Almighty painter

Chapter 957 Gu Qintong

Gu Weijing and his group made a last-minute trip to Austria.

Miss Elena had originally planned to buy a piano for Gu Weijing in Paris, but since she turned back halfway, she decided to go to a music store that Anna was more familiar with.

This was also Gu Weijing's first trip to Vienna in his life.

He arrived in Vienna at noon. The ancient city was shrouded in a thin layer of clouds, and the sun shone through the gaps in the clouds, casting golden rays that fell on the former heart of Europe.

Bronze sculptures, Baroque eaves, Greek-style columns of the city hall... the whole city gradually stretches out its curled-up body under the sunlight, creating a visual tension for tourists that lies between restrained rationality and romantic desire.

Gu Weijing's first impression of Vienna.

He thought that there must be a reason why Klimt founded the Vienna Secession here, and why his works had a unique color palette that seemed to be painted with gold powder, and why he liked to use cold skulls and delicate women's skin to intertwine and confront each other.

The music store Miss Elena took Gu Weijing to was located near Mount Cullen, not far from Beethoven's Inn. In Gu Weijing's mind, the music store Anna frequented was probably similar to the tailor shop in Kingsman, with two impeccably dressed waiters standing at the entrance, their suits so sharp they could stop bullets. Or perhaps the wand shop from Harry Potter, with a sign that read its origins in a certain year and how many generations it had been passed down through.

It was slightly different from what I had originally expected.

The music store owner was a young girl. The store wasn't big, with white tiles, a dark red counter, and a floating desk. There wasn't a single musical instrument in the store. If it weren't for the sign hanging at the entrance, Gu Weijing would have thought it was a café that you could find anywhere in Vienna.

"Hello, Miss Elena, it's been a long time."

The woman greeted Anna as she entered, "My father is in the workshop, is he here for a pampering treatment?"

She pursed her lips and smiled.

“Hello, Gabriel, Kerry. And this is—” Her gaze fell on the violin case in Gabriel’s hand, then turned to Gu Weijing.

The shop owner and the others seemed to know each other.

"I'm not here for maintenance today; I'm here to buy a piano," Miss Elena introduced Gu Weijing to her.

“Actually, I also wanted to take care of myself while I was at it, and Anna happened to be here too,” Gabriel chimed in from the side.

The group sat down in the shop.

Ms. Wang put on gloves and took out a GoPro.

"In case."

The shop owner, surnamed Wang, was Chinese and had come to Europe with her father to open a music store. While waiting, Ms. Wang briefly checked the violin that Gabriel had brought with him.

After entering the door.

Gu Weijing noticed that the shop owner's eyes were fixed on Gabriel.

later.

He realized that the other person wasn't looking at Gabriel, but at Gabriel's piano, or rather, Anna's piano.

Strictly speaking, Gabriel was a violinist, but the violin in his hand was the property of the Elena family.

A genuine Stradivarius, handcrafted by an Italian luthier in 1692, has no publicly available trading records, so its value is hard to say.

According to market conditions.

Violins in similar condition can range in price from approximately 300 million to 1000 million euros, depending on their historical significance and tone.

During a casual conversation, Gu Weijing learned that many top-quality violins are simply too expensive. Musicians can hardly afford them. The ownership of violins often belongs to certain foundations, collectors, institutions, or symphony orchestras, and they are usually "lent" to sponsoring musicians or the first violinist of the orchestra.

Gabriel was essentially carrying a jet on his back the whole time he was walking.

Imagine what it would be like to inspect a jet aircraft, even if it's just a simple check; you'd definitely want to have a camera recording it.

"It's very well maintained. The bridge can be adjusted slightly, and the curvature of the soundboard is only slightly warped. There are minor scratches on the paint, but I don't recommend you get them repaired; they're old damage from years ago..."

Miss Wang simply retrieved the tools.

Gabriel's bow was maintained, and the bow hair was replaced with brand new ones.

Then he handed the bow back to Gabriel, who adjusted the bow tension, picked up the violin, rested his chin lightly on the soundboard, and played it twice.

Gu Weijing listened intently and secretly.

well.

He learned what a jet engine sounds like today.

same.

Gabriela's is indeed very good.

But Gu Weijing really couldn't quite understand why such a piano melody was worth a private jet.

"Wait a minute, take a look at this. Can you hear the difference?"

Miss Wang got up, went to the back room of the shop, and ran to get a hard-sided violin case.

He opened the violin case, took out the violin with a darker soundboard and a shallower curve in the body, and handed it to Gabriel.

Gabriel stared at the violin for a moment.

He picked up the bow and played a tune.

This time.

The young painter Gu Weijing could clearly hear the difference; the two violins presented different tonal styles, with the sound being more resonant and powerful.

The difference was quite noticeable.

Gu Weijing felt relieved. Looking at everyone listening attentively, he secretly thought that he might actually have some musical talent.

"pity."

Gabriel put down his bow.

"The neck has been repaired. Was it broken before? The top also seems to have been replaced. The G string is fine, but the thinner E string vibrates unevenly."

Huh?
Is this what I was supposed to hear?
How did you figure that out?
Gu Weijing realized that he had once again reached the classic routine of "You played well, you played well, thank you, you've worked hard."

Yes, indeed.

Ms. Wang shook her head. "This violin is badly damaged and has been soaked in water. My father bought it at auction for 17 euros, intending to make it the store's prized possession. But then again, if it weren't so badly damaged, this violin would be worth more than half the store. Its name is 'Monsoon,' a violin from the Guarneri family."

"It's been repaired very well. Looking at the exterior... I can hardly tell that it's a restored instrument."

Kerry said.

Anna noticed Gu Weijing's focused gaze as he stared intently at the violin on the table.

"What are you thinking about?"

“These instruments are really expensive,” Gu Weijing said.

"I'll give you the zither."

Anna said.

"Can I refuse?" Gu Weijing asked back. The pressure was too great. How well and how seriously would he have to play to be worthy of such a violin?
He didn't want that kind of gift.

A fine horse deserves a fine saddle. A good violin also needs a good violinist.

Even if it's still rotten wood soaked in water.

These are all rotten logs worth 17 euros. But these aren't just rotten logs; they're an entire forest.

"No."

"But no, no, don't misunderstand, it's not this one. I told you, you need a viola. I won't give you Guarneri as your first violin either, there's no need. What you need isn't a historically famous violin; being able to play a famous violin is more of an honor."

“And you—” “You don’t need an expensive gift; what you need more is a well-made modern violin with a relatively mellow tone. Miss Wang’s father is one of the best violin makers I know.”

Anna casually introduced the history of the violin to Gu Weijing.

The European violin industry is mainly divided into the Italian school and the French school. Italian violins are typically produced in small workshops by hand, resulting in a warmer sound, with each violin possessing a unique character and tone. The French school, on the other hand, emphasizes standardization, collaborative division of labor, and larger-scale violin production with higher precision.

But now...

China also has a strong violin-making industry, offering both relatively inexpensive mass-produced violins and custom-made handcrafted violins.

Ms. Wang's father, Master Wang, learned the craft of violin making in Jiangsu and Zhejiang when he was young, and also worked as an apprentice at a violin-making academy in Italy. Finally, he opened a violin shop here.

Chat room.

Miss Wang's father came out from the inner room. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he listened to Gu Weijing's request—in fact, Gu Weijing didn't know what his request was either. After Anna explained it to him, he didn't ask any further questions and simply invited them to the back.

Behind the shop is a small workshop.

This place is somewhat like the "Olivendine Wand Shop, founded in 382 BC" that Gu Weijing imagined.

There is only one small passageway.

Many empty violin cases were piled high on the floor, and a dozen violins were neatly arranged in the cabinets in the room, their curved necks standing upright like swans in a line.

The workshop was also filled with planks of wood, each labeled with the tree's origin, age, and the number of years it had been air-dried.

Gu Weijing had prepared himself mentally, but he couldn't truly experience the feeling of trying out each violin and then having Master Wang tell him in a very profound way, "Remember, it's not the wand that chooses the wizard, but the wizard that chooses the wand, Potter."

first.

With his musical skill level, there's really no point in being fussy about differences in timbre and sound quality. The important thing is to be able to hear the difference first. Ultimately, playing an instrument is a skill. Giving Gabriel a $100 instrument—well, $100 is a bit difficult; at that price, it's basically a toy.

Give them a decent violin worth $1000.

Gu Weijing would also clap his hands to express his appreciation, saying, "You played so well, thank you, you've worked hard."

Secondly.

Gu Weijing bought a viola.

Violas don't sell as well as violins. Anna said she wouldn't give a really nice violin, which, by Miss Elena's standards, meant "not very nice," implying that Gu Weijing didn't need any antiques.

She certainly wouldn't give Gu Weijing the so-called factory piano.

The instrument itself remains the best of the best.

There were only four violins in the entire shop that met the requirements: one was from an Italian colleague, and the other three were made by Master Wang.

Anna didn't let Master Wang mention the price; she only asked Gu Weijing to pull them all and pick the one she liked best.

Under Gabriel's guidance, Gu Weijing played the pieces one by one.

The timbre is slightly different. To describe it with his keen artistic sense, it's like... sawing wood hard, sawing wood not so hard, sawing wood very hard, and sawing wood intermittently, sometimes high and sometimes low.

Anna smiled slightly, pursing her lips.

Unable to bear watching any longer, Gabriel snatched the violin from Gu Weijing, stopping his attempt to turn Master Wang's music shop into a lumber store, and played it again.

The tone changed immediately.

It evokes the feeling of a heavy sea breeze, bright sunlight, a slightly chilly metallic sound, and the more three-dimensional, natural aroma of wood.

At Anna's suggestion.

Gu Weijing ultimately chose the third violin, with a top made of Austrian Alpine spruce that had been air-dried for 20 years, paired with a back made of Persian maple with flame-like patterns.

This violin is priced at 37,000 euros.

It's not cheap at all.

You could buy a car right now.

Top-quality handmade violas are not as popular as top-quality handmade violins. There are fewer potential buyers and the market circulation rate is not high. For violins, if you want to buy from a luthier like Master Wang, you have to wait in line. This violin has been in the shop for 3 years since it was made.

In addition, Miss Elena is a regular customer here.

The Wang family father and daughter offered them a 30% discount.

Approximately 25,000 euros.

It's still very extravagant; you could buy a car with that money. Compared to the pianos he had before, Gu Weijing actually felt that the price was acceptable.

When it came time to pay the bill, Gu Weijing wanted to pay it himself.

He was very persistent.

Gu Weijing did not want to accept such an expensive gift. He made it very clear that this matter was different from that suit.

Miss Elena was also very insistent.

Anna's words were equally clear.

Gifts from others only put more pressure on Gu Weijing to practice the piano; similarly, this piano wasn't given away for free.

Miss Elena raised her wrist.

The meaning was clear: she wanted Gu Weijing to give her a watch.

That piece.

“It’s that one,” Anna said. “You have a contract with the Hermès Gallery and can’t wear a competitor’s watch, but I don’t.”

"Mr. G."

“I don’t mind that it’s a men’s watch. It was a gift I had ordered. I haven’t worn a watch since you gave it to me.”

Someone like Miss Elena would never be short of a watch.

Even if the watch she wore a year ago fell into the sea and got wet, it has long been repaired. Even if she doesn't want to wear it, she has other options.

Today's watches have long since moved beyond their simple timekeeping function.

Anna's pale wrists were bare today, hanging empty, which was a hint—

The issue isn't what kind of watch you wear.

And it lies in...

Which watch should I wear?
Is it this piece, or that piece?

Some watches are easy to buy, while others are not.

Gu Weijing studied at the Hamburg Academy of Fine Arts. He was recruited by the head of the school's Master Artists Program, which is a high-level art program jointly run by several top art schools.

Becoming a star at Fitzgerald International School might mean you won't refuse invitations to girls' parties. Getting first place in the entire university entrance exam might reward you with living in the dormitories once occupied by Nobel laureates.

This collaborative art project is sponsored by luxury brands. Each term, one student with the best academic performance will be selected, and upon graduation, Breguet will present them with a formal gold watch co-branded with the project, with the student's name engraved on the watch case.

Like a violinist who can play a Stradivarius, it's an honor more than the instrument itself.

Compared to the watch itself.

This is also a kind of honor.

“Even if it’s not a special edition, a Breguet precious metal watch would cost around that amount. So, just don’t feel like you’re getting ripped off,” Anna commented.

(End of this chapter)