Chapter 185 (2/2)

“There seems to be something influencing young composers, doesn’t it? Inferno?”

“Is that so? I found a few in the entries I saw as well.”

“The attempt to touch on physical sensations as is done in Inferno is good, but it’s not something that anyone can do. Why don’t they know that putting one delicate sound out of place will reduce it to nothing but noise?”

“They must know. They just don’t have the ability to express it.”

“Is that why there are fewer entries that have come up to the finals?”

“Pretty much. Looking at objective numbers, we could say that at least 10 entries were trying to copy Inferno.”

Then, the committee head said something meaningful,

“What would the results have been if Inferno had been an entry in this competition?”

The judges could not answer this sudden question easily. They were all busy recalling the first time they heard the album.

“Anyone who could read the score without stopping would have thrown it to the side, saying that it is noise. Anyone who could appreciate it wouldn’t have been able to read the score properly. Then would it be eliminated or would it win?”

There were people who had turned red. There are those who still think that Inferno is nothing but noise. But no one confessed to this.

“We might have eliminated a song like Inferno today. There’s nothing we can do about it. We’re average people who might not be able to recognize a piece by a young composer who is better than we are. But let’s be that much more careful with the final assessment so as not to make the same mistake twice.”

After committee head Marion Cotillard spoke, the preliminary portion was completed. They would have to gather the next morning and choose 12 out of 20 entries.

The next morning, the 12 judges talked over coffee and prepared for the final evaluation that would soon be starting. They spoke about each entry, but everyone could tell that they were saving their words.

It was obvious that they were avoiding any misunderstanding that could arise from something they say.

With the committee head’s light greeting as a start, the final evaluation commenced with everyone picking up a score. They looked over the 20 pieces again in silence.

Unlike previous years, time passed quickly and progress was slow. Everyone was preoccupied looking at one tremendous score that they did not realize time was passing.

When the 12 judges were done assessing the 20 pieces, it was already dark outside.

“Alright. Then shall we see the results?”

The committee head received the committee’s sheet and announced the order of pieces by the passes they received. Of the 20 songs, only 3 had received 12 passes. All of the judges had given them passes.

“Registration number 67. Title Concerto for Violin and Piano in D Minor, ‘Choral’… 7 votes. It is in 8th place.”

She looked up from the sheet and spoke,

“The other works can all be said to be expressions of contemporary music, but this one is classical. I’ll just call it ‘Choral Concerto’ from now on.”

The committee head continued tallying the results.

“So we will decide on the top 11 works. Are there any objections?”

Everyone shook their heads to indicate that they accept the results.

“Then tell us about the two songs that are both in 12th place with 3 votes each. We need to drop one.”

No one jumped in to speak. 3 votes. It is an ambiguous number. It is too high to say that someone forced themself to vote, but too low in quality to expect it to go in competition.

The best method in this situation is to look for reasons to pass it rather than to drop it. One of the judges worked up the courage and used this method.

“I’ll tell you what I think. First, I’d like to reveal that I marked pass for both of the pieces. And I think that both are great. If asked to choose one however, I will choose ‘Spiral’.”

Once someone spoke up, it became much easier to share their opinions. Another judge’s evaluation was added on.

“It’s a sound that is well expressed to stimulate visual images. I think that it’s a great attempt to liken the dizziness and dual structure that Spiral’s image gives to human emotion.”

They all agreed with the evaluation of the song. If they need to choose one of the two songs, the weight tipped to ‘Spiral’ and there was no opposing opinion.

Anyway, being tied for 12th place means that they are not awarded. It just means that there is a slight extension.

No one spoke after the two people gave their opinions. The committee head looked around at everyone’s expressions for a moment and made the last decision.

“Since no one has any opposition, I will assume that everyone is in agreement. The last song for finals is ‘Spiral’.”

The 12 final songs had been chosen. From now on, the true judging will begin.