The folk music band was the last band to perform today, and everyone walked into the concert hall in order.
Glancing at the judges and the audience, Xu Qiao noticed that there was obvious fatigue on their faces.
No matter how good the music is, if you sit here and listen to it for a whole day, anyone would feel a little restless and their aesthetic sense would become a little fatigued.
This order of performance was quite unfavorable for the folk music orchestra. Fortunately, the judges sat up straighter and perked up, ready to listen carefully to the following performance.
Domestic viewers watching the live broadcast saw the camera first give a distant view, and then cut to a close-up, slowly sweeping from Ying Wenlin to the pipa principal Xu Qiao, and then to the folk music group behind him.
Wait, Xu Qiao?
[Is that Xu Qiao?]
[I am not seeing things, it is really Xu Qiao]
[I was stunned]
The audience suspected that they were dazzled and went back to take another look. When they found that it was indeed Xu Qiao, they had complicated expressions.
They never expected that Xu Qiao would appear in such an occasion.
Only then did I realize that when Xu Siyi reposted the live broadcast of the exchange meeting on Weibo, it was not because he was interested in symphony music, but because of his boyfriend!
The news spread quickly, and fans of Joe, who had little interest in symphony music, turned on the CCTV music channel and watched the live broadcast excitedly.
By the way, it attracted a large number of onlookers, including Xu Siyi's fans, many of whom turned on the TV with mixed feelings.
[Xu Qiao is still the Pipa master, what’s going on…?]
[If he was the chief sanxian, I could understand it. His previous performance in the national style music was indeed brilliant, but I have never heard that he can also play the pipa.]
[Just wait and see, Teacher Ying must have his own reasons for making this arrangement]
[Come on, brother, bring glory to our country]
[Win glory for the country? Just don’t embarrass yourself abroad]
[You will die if you don't argue?]
Xiaochun has participated in many competitions around the world, but this is her first time in such a magnificent music hall like Vienna, so she is inevitably a little nervous.
She sat in the back and saw Xu Qiao's back in front of her. Her pounding heart gradually calmed down.
She longed for the position of the principal and had been practicing hard to get closer to this position. Everyone in the orchestra said that she was very talented and that one day this position would fall on her.
Xiaochun had been looking forward to this day. But when Xu Qiao joined the folk music troupe, her expectations suddenly faded.
She knew she still had a long way to go, and she learned to calm down. She no longer obsessed with a position that represented honor, but when she played, she really put all her mind on the pipa in her hand.
Ying Wenlin said this is a good thing and the road ahead will be wider and longer.
Xiaochun's gaze returned to the pipa. The principal position was given to Xu Qiao, and her heart was filled with honor and respect.
At the judges' table, the judges opened the music materials prepared by the folk music orchestra and discussed with each other in low voices.
"'Gusu Moonlight Night', the title seems unfamiliar to me, let me take a look... It is indeed a new composition, composed by Xu Qiao and Ying Wenlin."
"Ying Wenlin is a very famous Chinese folk musician. This Xu Qiao is, let me see, the concertmaster of their orchestra. His name comes before Ying? Interesting."
"He looks very young."
"Yes, too young." The rest of the sentence was not said. Too young, can you make excellent music
In the most glorious era of music, an era when geniuses emerged, geniuses could indeed create excellent and timeless pieces at this age.
But in this century, such talented musicians seem to have not appeared yet.
The performance officially begins.
Xu Qiao held the pipa, recalled his previous conversation with Ying Wenlin, and slowly plucked the strings.
"It will slowly but surely form its own system, and it should have taken its own path of development."
If Western symphony music is described as a colorful oil painting, then folk music is an ink painting.
To paint an oil painting, you first need to use a large brush to lay a layer of background, then apply paint layer by layer, and finally you will end up with a painting with distinct layers - this is the characteristic of Western symphony.
Full, three-dimensional, and focused on levels.
But China and the art of the Chinese people emphasize emptiness, freehand brushwork, leaving blank space, and less is more.
With a brush, the tip of the brush falls, and the rise and fall, thickness, turning points, and flying white of a line between the strokes are all present.
It should not be a crude imitation of Western symphony, and the result will be a mixed and disharmonious one if it tries to be as full as that.
After a piece of free rhythm came out, Xu Qiao took the lead in introducing it from slow to fast using plucking and rolling finger techniques.
The judges in the audience narrowed their eyes and stared at the young man.
In the music just now, they felt a slight sensation of the breeze blowing across the lake; his playing was so natural.
The elegant sound of the dongxiao, guzheng and erhu also joined in, and the tones were harmonious in the simultaneous performance.
The audience's fatigue from sitting in the concert hall all day was relieved as if by a breeze.
They couldn't help but enter the picture depicted by this song.
What is it… Is it the moon, yes, the rising bright moon? And the wind, the wind from a quiet city in the east at night.
The audiences who listened to the music understood without explanation that it was the sound of waves on the river surface. The deep and rhythmic beats were the sound of oars hitting the water.
Such a short piece of music creates such a vivid picture in my mind.
“It will allow the world to see and hear its unique charm.”
A painting of Suzhou's moonlit landscape slowly unfolds.
In the elegant melody played by the bamboo flute and stringed instruments, the pipa played a swaying tune. The beautiful ancient oriental city seemed to have been colored from a monotonous line drawing, with clear colors.
The melody rises after falling layer by layer, the emotions rise layer by layer, the music keeps rising and moving forward, outlining the scene of the rising bright moon.
Before the audience could wait for the moonlight to shine upon the earth, the heavy tones of bass instruments such as the erhu portrayed the scene in which the moon was blocked by thick clouds and the light suddenly dimmed.
Just when the audience was worried about this, there was suddenly a forced beat and a pause.
The clear overtones of the pipa rang out, parting the clouds and mist to reveal a bright moon in the sky.
It is a basic requirement for the principal to have strong solo performance ability. All the pipa solo parts in this performance were performed by Xu Qiao.
Next, sixteenth notes and half notes are combined into a phrase that is loose at first, then tight and gradually moves upward, breaking the melodious sound, as if the camera has turned from the quiet river to the bustling street scene.
The orchestra played in unison, with a harmonious balance of movement and stillness. It was full of vitality and gripped the heartstrings.
…
In the 35-minute performance, every instrument played its part. There was no more noise, only endless reverie.
The pauses are powerful and the rhythm is clear.
It turns out that music has such magical power that it can lead people to glimpse the strange oriental world
This question popped up in the minds of everyone present.
The soul seems to be cleansed by the deep and magnificent melody. As I meditate along with the tune, my emotions are moved. I feel happy and sad like the people in the painting.
The melody gradually rises from low to high and reaches a climax. The cry of a seagull by the river is like a clear pause.
Before dawn, the night grew darker, the wind became lighter, the clouds thinned, the bustle faded away, and everything was silent.
The music quickly faded with the sound of light plucking the strings, and the performance ended with the last low hum of the pipa, with the lingering sound.
It was silent.
The audience and judges had not yet recovered from the shock and even forgot to applaud.
Members of the folk music band bowed and saluted the audience.
However, the audience still did not respond, and the expected applause was reluctant to come.
Xiaochun hugged the pipa tightly in her arms, feeling a little overwhelmed as she looked at the strange situation below the stage.
Is it because they didn’t do well enough? Why is there... no response
The gray-haired music master sitting in the center of the judges' seats was the first to stand up and applaud, like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples.
The audience in the concert hall seemed to be suddenly awakened, and applause came from everywhere.
The applause coming from all directions was like streams converging into a mighty river, echoing throughout the concert hall and lasting for a long time.
Music is superior to language.
They were now fascinated by the music of that ancient country.
The audience applauded. First a few people stood up, and then everyone in the huge concert hall, including the judges, stood up.
The members of the folk music band touched the instruments in their arms and beside them, feeling relieved but also a little confused.
They should have left the stage after the performance, but the audience's prolonged applause left these young people at a loss.
In China, on the live streaming platform of the music channel, the audience seemed to have been disconnected collectively, and no new comments appeared for a long time.
[… Why is there no barrage?] Someone couldn’t help but ask weakly.
After a while, someone replied to him.
[I lost my voice, I don’t know how to comment, it’s so shocking]
[I was so shocked even through the screen, how exciting it must have been for the audience listening to it live]
[The soft lights in the music hall fell gently on his head like a golden crown. I love Xu Qiao so much]
The gray-haired music master in the center of the judges' seats walked tremblingly onto the stage with the help of his students. He first shook hands tightly with Ying Wenlin and nodded continuously to affirm their performance.
Then he walked up to Xu Qiao, hunched over and stretched out his hand. Xu Qiao lowered his body and hugged the old man.
"Good boy." He patted Xu Qiao on the back, his eyes filled with affection that everyone could see.
He said in heavily accented English, "You did a great job, kid, it couldn't have been better."
Xu Qiao could tell that his English had a strong Italian accent and guessed that the old man might be Italian or Swiss.
[For your information, the old man who just hugged Xu Qiao and sat in the middle of the judges' seat is named Martz Griffin, an Italian. He is one of the ten greatest musicians of the last century and the only one still alive.]
[That’s great! Look how excited the old man is]
The media who were recording the event on site looked at each other and took out their mobile phones at the same time.
Media interviews were not allowed in the concert hall, so they could only go to the hotels where the various orchestras were staying and wait for interviews.
"Hansen, find out which hotel the Chinese national orchestra is staying in, and be sure to send reporters there to prepare for the interview. Oh my God, can you believe it? Master Maltz was so excited that he praised them."
"Get ready for the interview. The Chinese folk music band—what? You went to the German symphony orchestra's hotel to prepare for the interview? No, no, listen to me. Hurry up and go to the folk music band and wait. They are the protagonists today!"
"Hey, I've already thought of a headline for the evening news. How about Master Maltz's Hug?"
…
Malz let go of Xu Qiao and shook hands with everyone in the folk music band one by one: "You all did a great job, kids."
Fortunately, they were the last band to perform. The audience was so fascinated by their music that they were reluctant to leave and the applause was lingering. This did not affect the following bands.
But the pressure on the orchestra that will perform in the next three days has increased a lot.
The number of places that can enter the next round is limited. Among the forty bands, half will be eliminated and enter the next round.
Originally, no one took the Chinese folk music band seriously, but now it seems that it is a foregone conclusion that the band will enter the next round.
This means there is one less spot available for competition.
On the other hand, the performance of the folk music orchestra was so outstanding that the audience and judges were extremely satisfied, and their satisfaction threshold for the following works was raised.
In contrast, if their subsequent performances are not perfect, it will be difficult for them to gain recognition from the audience and judges.
On the other side, Sun Taiqing, who had not yet left the lounge, sat in his seat with a grim face.
He couldn't understand why the folk music band, which he didn't take seriously, performed like this.
Like a phoenix returning from Nirvana, it shows itself to the world.
He seemed like a clown, having been so complacent in front of them. He clenched his palms, somewhat unwilling.
I was originally confident that I could enter the next round, but now I am not so confident.
The music hall was still bustling. There was no new orchestra performing next, and the live broadcast was cut off at the scheduled time. This immediately aroused dissatisfaction among a large number of viewers, who left messages on the social platform.
[I haven't seen enough! Can you please wait until the band leaves before cutting off the live stream?]
The person in charge of the live broadcast wiped his sweat and said, "The live broadcast a few days ago was also cut off early, but you didn't say that."
[The music of this group of young performers is enough to touch the soul, and the emotions they pour into every note are admirable]
[I am fascinated by the chief. What is the instrument in his hand called? Pipa, right? These two syllables are really hard to pronounce, but I think I will remember this instrument from today]
[This oriental boy is incredible. I mean, the whole performance was perfect, but he made perfection even more perfect]
[It’s a grand performance. I originally thought that if I couldn’t get tickets, it would be the same to watch it at home, but now I have changed my mind. Only by listening to it live can I fully appreciate its charm. I will try my best to get tickets.]
[In the exchange meeting over two months ago, it was the first time that Mr. Malz stood up from the judges' seat and gave such a high evaluation to this orchestra from China]
[My view of Chinese folk instruments has completely changed. My God, they are so wonderful. I can’t describe this strange feeling.]
I love Joe, his playing is as fascinating as his looks.
[He tilted his head and played the instrument in his hand, which was fascinating. In my heart, he was Orpheus in Greek mythology, the fruit of love between the god of music and the nymph of beautiful voice, the true son of Muse!]
[Oh yes, he is Orpheus, the legendary Orpheus whose music can calm the waves, make fish come out of water, and tame wild beasts! He is as beautiful as his music!]
Isn’t this too exaggerated for these foreign brothers
The praises from all over the world were transmitted back to China. The enthusiastic words, undisguised admiration and gorgeous rhetoric left the Chinese people stunned.
This short essay and this flattery are more powerful than even the most loyal fans of Joe.
I admire you.