musicians of old

Chapter 965 A Huge Shock

No one knows what exactly happened during the "second half" of Fanning's visit to the Special Inspection Hall, or what the two sides discussed in private.

For the general public, it simply seemed that dawn arrived a little late on January 1, 917 (Gregorian calendar). Then, perhaps while many people were still having breakfast, they learned of a completely "unreliable" morning news report through various channels.

Karl van Ning, the contemporary pianist, composer, and conductor whose achievements are almost mythical, will hold a "memorial and farewell concert" at the Turner Arts Centre headquarters in Uvrancel on the evening of January 15th!
He will give music lovers the premiere of his last large-scale symphonic vocal work, "Das Lied von der Erde" (The Song of the Earth), and then, literally, bid farewell!

The extra editions printed at newsstands, the shrill cries of newsboys on street corners, the breaking news broadcasts on coffee shop radios, and the whispers that quickly spread among salons and clubs all pointed to this "unbelievable" news, and there was no discrepancy between them.

The wording is concise, without any ambiguity or buffering such as "retirement," "temporary farewell," "rest," or "moving behind the scenes."

It means "farewell".

A decisive and uncompromising period.

On the day the news broke, the "calm lakes" in streets and alleys across the country were almost completely destroyed by the "explosives."

After the initial mental blank, there was a general sense of disbelief and confusion. How old was Fanning? Thirty-five? Or thirty? It seemed like he was not even thirty! At the peak of his creativity and influence, he held a vast art and business empire, and even his students had the "New Moon" movement, enjoying widespread love and awe from royalty to the slums. A farewell? This defied all common sense and human nature.

Music fans' first reaction was to refuse to accept it.

Within an hour of the news being confirmed, long, desperate lines began to form at various ticket offices. People weren't rushing to buy tickets for a performance that hadn't even gone on sale yet; in fact, many knew that even tickets for the broadcasts from theaters and radio stations were probably hard to come by. Their queuing was more of a plea for help, a kind of sorrowful act.

"This is a misconception, isn't it?"

"It just means no more large-scale tours, right?"

"Will Mr. Fanning continue to compose, record albums, or mentor young artists?"

The only responses are standard, bitter silence, or the same old "everything is subject to subsequent official announcements."

Logically speaking, a farewell concert usually means "saying goodbye to the stage," but this sudden news was too brief and no further information has been provided, making many people very uneasy about the meaning of "farewell."

The art world and critics have been embroiled in heated debates. One argument is that this is either "the capriciousness of a genius" or a brief respite after excessive fatigue, which is not unprecedented in history.

They listed the names of masters who had announced their retirement and then returned to the public eye, attempting to "normalize" the matter.

But others sensed something even more unusual. They analyzed the somber connotation of the announcement's parallel use of "commemoration" and "farewell," drawing parallels to the various mysterious controversies Fanning had been embroiled in in recent years, the inexplicable dark red "sky-emerging object" after the 40th Harvest Festival, and the little-known yet pervasive "tower climbing" plan that followed.
Everyone looked uneasy during their conversations or arguments. Sometimes the purpose of the argument wasn't the "argument" itself; they just needed to communicate and ask each other questions.

Mainstream newspaper editorials maintained a dignified blessing amidst regret. Some smaller, more radical arts and culture publications began to offer dark speculations such as "Does precocity mean premature aging?", "A hasty retreat before inspiration dries up?", and "A withdrawal after reaching some kind of compromise with the authorities?" However, these arguments were immediately refuted by the overwhelming public opinion and the more mainstream peers—what a sensationalist! You can question Fanning's choices, but no one can deny his masterpieces, which are nothing short of divine. He clearly comes from the future, and his creativity is still flowing.

“These letters, these requests, oh, gentlemen and ladies, what do you think we should do?”

Walter sat at the large head desk, clutching his hair tightly with both hands, a pen tucked between his fingers.

The royal family and political figures sent letters like snowflakes, including carefully worded inquiries and earnest pleas to stay, whether in personal or official capacity.

“My advice is to proceed as normal and without any special considerations,” Congreve sighed. “I’ve already asked Fanning himself, and from what he said, there’s no need to add anything to the event operations and promotion.”

“I agree with Mr. Congreve’s suggestion,” Olga echoed softly. “Let things be as they are. There are precedents for every type of ‘case’, so there’s no need to overthink it. Just treat this performance as a ‘performance where no business mistakes are allowed’. Nothing special is there.”

The executive vice president stood by the window, gazing at a corner of the crowded street outside.

For several days in a row, the reactions were even more subtle at levels inaccessible to the general public.

High-level meetings of major official organizations have increased dramatically, while the middle and lower levels mainly emphasize "not speculating too much." Church clergy, who have more extensive contact with the public, have repeatedly quoted relevant doctrines from the Gospel of Lavoisier when faced with the earnest and unwilling inquiries of believers, but the priests themselves do not seem very at ease. The Special Patrol Office maintained a solemn silence throughout the process, only stating that it "respects Master Fanning's personal decision and has deployed resources to do its best to ensure security and service."

There is another special group: the executives of major record companies and sheet music publishers have all gone mad—they have been frantically rushing to Walstein's villa these past few days, or calling every major cinema landline they can get through to.

In fact, from their perspective, Turner Theatres is the one in breach of contract now, as many of the cooperation agreements they signed before were for a period of three to five years.

But the aftermath of this "breach of contract" is now being ignored by everyone. They are simply trying to find out if there will be any "recording" or "score release" for the performance, with blank checks and contracts that are essentially being paid for.

"Return the record and the sheet music. Sigh... sigh."

Walter's mind has been in turmoil lately. He reminded everyone to "pay close attention to the thoughts and dynamics of the staff in each theater chain these days," before falling into a long period of contemplation and silence.

Congreve nodded, stood by the window for a long time, and finally uttered only one sentence:

"Let's think about how to 'escape' San Pelto discreetly first, since everyone needs to set off for home soon."