588 Special Issue (1/2)
Although Natasha did not quite understand why Lucien became so serious all of a sudden, his opinion on the law of causality and his firm attitude still made the terrible feelings in her heart melt like snow under the sunlight. A world where everything was predestined and unchangeable was a most desperate and lifeless one.
Sensing the warmth of his hand and hearing his solemn voice, Natasha soon regained her natural-born optimism. Not bothering with the subject anymore, she smiled, ”Are you planning to create an opera for me?”
”How did you know?” Lucien was somewhat surprised.
Natasha chuckled and said, ”My eyes are very keen. I saw a manuscript, Valkyrie, on your bookshelf in your library this afternoon, and I think it's for me.”
She did not show any modesty about 'Valkyrie' and thought matter-of-factly that it was for her.
Lucien heaved a sigh. ”I planned to hire a troupe to perform it for us in honor of the anniversary of our mutual confession of love on my birthday, but I didn't have the time of creation because of Sard and the incidents later. Also, the libretto is more difficult to create than I thought, and the music is even more so. I've only completed one third so far.”
Although it was based on the work from Earth, it was basically a brand-new masterpiece, which made Lucien run into a lot of difficulties.
Natasha smiled, not bothered at all. ”That's alright. We can wait until next year, or the next year, or the next, and so on. Speaking of opera, I'm planning to sponsor the Musicians' Association of Rentato and rebuild a capital of music.”
She was a real lover of music. Now that she couldn't return to Aalto for now, she planned to make Rentato a holy land of music, too.
”If I have time, I'll offer guidance to the musicians of Rentato.” Lucien was already confident enough to say so. While the creation of Valkyrie was difficult, it allowed him to fully make use of the music knowledge that he had learnt. He was almost as good as Victor now.
His rapid progress benefited from the avant-garde music knowledge in his spirit library, as well as his sharpened mind after his soul became stronger.
Natasha took a deep breath of the gentle breath on the street and said humorously, ”Then, on behalf of the musicians of Holm, I thank you in advance, master. If you don't mind, I want your Uncle Joel to enter the association and bring the latest music trends and development of Aalto to this place.”
The smuggled Music Review and Herald of Symphonies naturally could only reflect what was on the top and could not let the musicians learn the real fundamental knowledge.
”I certainly wouldn't mind as long as Uncle Joel is willing to.” Lucien had already learnt from Natasha that, after the initial excitement of a noble life, Joel began his music learning again. He worked so hard that he did not look like a middle-aged man at all.
Natasha looked at Lucien and said with a vague smile, ”In fact, I talked about Joel only because I wanted to ask you when you were going to meet him. There shouldn't be any danger now that the Church has retreated. According to the intelligence personnel who protected them, they had obviously changed their stance regarding sorcerers and clerics, thanks to Arcana Voice and the convenient alchemical items. They probably wouldn't overreact. Also, they must be missing you. To know more about you, they often stay late and listen to 'News of the World' that they do not understand at all.”
Lucien's heart was suddenly filled with warmth after hearing Natasha's words. It had been only eight years since he came to this world, but it felt like an entire life. So, he answered in a low voice, ”I'll visit them in a couple of days.”
”Be happy. You should feel happy about that.” Natasha made a gesture of encouragement and then changed the subject. ”Mr. Great Musician, do you have any revolutionary music principles? You have always been best known for your creativity. I find it intolerable that you haven't produced any innovative works in years.”
Lucien smiled at her. ”Why not? I have associated music creations with mathematics.”
”Huh? Music and mathematics? How can they be associated?” Asked Natasha in surprise. Music was a realm where the mind was absolutely free, while mathematics the most rigorous and suffocating. How could they be associated? It was not about the categorical, conceptual stuff like equal temperament but creation!
Lucien chuckled. ”That's why it is revolutionary. I have abandoned the traditional structural factors, such as theme, logic, motive, sentences, verses, and sequenced the substantial elements, such as rhythm, pitch, density of notes and timbre, with the permutation and combination in mathematics. Then, I created according to such a rule.”
”That sounds cold… but interesting. What's the result?” Natasha knew that it wouldn't be mainstream, but she had always been eager to try everything. Naturally, there wasn't any objection from her.
After that, she added in with mixed feelings, ”This is so arcanist!”
”I'll show you some of my works after we are back.” They were the sequential music works that Lucien created when he was relaxing his brain. Later, they could also be applied to electronic music.
”Okay. If they are good, you will teach me how to create them tonight!” Said Natasha with great interest.