Chapter 99 (1/2)

The Semperoper Opera House’s performance hall was different from other concert halls.

Normal halls in Europe were arranged with the stage in the center with the auditorium around it. This allowed the sound to extend as far as possible, and it was easier for the audience to enjoy the most beautiful music.

But, an opera house gave priority to the theatrical performance.

In most opera houses, the orchestra was a meter or so lower than the stage so the audience could focus on the performance.

An excellent orchestra would never steal the opera’s spotlight. They would impress the audience with fantastic music and immerse them in the opera from start to finish.

Dresden’s Orchestra was one of the most outstanding at this.

《The Magic Flute》 was the last opera Mozart wrote in his short 35 years. The dream-like story was a fairytale.

A giant serpent chased a brave, Egyptian prince, but three ladies, attendants to the Queen of the Night, saved him. The Queen showed the prince a picture of her daughter and gave him a flute. She then asked him to rescue her child from the “Devil.” However, the real identity of this so-called “Devil” was the Leader of the Light Priests. Thus, the prince was deceived into killing the “Devil” because of the Queen’s envy.

Just like Mozart, who experienced a turning point in his miserable life, every story had a happy ending. The prince saw through the Queen’s plot and married the beautiful princess. And 《The Magic Flute》 ushered in the perfect ending.

Stories were always beautiful, but life was cruel. As the greatest opera of his life, 《The Magic Flute》 earned him endless glory but could not save his life.

While Qi Mu was in Vienna, Lance told him that he wanted Qi Mu to be like Mozard, not Beethoven.

Though he suffered illness and a miserable life from a young age, Mozart’s music was positively optimistic. He believed the world was beautiful, and that good would always triumph over evil.

The second song of the first act 《Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja》 (The birdcatcher am I) was performed on stage.

The tenor sang a lively tune, dressed in flamboyant garb. Under the stage, the orchestra’s melodious sound reached out to the audience.

Qi Mu had never been so glad that the orchestra had an inconspicuous position during an opera.

Qi Mu could feel a burning gaze on him as he walked onto the stage. It was so fierce it made his throat dry. He didn’t dare look up.

He knew——

It was that man.

Farrell personally ensured Qi Mu’s name wasn’t printed on the brochures and posters to avoid misunderstandings. No one in the audience knew of Qi Mu’s presence except for some of Farrell’s old friends.

And. . . Who else would stare at him with that kind of burning gaze?

As a member of the first violin group, avoiding the attention was difficult. When Qi Mu could no longer feel that fiery gaze, he let out a relieved sigh. Soon, the opera began.

Once he started playing, Qi Mu’s world consisted of only the orchestra’s sound and the conductor on the podium.

Qi Mu served as an ordinary member. With his skills, however, he was qualified to be the concertmaster. But, once he participated, Qi Mu realized the difference between an opera and orchestral performance.

To avoid overshadowing the actors, the orchestra had to hide in the dark, making the audience forget they were there at all but for the music.

For the first time, Qi Mu was not under the stage’s bright light. In the dark, he felt as if he had merged with the opera. He could play at will and dominate the stage.

When the bass began their lament, the cello whimpered. The soprano roared in anger, and the violin and wind instruments echoed with a rumble.

It didn’t matter what technique was used in the dark. Even with the soprano, Qi Mu decisively abandoned the baritone part on the E-string and played the whole section on the D-string.

Once a continuous melody was played on two strings, no matter how fast the bow or how quick his fingers were, there would be a tiny gap.

But, there was another string between the tenor E and bass D-string. Playing the treble on the E-string in tandem with the D-string was a difficult feat for an amateur.

It was easy for a professional to grasp the treble accurately. But. . . what if the bass and treble must be played at high speed?

When he heard the note amongst the other sounds, Min Chen was astonished. He turned to the person hidden amongst the violinists.

In the dark, the man’s thin lips parted. If anyone could read lips, they would have read——