Chapter 129

A young man leaned his back against the wall and listened to the violin echoing in the corridor.

Luo Yu Sen played Bach’s 《Partita for Violin No. 2. The piece was monophonic with a three-beat dance melody. It was general in terms of skill, but had high requirements for emotion.

Qi Mu listened casually for a few minutes. When the part where it was slightly difficult came, he was a bit shocked. Once the song reached the high tide, he couldn’t help but laugh. “Luo Yu Sen, ah… It’s been a year, but why haven’t you improved?”

Luo Yu Sen, who was pretty smart and talented, had managed to muddle his way to the seat of the deputy chief of the second violin group. At the very least, he wasn’t a mediocre musician.

But, calling him stupid wasn’t wrong either. He spent six years in the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, yet still didn’t know that Evra was fond of Bach. It was only when Luo Yu Sen took the initiative to ask Qi Mu about the conductor’s preference in his previous life that he found out. And Qi Mu gave that information freely.

But Luo Yu Sen…

Won’t you just add fuel to the fire by playing so sloppily?

If you can’t play Bach well, then don’t play Bach. Play another piece, and you might have a better chance at getting the deputy concertmaster seat.

Qi Mu straightened up and left. He only wanted to see if Luo Yu Sen had made any progress during the past year. After all, the man was also a member of the orchestra. If he did, it was very likely that Evra would promote him.

But Luo Yu Sen disappointed Qi Mu, stagnating at his current level was his limit.

Soon after he returned to the preparation room, Luo Yu Sen arrived to take his stuff. All of the orchestra members ignored him, but Luo Yu Sen was used to it.

Wearing a fake smile on his face, he approached Qi Mu. “Qi Mu, I haven’t seen you for a long time. I’ll wait for you after the audition and… Let’s go for a meal together? After all, it’s hard to meet a fellow countryman in Vienna.”

Qi Mu smiled. On the surface, it was polite, but his tone was very perfunctory. “My turn is towards the end, so I’m really sorry but you don’t have to wait for me. I’m going to have a meal with Mr. Lance at his place, I’ve already made an appointment.”

Hearing the name “Lance”, Luo Yu Sen’s eyes widened but he quickly hid it. “Okay, I will contact you later. We both live in Vienna anyway, we can meet anytime.”

Luo Yu Sen’s tone was warm, as if he was talking to a friend he had known for many years.

Qi Mu said a few more words, then Luo Yu Sen left.

Qi Mu stared at the man’s back as he left, sighing in his head. When you heard Mr. Lance’s name… Were you tempted? The most important thing in the music world isn’t how many people you know, but…

How strong you are.

When it was Qi Mu’s turn, most of the musicians who turned up for the audition were gone. He went to the center of the rehearsal room and saw——

Evra, the orchestra’s chief conductor, Jacques, the concertmaster and Ms. Caroline, the orchestra’s music director.

After listening to Qi Mu introducing himself, Ms. Caroline looked at him in surprise, then asked, “You… Your name is Qi Mu? Oh, you’re Akkad’s student?”

Qi Mu answered gently, “Yes, Ms. Caroline. I’m Professor Akkad’s student.”

The accomplished music director with short haircut nodded. Frankly, she said, “Okay, you can play now. What is your repertoire for today? We’ll only give you 10 minutes and you can play any piece of your own choosing.”

Qi Mu was used to Caroline’s straight-to-the-point character so he said, “I’m playing the fifth movement of Bach’s 《Partita for Violin No. 2》.”

As his voice faded, Evra, who wasn’t paying much attention, suddenly turned to look at him. After observing him, the grumpy conductor asked, “Who told you I like Bach? Lance or Reed?”

Qi Mu shook his head. “Neither, Mr. Evra.”

The young man’s voice was very sincere, his tone firm and certain. His light eyes, focused on Evra, were so sincere that it looked like he’d never lied in his life.

Evra nodded. “Okay, then. You can play now. I hope… You can play my favorite Bach.”

Both Jacques and Caroline turned to Evra in surprise. Expressionless, Caroline stared at the young man.

Although Evra didn’t look any different from the usual, they both knew…

——That was the first time he’d said that all day!

Before Qi Mu, some auditioners had also mistakenly chosen Bach’s works as their repertoire. Evra never responded to any of them, he was too lazy to even comment on their performances.

But now… He was looking forward to this young man’s performance!

Caroline and Jacques immediately turned serious. Their gaze fixated on Qi Mu.

Under the dazzling light, the young man put his violin on his shoulder. His posture was straight, forming a beautiful line with the violin. From the visual aspects alone, Caroline and Jacques couldn’t help but think——

『I give him full marks.』

The next moment, they were completely immersed in the deeply sorrowful sound of the violin, completely forgetting their visual appreciation.

The fifth movement of Bach’s 《Partita for Violin No. 2》 had another tragic nickname——

《Chaconne》.

The Chinese language was truly broad and profound. When Qi Mu first heard the Chinese nickname, 《Qia Kong》, he was instantly overwhelmed. All he could feel was, “Just like a dream, it’s all empty.”

Bach was a typical classical musician, loyal and religious. His works always had solemn religious elements mixed in. But the piece 《Chaconne》 was quite an exception.

Bach married twice in his life. His first wife died before he was 35 years old. The next year, Bach married his second wife. This doesn’t sound romantic, but…

Bach used the piece 《Chaconne》 to turn this love eternal.

This piece was Bach, mourning his wife.

This kind of feeling seeped deep into the bone. He integrated years of love into one piece. Expressing his yearning for his lover, their memories together, and the grief of separation, he shares how it feels, to never be able to see her again.

The youth’s fingers gently pressed on the strings. For Jacques, who came from a well-off family, such an excellent imitation of a Stradivarius violin wasn’t so valuable in his eyes. But, he was surprised to find that the sound it produced could render him full of tears.

The soft, gentle melody poured out of the violin, like a man crying out in sorrow. Every beat expressed grief as deep as the sea; full of pain until the very end, it could only finish with a silent sigh.

The difficulty of this piece was general, but the feelings it wanted to express were rich.

Only one person performed the piece before Qi Mu. At the end of their performance, Evra didn’t bother to spare them a glance. Jacques just sneered and didn’t comment. Only Caroline had a good temper and told the person to wait for their notice.

There was no comparison. Even if there was…

It was too big of a difference!

When Qi Mu played the last note, Evra raised his head. He looked at the young man keenly, looking as though he could read his mind.

The next moment, he sighed. “Lance said that you were a very skilled violinist. I think he’s wrong.”

“Your skill is nothing short of breathtaking.”

Evra’s voice resounded in the rehearsal room. Qi Mu just smiled and listened as the old man continued, “I thought you would be like the great Paganini, with all the dazzling, fancy skill but lacking in emotion. But today… I’ve decided I like your Bach very much.”

Qi Mu bowed politely. “Thank you for your compliments, Mr. Evra.”

“Oh! Little Seven,” Falling in love with the young man’s music, Evra called Qi Mu his nickname. “I really am shocked that you have such a good grasp on 《Chaconne》. To be honest, your style reminds me of someone. You’re very similar, but your violin is much more mature than his.”

Qi Mu was shocked when he heard this, but Evra continued, “He… He was the person whose position you’re applying for. Not only was he skilled, his music was packed with delicate emotion.”

“You mean Lu?!” Caroline exclaimed.

Jacques looked at the youth with a complex expression.

Qi Mu smiled calmly as Evra went on, “Yes, I’m talking about Lu, Caroline.” Then he turned to Qi Mu and said, “There was another person who played this piece before you today for the auditions. The way he played was very common, without a professional tone. He didn’t understand what Bach wanted to express, it really disappointed me.”

Qi Mu suddenly said, “I don’t know who you’re speaking of, Mr. Evra…?”

“Oh, it was a violinist of our orchestra.” Evra replied flatly.

On his side, Jacques sneered and added, “Yeah, that guy hasn’t improved one bit even after so long, has he? Other than his acceptable skills, his understanding of music itself is terrible.”

Caroline, on the other hand, reprimanded him. “Jacques, no matter what, Luo is a member of our orchestra.”

Jacques just spread his hands, no longer saying anything.

Mr. Evra was too lazy to comment anything on Luo Yu Sen. He looked at Qi Mu and said, “Little Seven, your teacher called me last night. Although he didn’t quite agree with you coming to our orchestra… He wanted me to listen to your violin and give you a fair judgement. And now, I think… even the violinists after you won’t be able to surpass your performance. You are worthy of getting the first place in this audition.”

For such a high evaluation, Qi Mu could only say, “You flatter me, Mr. Evra.”

But then, Evra shook his head. “But Little Seven, it’s precisely because of this…”

“That I’m sorry, but I can’t appoint you as our deputy concertmaster.”