giving his youth quite a few shots.

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