Chapter 134 (1/2)
The Palisade Theatre’s western opera was one of the very best in Vienna.
The opera house had a preference for Mozart, especially the famous 《The Marriage of Figaro》 which had been showing for a month and was critically acclaimed.
Jacques thought it was likely that《Romeo and Juliet》 would be released because the orchestra once said that they won’t perform the touching opera publicly. So Jacques speculated this was the reason why the opera house was full, since the performance would slap the public in their face.
But the reality disappointed Jacques. The opera still opened with 《The Marriage of Figaro》 , and the night’s performance was still…
《The Marriage of Figaro》.
Jacques took his seat in the exquisite hall with his friends from the orchestra.
Though not very big, the Palisade Theatre could accommodate more than 500 people. Their second floor was among the best in Vienna, decorated with gold pillars and a religious-themed painted ceiling. It had the retro style of medieval Europe.
The folks from the Vienna Symphony Theatre got seats in the centre of the hall. The symphony orchestra, already blocked by half the stage, was also blocked from view by the audience sitting in front of them.
The excitement from the audience subsided by the time the performance started.
The opening was composed of loud counts by the protagonist, Figaro. His baritone turned the audience completely silent, immersing them in the world of opera.
One of Mozart’s three best operas, 《The Wedding of Figaro》 was of the comedy genre.
Figaro, the servant was about to marry his beloved maid, Susanna. However, the Count was enchanted with Susanne’s beauty and sought to restore Droit du seigneur, a legal right that had long been abolished.
Under such circumstances, Figaro cooperated with the Countess and asked Susanna to write a bold and passionate love letter and deliver it to the Count, asking for a rendezvous in the small garden at night. The Count arrived to hold the woman tightly in the dark, but found himself scolded, only to discover——
The woman in his arms was his own wife!
While also a comedy, there was no tragic character in this as there was in another of Mozart’s works, 《Don Giovanni》. Even the amorous and lustful Count ended up swearing to his wife that he would never do such a thing again.
The whole play began with a rapid violin, sounding like birds flying in the sky, almost inaudible to the audience. After that, a melody from the woodwind group joined in, accompanied by the rest of the orchestra. The magnificent atmosphere created by the orchestra made people comfortable, unable to stop themselves from being immersed in the music.
When the two arias in the prelude ended, Jacques, sitting in the middle of the back row, clapped his hands and commented, “Wait… Is this really Palisade Theatre’s 《Figaro》?!”
A member of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra smiled and said, “How’s that, Jacques? Do you think their sense of music has become stronger? Their orchestra has improved their control over the rhythm and emotion. I’m sure you know that a good concertmaster or conductor can always use their skills to influence the orchestra.”
Another member immediately followed with, “That’s right. Just like you and Mr. Evra leading our orchestra’s improvements. By the way, Jacques… Their concertmaster is Qi Mu. What kind of music did he play when he auditioned for our orchestra?”
Jacques: “… You… What’s with all these questions?!”
Seeing the man inexplicably getting angry, the others just shrugged their shoulders and began to focus on the first act. What they didn’t notice was that Jacques’ face was both red yet pale, as if being slapped by an invisible hand.
Jacques’ face was swollen.
In order to find faults in the guy who caused it, Jacques ignored the beautiful, high-spirited songs and concentrated on the accompanying orchestra instead.
As the concertmaster of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Jacques wasn’t mediocre by any means. When he heard a familiar sound in the violin group, the black man sneered and thought, Let’s see how well you can perform!
The next moment, however, left Jacques completely entranced with the melody.
The violin was sometimes low and soft, gently touching the strings. Other times, it was fiery and tough, expressing an unyielding, loyal love. Under the guidance of the violin, the melody that the orchestra produced was like riding a roller coaster, full of ups and downs, infecting the audience.
At the end of the play, Jacques couldn’t stop himself from applauding. One of the other orchestra members mused, “Oh, Jacques, you think this performance is good, right? Shall we come again tomorrow?”
Jacques, who instantly stopped clapping: “…”
Why in the world had he clapped?!
He was totally applauding the theatre orchestra’s excellent performance!
Damn it… He applauded for that precocious brat! He must have been possessed by a ghost!!!
In front of the stage, the folks from the Vienna Symphony Orchestra left with a smile (except Jacques), while backstage, the fair-skinned youth packed up his stuff. He planned to leave early.
In the crowded and noisy space backstage, the members of the orchestra happily greeted their concertmaster.
“Oh, Little Seven! Tonight’s performance was still great, keep it up!”
“Hey, Little Seven. Are you joining us for the celebration tonight? We’ve already booked a box at Deliziös Hotel!”
“Little Seven, don’t leave early today. Let’s celebrate together!”
Qi Mu chuckled at their antics. After regretfully declining their invitation, Qi Mu left the opera house alone through the back door with his violin case in hand.