musicians of old

Chapter 966 Song of the Earth (1)

Time waits for no one; it only moves on amidst the escalating public sentiment.

Speculation about the reasons for Fanning's "farewell" and whereabouts has gradually evolved into more bizarre versions.

There are many cognitive differences. Those within the smallest circle are completely separated from the larger group outside, and there are also divisions between groups. Among the people, there are rumors that he will retreat to an archipelago in the southern continent to write a theoretical masterpiece, or that he will plan a "reform" of those ancient theological academies. The secrets of the art world add more romantic or morbid imaginations: heartbroken because of a love affair, forced to say goodbye in pursuit of the highest artistic realm, suffering from some kind of unspeakable illness. In the undercurrents of the mystical side, those who know believe they are close to the hidden truth. Some say he will "enter an unusual high fork in the tower to seek ultimate knowledge," while others speculate that he is actually sacrificing his artistic career in exchange for some kind of "balance" on a world level. More secretive whispers link him to the words "ascend to higher places," viewing this concert as a necessary part of an unprecedented "ascension" ritual.
These rumors intertwined and refuted each other, yet together they amplified the mystery surrounding the event and fueled the public's intense reluctance to let it go.

Besides musicians, there are also works.

The upcoming premiere of "Das Lied von der Erde" itself has also sparked widespread discussion and speculation.

First of all, the published subtitle already indicates that this is a vocal symphony, but why is there no number for "Symphony No. _"?
Some believe the composer is avoiding something, while others speculate that it's because some of Fanning's other symphonies were secretly performed during the "Tower Climbing Incident"—the events of that period did indeed leave some strange impressions in the memories of some people, such as "Dark March," "Hammering," "Night Song," and "Magnificent Church Choir." These impressions seem to be universally acknowledged witnesses, but when asked about the specific time and place of what they heard, no one can say for sure. Therefore, the reason this new work is unnumbered may be because the composer himself hasn't yet sorted out the previous numbering.

Secondly, the selection of the male and female singers in the work has also sparked many speculations. Fanning will definitely be conducting the old symphony orchestra, but who will be the two equally crucial singers? A strong speculation is that they may be the male and female actors who received great acclaim in "Tristan und Isolde".

Furthermore, what exactly is the meaning of the title "Song of the Earth"? It's not hard to imagine that "earth" is a profound rhetorical device referring to "the world," but are there any other extended or superimposed meanings? And what exactly is being commemorated in the "commemoration and farewell concert"?
unknown.

Regarding information about the work's content, listeners noticed that the only relevant sentence in later official channels was listed in the "product information" section of regular ticket sales, stating that it was "a work whose core did not originally belong to this world, but which met people with an imagery that belonged to this world, and then left."

Did it not originally belong to this world?
Did we meet again through a shared identity?
A saying that is too sparing with words and overly mysterious and obscure.

Only Fanning himself appeared unusually "transparent" in the eye of the storm. He no longer accepted the daily 100-minute meeting appointments. As for rehearsals, many media professionals and industry insiders who were keen on their work did realize that this might be a "breakthrough" to get information about his movements, but the information they painstakingly obtained from the musicians showed that...
The score has indeed been distributed, and Fanning has indeed attended rehearsals, but only three times, each time for half an hour, and she didn't say anything else.

When asked about the effectiveness and specific details of the rehearsals, the musicians all said that if we were only talking about the "performance quality," then "we didn't need to rehearse at all."

The person who was gathering information was completely baffled. What did this mean? How could the "performance quality" be guaranteed without rehearsals? And if they weren't talking about "performance quality," what were they talking about?

Information was kept out of reach; only a handful of people close to Fan Ning knew anything about his recent situation.

He never left the theater; aside from dining with everyone, he spent most of his time alone, lost in thought.

Or perhaps enjoying the breeze on the rooftop, reading poetry on the balcony, or silently playing the piano in the living room. The latter is more common.

Yes, during this period, Fanning often played the piano alone in silence, and not in any large-scale works with complex structures or grand emotions; he played almost exclusively works by Bach and Mozart.

Solo parts of the Well-Tempered Clavier, the Goldberg Variations, The Art of Fugue, some suites, inventions, fantasies, piano sonatas or piano concertos.
On occasions it was Schubert, but I think I only heard him play two pieces: I heard the last one, the Piano Sonata in B-flat major, number D.960, once, and a short piece, the Impromptu in G-flat major, number D.899, once. No, there was one exception, the only time, when I heard him start the second movement theme of the String Quartet "Death and the Maiden," that heart-wrenching chord progression, but just as the variations were about to unfold, he stopped playing. I wonder what he was thinking.

The music was always clean and restrained, played softly, carrying a kind of essential longing and sorrow stripped of all embellishment and passion.

For Sheeran, Roy, and Joan, after that night's drinks and deep conversation in the tavern, and then personally accompanying Fanning to the Special Patrol Hall, there was probably nothing to be astonished or unable to accept. Their state seemed to be the same as that of other theater executives, a kind of "silent busyness."

When Fanning played the piano in the living room, the ladies would often quietly come in and listen to the notes flowing through the air. After a few times, each of them tacitly found the most comfortable spot in the room for themselves. Sheeran liked to be close to him, leaning against the headboard, hugging her knees, her eyes following his fingers as they moved across the keys; Joan usually leaned against the window, seemingly gazing at the city at night, but in reality, she didn't miss a single note; Roy always curled up in the largest sofa, sometimes falling asleep while listening, her brow slightly furrowed in her sleep, as if beneath the tranquil melodies, there was still an undercurrent of unease. Fanning's two students, Luna and Anne, had also visited twice, behaving more reservedly. The ladies noticed that the two sisters also wanted to stay and listen a little longer, and their actions dispelled their concerns about being bothered.
Aside from that, there are no other details worth mentioning regarding playing the piano.

There are also some hidden arrangements being carried out simultaneously without anyone knowing.

Walter received a visit from the Special Patrol Department, who claimed that their purpose was related to "the secret talks between Inspector Lassus and Master Fanning".

Walter, still a little uneasy, went to ask Fanning himself. After Fanning hummed in agreement, the coordination proceeded smoothly. These people made some additional modifications to the "occult radio station" at the performance venue, saying that it was to cooperate with an altar at the Special Patrol Headquarters to achieve some kind of "channel observation" or "observation channel".

In addition, the heads of 39 other local cinema chains received additional secret instructions from the chain headquarters.

They were required to keep the "mystical radio altar" in the theater in an unconventional state of arrangement and operation from the start of the performance of "Das Lied von der Erde" that night until Fanning "bids farewell," possibly for the entire night, because "the witnessing path of this performance and farewell ceremony must be opened in accordance with a specific directional metaphor."

The selection ranges from county to town, with a total of 39 locations, which is certainly not arbitrary. However, no one knows the real intention behind it. A very few people can roughly see that the distribution of their geographical locations and spiritual energy forms a nested structure "from 27 to 9 to 3 and finally to headquarters 1".

Each nested level consists of three elements, and the progression also proceeds three times.

Although it was hard to understand, the colleagues in the theaters faithfully carried out this complicated instruction.

Finally, December 1th arrived.