Chapter 87 (1/2)

Echoes of the performance lingered in the air. Qi Mu smiled, offering his most heartfelt compliment, “I’ve heard this piece so many times before, but listening to it live is different.”

Min Chen looked up at him. “How do you feel?”

Thinking it over, Qi Mu said, “How to say it. . . It feels more real. With classical music, you need to hear it live to really understand it. You’re able to discern the little details.”

As the years progressed, so did headphone quality in the market. Such high-end headphones allowed listeners to hear the subtlest notes, bringing CD’s flat melodies to life. Through them, music was vivid and immersive.

But. . . for someone with excellent hearing and perfect pitch, no pair of headphones could match the sound of a live performance.

So, why did most people prefer live concerts?

Electronic equipment could never fully convey the beauty of music.

A smile flashed in Min Chen’s dark eyes. He nodded. “It will be good for you to attend more concerts while you still have the time.” After a pause, he asked, “What else do you like?”

Qi Mu knew he wanted to play another song for him. Deciding to tease him, Qi Mu thought for a moment then said, “Chopin’s Etude Op. 10, No. 1 《in C major》?”

Min Chen raised his eyebrows.

Most etudes were not pleasant to the ears. Even Chopin’s etudes could only be regarded as pieces of melody and harmony at best. Compared to his serenades, sonatas and the others, they were far from enjoyable.

As an etude, it was meant to hone the performer’s skills. Enjoyable or not, a pleasant sound wasn’t its purpose. The most important characteristic of an etude was the difficult techniques it required.

Chopin’s Etude 《Op. 10, No. 1》 was among the best of the dozens he’d written. Even from Qi Mu’s perspective, it was one of the most difficult pieces to perform. Therefore, when he said he “liked” this piece, he implied he wanted to see Min Chen’s skills at the keys.

It wasn’t every day he got to see a piano master perform at such close range. Qi Mu wasn’t passing up the opportunity to see everything he had to offer.

Min Chen immediately understood what Qi Mu wanted. Faced with such “difficulty”, his lips curled into a smile. Softly, he asked, “You sure?”

Qi Mu nodded. “Yes. This piece is smooth and vivid. I like it a lot.” Visual appreciation was still an appreciation. To put it simply, he didn’t lie.

At his cheeky expression, Min Chen smiled. His rare smile soon faded, but he nodded. “Okay. . . How many times faster?”

Qi Mu echoed, “How many times faster?”

Min Chen’s dark eyes were alight with laughter. “Yes, how fast would you like it?”

Although he didn’t quite understand what he meant, Qi Mu thought for a moment and said, “Twice as fast?” As soon as he said it, he added with wide eyes, “How fast can you do it?”

Min Chen raised an eyebrow. “Five times.”

“Five times!”

Chopin’s Etude 《Op. 10, No. 1》 at five times the speed?

Qi Mu had never seen it that fast before, but since Min Chen was confident. . . he didn’t mind making the request even more difficult.

But, to Qi Mu’s surprise, five times the speed. . . was fast enough to make him sick, what madness was this!

Chopin’s 《First Practice Song》 was just a practice piece. The melody was repeated almost completely for its 2-minute duration. Put it simply, the left-hand movements were simple. The right hand had a wide range, though, playing from the bass to the high tone and back.

If Chopin’s Etude 《Op. 10, No. 1》 at normal speed was a test of endurance, then. . . five times the speed was beyond Qi Mu’s imagination. It entered the realm of the demons.

Min Chen’s fingers slid along the keys at such a high speed, they left afterimages. Even Qi Mu, with good eyes for motion, had to bow down. No, it wasn’t just his fingers, even his wrists and arms left afterimages, too!

Qi Mu tasted the bitter fruit of his own planting. Now, even if he wanted to appreciate the other man’s beautiful skills, he can’t see his fingers long enough to do it. He should’ve known from the beginning that since Min Chen could say “five times the speed”, he was confident and competent enough to back it up.

Performed very vividly, the two minute piece was compressed to only 20 seconds. By the time Qi Mu immersed himself in his frustration, the etude was completely over.

Min Chen’s faint smile was lit by the cold moonlight. In a low voice, he asked, “Did you like it?”

Qi Mu: “. . .”

After a while, Qi Mu hummed and said, “I prefer 《Réminiscences de Don Juan》.” He went on, earnestly and sincerely describing it, “The melody’s moving and beautiful. The rhythm is also very concise and light, it’s an excellent piece.”

Min Chen: “. . .”

《Réminiscences de Don Juan》was a short piano piece from Liszt adapted from Mozart’s opera 《Don Giovanni》. The piece reached 22 points of difficulty and was touted as one of the most difficult piano pieces in the world. Very few people would and could play it.

What light rhythm? Wasn’t it difficult to the point of being non-human?

Qi Mu firmly said, “I’ve always liked the 《Réminiscences de Don Juan》 very much, but. . . There are very few albums in the market. Almost no one has recorded it, not even you. . .”

Full of lament and regret, his tone seemed to say, I didn’t expect even you couldn’t play it. . .

Min Chen: “. . .”

Could Min Chen play 《Réminiscences de Don Juan》? Qi Mu intended to find out.

As early as his teenage years, he used Liszt’s other piece, 《Réminiscences de Norma》in his repertoire for his entry in Xiao Sai. It gained him thunderous applause from the audience.