In the quiet summer night at school, the sounds of piano and violin intertwined, and Mendelssohn's abbreviated version of "Violin Concerto in E minor" flowed in the lights and shadows of the trees in the villa area.
After the last note faded, Fan Ning lifted his hands from the keyboard and turned to look at Sheeran: "How do you feel?"
"I remembered that sentence." The little girl was still holding a bow, her eyes a little lost.
"talk?"
“Tulungarian rhetorical sentences discussed last year.”
"I walked across the fields in the early morning?"
"Another sentence."
"Oh it was easy for you?"
"It can be sight-reading directly, but many delicate aspects need to be carefully considered and processed." Sheeran put the violin down from his shoulder and adjusted his hairpins.
"Caron, I thought about it for a moment. It does seem to be the simplest violin concerto I have ever played, but it is also the most beautiful and touching. The violin concerto my father wrote when he was a boy is also good and gorgeous.
His dazzling skills earned him a reputation as a young composer, but in this piece of yours, I think it uses the least amount of techniques to present the most beautiful melody and the deepest emotion."
Fan Ning smiled and said: "It seems that after I finish arranging the orchestration, I can directly lead you to play with the orchestra."
Sheeran said "Yeah".
Mendelssohn's "Violin Concerto in E minor" is indeed not very difficult in terms of technique. In its previous life, its first movement was a grade-10 examination piece for amateur violinists, similar to the difficulty of the piano's "Fantasy Impromptu".
Sheeran was able to sight-read with the piano partner for the first time, and he was not surprised at all.
Moreover, the choice of this song also reflects Fan Ning’s personal understanding.
Among the "four major violin concertos in the world", if the three "Violin Concertos in D major" by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky are full of masculinity and boldness, this one by Mendelssohn
Elegant and sentimental, gentle and soft, it is a concerto with a feminine temperament... Although Sheeran can play all four of them at her level, Fan Ning still wants to hear her play this one first.
The night passed quickly. The two played a few more pieces together and agreed on some personalized processing methods. Fan Ning recorded them one by one on the piano score so that he could later transplant his own performance processing to the conductor symphony.
On the group.
"Caron, what should I do if all my heart is filled with its melody?"
"The beginning of the first movement?"
"My favorite... In addition, there is the minor-key theme in the middle of the Andante of the second movement. It makes me feel like I am staring at the autumn scenery in the back garden of a gorgeous palace on a gloomy afternoon. It gives me a solemn and poignant sense of tragedy.
"
Fan Ning sat in front of the piano, imagined the scene she described, and agreed: "Wonderful description. Now you finally stop calling me that?"
"I'll call him again next time." Sheeran rolled her eyes at him, but then she laughed, stretched out her bow, and gently poked his back, "Caroen Van Ning, please help me with some reference.
The bow technique of this place."
Fan Ning left at about ten o'clock in the evening. He was walking alone on the gaslight path in the villa area. He began to think about the conversation during the day and investigate the problems of the workhouse, the predecessor of the hospital. Suddenly, the memory of Roy and Roy the other day flashed through his mind.
In my own words:
"Dean Graham of the Chemistry Department spent a lot of money to prepare an elixir for the two injured principals to take in the medium and long term, which should be able to rule out permanent damage..."
A strange idea came to his mind, and without stopping, he walked around the villa area several times.
Vice-Principal Huxley seemed to have mentioned his address at the school during a casual chat one day. Fan Ning had no memory of it. After using some inspiration, it seemed that there were several possible number plates, but the house was pitch dark. He was not sure whether it was correct or not.
Not sure if it's here, after all, he has more than one house in Ufranser.
So Fan Ning turned around and walked towards the main administrative building. When he saw that there was no one in the vice-principal's office, he returned to the former office of Professor Anton of the School of Music - the title on the door plate had now become Honors
Associate professor and permanent conductor of the symphony orchestra.
Fan Ning dialed Roy's personal phone: "Are you asleep, Miss Roy?"
"I haven't fallen asleep yet." A girl's very soft and lazy voice came from the other end of the receiver, "Good evening, Mr. Fan Ning."
"I'm sorry to bother you so late. Let me confirm something. You said before that Dean Graham prepared an elixir for the two injured principals, right?"
"Yeah" the girl's voice was very long.
"I won't be able to find anyone for a while. Can you help me get a sample?"
"I'll ask someone to pick it up. Can I bring it over to you when you meet with the orchestra tomorrow morning?"
"Okay, ask me about the refining price."
"No need, is there anything else?"
"No, thank you, see you tomorrow."
"Good night then." Roy hung up the phone.
At 7:30 in the morning the next day, Fan Ning walked into the Conservatory of Music wearing a formal dress and carrying a black briefcase.
In the office with the nameplate of the music director of the Santa Lenia Symphony Orchestra, Fan Ning met the chief conductor Professor Commons. He was about in his early fifties, neatly dressed, thin, and his brows were always frowned.
There is a pair of thick square citrine glasses on her nose.
"Professor Fan Ning, take a look at the program for the commercial performance. If you have any comments, please put them forward first."
Apart from a simple greeting, the leader of the symphony orchestra showed no courtesy. After Fan Ning sat down opposite him, he slowly rotated the notebook open in front of him and pushed it towards Fan Ning.
Fan Ning looked at the two handwritten pieces of music on it and read them slowly: "In the first half, Svelink's symphonic poem "Summer Nights in Lebich" and Niemann's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor", in the second half
Schillings' "First Symphony" or "Fourth Symphony"?...Except for the opening piece, which can have two or three pipes, the rest are romantic works arranged for three pipes?"
"Yes, they are all classic masterpieces of the masters." Commons said, "...at the same time, they are relatively easy to perform. They have a certain market popularity and take care of the students' level. The piano concerto can be signed by a professional pianist.
Contract to improve the professional level of the performance."
"Professor, I don't think it's appropriate." Fan Ning said bluntly.
"Oh?" Commons raised his eyebrows.
The professor with the most senior conducting qualifications at present is exactly the kind of academic musician who comes from an orthodox family, has extremely solid foundation, and has a serious and old-fashioned personality. Although he admits the influence of Fan Ning's premiere of "Symphony No. 1",
He also admits that Fan Ning has the qualification to be called a "young composer" in the music industry, but this does not prevent him from thinking that those musical styles are deviant.
He had long expected that Fan Ning might have objections to the selection of the symphony's repertoire, for example, replacing it with several symphonies by Anton Konard, or replacing it with Fan Ning's own "Symphony No. 1."
"So Professor Fan Ning, what piece of music do you think is more suitable?" Commons was already ready to criticize Fan Ning.
For example, if Fanning proposes to perform a work by Anton Konard, he will immediately point out that "those music is not accepted by mainstream music fans, and it is unwise to use a risky spirit to bet on the box office of this performance that is related to the ranking of the orchestra..."
"For the second half, I chose "Symphony No. 3 in F major" by Master Gilles." Fan Ning said.
"...Performing a work from the Authenticism period? It's not impossible, but why this one? What's the reason?"
Naturally, authentic works are also an extremely important part of today's serious music performances, just like in the era when Chopin and Liszt were famous in the previous generation, Beethoven's music is still performed every day around the world.
Commons could not attribute this suggestion to Fanning to anything other than music. He could only ask him further for his thoughts and discuss it matter-of-factly.
Therefore, the old professor was very surprised. When he saw Fan Ning raising objections, he thought that he would export private goods as soon as he took office. Unexpectedly, Fan Ning did not follow the routine at all.
Fan Ning explained: "The Third Symphony is similar to those other songs in terms of popularity and difficulty of performance, and meets the basic conditions. But the special thing is that it is a milestone work for Master Gilles to establish his mid-term style.
Although it is still the original scale and structure, the length has been greatly increased, the use of harmony is bolder, the polyphonic texture is more complex, and the development of the brass group is also innovative... This gives us more room for processing in interpretation
, it will not lack highlights due to being 'too simple'."
Commons did not directly refute Fanning's point of view, because what Fanning said was completely correct, but he raised a question that needs further explanation:
"I wonder if Professor Fan Ning thinks that those romantic works also have broad interpretation space and will not lack highlights due to being 'too simple'?"
Fan Ning nodded slightly: "I agree, but there is a big difference between them."
"Oh? What's different?"
"Master Gilles's Third Symphony is in a two-pipe arrangement, while Master Schillings's symphonies are all in a three-pipe arrangement."
Commons had a very ridiculous smile on his face, as if a middle school student was repeating the difference between algebra and geometry in front of a mathematician.
"So what does this mean?"
"It means we only need about 60 team members."
The old professor continued to shake his head and smile: "Professor Fan Ning, on the day you took office, you didn't know that there are more than 80 official members of the Santa Lenia Symphony Orchestra, and you have already met the requirements of the three controls, right?"
"Of course I know." Fan Ning also smiled slightly.
"For the excess number of people, during this rehearsal time, I will eliminate them one by one."
The air in the office became quiet for a moment.
During this time, various thoughts flashed through Professor Commons' mind.
In fact, he had never thought that Fan Ning, who had just graduated at the age of 23, was qualified to serve as an honorary associate professor and permanent conductor of the symphony orchestra in this world-class public school.
However, he knew that this was a decision made by the "high-level school" behind the school, and he was vaguely aware of what happened in the symphony hall on the day of the graduation concert. In his opinion, the school let Fan Ning sit in this position entirely because
The extraordinary factor behind this series of events is not at all due to music.
So what does the Extraordinary Factor have to do with his conductor Commons?
There is a vacancy in the leadership of the symphony orchestra. He is in charge of both operations and music. He is indeed too busy to focus on one and neglect the other. However, the school parachuted Fan Ning, the "second in command", just to add trouble to himself!
The eyes under Commons' citrine thick-soled glasses were very serious at the moment: "Professor Fan Ning, the school has hired you to hold this important position in the symphony orchestra with a high salary. I think what they trust is your rehearsal and conducting ability, not your personnel management ability.
."
Fan Ning looked as usual: "Rehearsal is to rehearse the musicians, and the conductor is also to conduct the musicians. The ability to select and employ people is a kind of commanding ability."
"...Since I agreed to the school, and my name has been permanently written on the record of the permanent conductor of the orchestra during this period, then there is only one goal: the performance results and the related ranking of the orchestra...I cannot guarantee that in the future, St. Leni
What is the ranking of the Asian Symphony Orchestra, but in the annual evaluation of the Imperial Culture and Media Committee in the year 913 of the New Calendar, it must get the first place among the student orchestras."
"..." The old professor was stunned by Fan Ning's words.
After a while, he murmured: "You are crazy. If you had looked at the rankings of the Santa Lenia Symphony Orchestra in the past ten years, you would not have set such an outrageous goal..."
The top three rankings of the Imperial Student Symphony Orchestra have been firmly occupied by the three imperial giants of the Imperial City: "Imperial Royal Conservatory of Music", "Tioline National Conservatory of Music", and "Santa Ramburg University" for many years, and the quantitative rating is still far away.
It was thrown far behind.
As for the University of San Legia? and the Eagles Conservatory of Music compete with each other for the fourth and fifth positions all year round... Of course, the top ten universities are all top-notch music majors.
"The Santa Lenia Symphony Orchestra should not have been of this level a long time ago." Fan Ning said calmly: "A hundred years ago, this was the place where Master Meyer and Master Tarakani premiered their graduation concerts.
Except for Master Gilres of the Kingdom of Holy Janus, the other two all came out of here... Why should it compete for the top spot in some student orchestra?"
"Although the nature of the student orchestra determines that the musicians who grow up will graduate quickly, it should at least occupy a place in the world's first-class professional symphony orchestras."
Professor Commons' eyes changed.
Although he still did not accept Fan Ning's ideas in the field of symphony, five generations of his family's musical family had all studied and taught at the University of San Lenia. Fan Ning's words gave him a similar sense of glory and excitement that had been dormant for many years.
Things like feelings are awakened.
After a brief period of excited reverie, he returned to calm reality: "If you really want to arrange Gilles' Third Symphony, then go ahead and arrange it. But don't take the ranking for granted, even if it takes just over a month for you to arrange it."
It can really make a leap in the performance level, but there are other repertoires... The response from the music industry and mainstream media will not favor us just because of an outstanding "Third Symphony"..."
Fan Ning said: "The repertoire will also be changed in the first half. My newly written violin concerto will be completed soon. By then, this concert will have the gimmick of a premiere..."
Professor Commons looked at Fan Ning with a critical eye behind his thick-soled glasses: "Another orchestral piece that's bigger than four pipes? You chose a two-pipe work for the second half, and you don't necessarily need a large group of people to finish it.
After your work, why don’t you leave midway?”
Fan Ning shook his head: "No, this will be a piece of pure romantic style, similar to my string quartet "Death and the Maiden". I guarantee that it will be favored by mainstream academic musicians. In terms of orchestration,
I will still maintain unity and let dual control do the job..."
"Pure romantic style? Guaranteed to be favored by the mainstream?..." The old professor's expression and behavior changed several times in succession. First, he clenched the pen tightly, his eyes brightened, and then hesitated and doubted.
He had listened to "Death and the Maiden", and he was obviously moved by the suggestion at this moment: "...If the orchestral works you write this time can really reach the level of chamber music before, instead of being like "Symphony No. 1 in D Major"
"It's such a mess. The premiere is indeed a bonus gimmick. If you want to try it, try it. At least this time, try to compete with the Eagles Music Academy..." But as he spoke, he sighed again, "But
Don’t even think about the top three. Even in terms of attendance and box office revenue, we can’t compete. Their popularity has been accumulated for a long time... These are all factors that affect the annual evaluation ranking.”
Attendance and box office revenue?…By the way, this is a commercial show, and the pricing plan is also an important part.
Fan Ning's heart moved and he continued to look at the handwriting behind the old professor.
"There are 2,760 seats in the performance venue. The regional price ranges are: 6 pounds (exclusive ticket), 4 pounds, 3 pounds, 2 pounds, 1 pound. The average price is 25 pounds. The total box office is 8,970 pounds?..."
So Fan Ning made a suggestion: "Change the price plan to 18, 12, 9, 6, and 3 pounds."
As soon as these words came out, Professor Commons' serious and old-fashioned face was completely unbearable.
"I always thought you were crazy, but now I realize you are indeed crazy!"