Chapter 79 (1/2)

Double stops was a technique that pressed on two strings simultaneously with two fingers to create an effect similar to playing two tones.

The technique seemed simple, one many amateurs could do. But. . . to utilize it to the fullest, there was a piece many violinists couldn’t circumvent——

《Dance of the Goblins》.

Brilliant golden sunlight shone down on earth, the statue’s shadow cast over the youth below. Despite it, his slender hands were still exposed to the light.

The audience could only see them moving at unbelievable speed. The violin, in such excellent hands, seemed to gain a life of its own.

With skill this excellent, even a layman could see it.

Hidden amongst the layers of the crowd, Akkad couldn’t see Qi Mu at the center. Even so, he could imagine how shocked the audiences were by his student’s performance just from the sound of the fast-paced piece.

Bazzini’s 《Dance of the Goblins》 also has the alias, 《Fairy’s Dance》. As a rondo, it repeated the same melody many times but used a variety of dazzling techniques.

Double stops, spiccato, artificial harmonics, left-hand pizzicato…

It had all the standard techniques crammed into a three-minute piece.

The music was exciting and pleasant, but this time, the melody wasn’t the most important. Instead, it was the dazzling visual effects.

Akkad laughed helplessly and chided, “This Little Seven, he actually used this piece full of dazzling techniques as the third song. . . So mischievous.”

Generally speaking, short pieces like this weren’t accompanied by a symphony orchestra. Of course, there were always exceptions. When their concert ended, many maestros used the song as the encore piece to thank the audience.

However, because it was so tricky that even professional musicians struggled with it, it wasn’t popular. But. . . It became ornamental.

From the audience’s gaping mouths, they completely worshiped Qi Mu’s violin. Some youngsters even took out their phones to record the performance.

Qi Mu was focused on his left-hand pizzicato, so he didn’t notice.

《Dance of the Goblins》 was so complicated that, even with Qi Mu’s skills, he had to concentrate on avoiding mistakes.

His left hand danced rapidly on the fingerboard, occasionally needing to pluck the strings while his right hand held the bow and demonstrated the staccato. Each tap produced the precise sound, no extraneous notes ringing out.

The enthusiastic melody filled the square. It was as if no one dared to breathe, there was only the sound of the violin.

It was so fast and skillful that by the time Qi Mu’s artificial harmonics reached the highest range, the sound of the violin had already stopped for half a minute, yet no one reacted.

“Bravo！”

A cheer came from the back of the crowd, and Akkad applauded his student with a heartfelt smile.

At his prompt, others started to applaud as if they had just awakened from a dream. Some immediately uploaded the recording on the internet.

Qi Mu smiled and bowed to thank them. But just as he was about to pack up, the tender, crisp voice of a girl cried out once again——

“Encore. . . En. . . Encore!”

Qi Mu was flabbergasted.

The next second, more and more voices chanted the same word, “Encore! Encore! Encore! Encore! Encore. . .”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

In just one morning, Qi Mu performed a total of five pieces. Only then did he finally manage to find an escape. Over the past six months filled of practice, he gained better endurance and could perform more pieces with complicated techniques but. . .

That didn’t mean he could play all day long without stopping!

When Qi Mu finally escaped the crowd, he looked back and saw people were still gathered under the statue. The densely packed crowd made him feel as if he was back in the subway during the Spring Festival in Huaxia!

. . . There were more than a dozen layers of people?!

Didn’t a report say many countries in Europe were experiencing a decrease in population recently?!!!

He saw Akkad waving at him. He headed over, but before he could say a word, the proud but awkward Akkad set his hat on him. “Little Seven, didn’t I tell you to play three songs? Why did you play five?!”

Qi Mu reached up to fix the hat then looked at his professor. Akkad wore an angry expression.

Qi Mu, who knew the other man’s temper well, reached out to touch his woolen scarf. “Professor, it is because you taught me so well that my violin can attract so many people. They blocked my escape, so. . . I had to end it well. Don’t you think so, professor?”

Akkad was satisfied with the youth’s praise.

As they walked out of the square, Akkad said, “Well, you played the five pieces very well. But. . . Little Seven, I told you to choose a professional-level piece that could be played at the Golden Hall. Why did you choose 《Dance of the Goblins》?”

The morning passed, and soon, it was already noon. In May, Vienna was well past the winter cold, the wind blew in the warmth of spring. The burning sun hung high in the sky, the shadow from his hat obscuring most of Qi Mu’s face.

Qi Mu smiled and replied, “Professor, didn’t you. . . Didn’t you play this piece in Golden Hall thirty years ago? I remember you got quite the applause back then.”

Akkad was very impressed with his praise. It was smooth and light without a trace of over-flattering. He nodded with a smile and said, “Well, good, good. I did play the piece 《Dance of the Goblins》 many years ago.”

Seeing his professor unable to restrain his smile, Qi Mu smiled, too, controlling the twitching of his lips.