Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1354, Page 574: Pride

Chapter 1354, Section 574: Pride
Ang Lee's ID did not appear in the live stream tonight, which was the biggest disappointment for the viewers.

The regrettable reason is that I didn't get to hear Professor Li's insightful commentary on the spot.

Everyone wants to hear how Professor Li will evaluate Novak's final performance of Chopin.

"Tomorrow we will focus on Writing 2.0. Six groups of contestants will create works on the spot based on different themes. Please look forward to it. Bye-bye."

As Lao Tang finished his live stream, the children headed to the restaurant.

Late-night snacks are the best!
Tonight's late-night snack: sweet fermented rice balls with hawthorn berries—it's super sweet!

Tonight, the children from Sigang Steel have separated from their groups and are now sitting around a table.

Originally, everyone was going to discuss how to welcome the teacher's wife, but the topic has now stalled on the last piece of music at tonight's concert.

Professor Novak performed the Ballade No. 1 in G minor.

In Xiao Bei's words, although it was the first time she had heard this piece, compared to other Chopin works, if it weren't for the fact that the program listed this piece as being by Chopin, she would have thought that this piece was not a work from the Romantic period.

Xiao Bei's thoughts also represent the thoughts of a considerable number of young listeners.

The Chopin we are familiar with is either romantic, melancholic, or passionate; however, Professor Novak's Chopin playing is like a large etude composed of several short etudes.

The first person to object to Xiao Bei's idea was A Liu.

Having all been raised on meager meals by their teacher, the musical tastes of the children at Sigang have long since transcended the realm of ordinary piano students.

Ah Liu really enjoyed Professor Novak's performances of Chopin's works.

Ah Liu's listening experience is characterized by rich and full emotions, beautiful timbre, and each part can be listened to as an independent and exquisite piece.

The conflict between Xiao Bei and A Liu lies here.

One viewpoint is that the repertoire is severely fragmented, full of classical style and formula, and lacks romantic beauty.

One viewpoint was that the performance design was novel, the handling unconventional, and the notes were full of beauty.

The two argued from the concert venue to the restaurant.

It was during this process that Wang Xiaohu, Qiao Zhizhi, and Ma Ke also joined the team.

Wang Xiaohu and Qiao Zhizhi agreed with Xiao Bei; their impressions were the same as Xiao Bei's.

Qiao Zhizhi stated directly that she did not understand a single word.

Marco agreed with A Liu's statement, believing that there was nothing wrong with handling it this way.

"My teacher said that the core of Romantic performance is the self. If Professor Novak's interpretation of this Chopin piece is like that, then his performance is just him sticking to his own interpretation, which is fine. I think it's quite interesting."

Marco's words left Xiao Bei and the other two at a loss for how to respond.

The three of them then turned their attention to the car and Tang Xiaoxing.

“Ah Lin,” Xiao Bei sent out a distress signal.

Xiao Che is now on A Liu's side, but she's still thinking about it.

Ah Liu: "Xiao Xing, you must agree with our point of view, right?"

Everyone looked at Tang Xiaoxing again, and Xiao Che also cast an expectant glance at her, wanting to hear what Xiaoxing had to say.

Under everyone's gaze, Tang Xiaoxing put down her spoon.

After a moment, "I prefer Xiao Bei."

No one showed any happiness or displeasure at Tang Xiaoxing's words; what everyone wanted was a more convincing approach.

"Or rather, I cannot agree with Marco's statement."

Marco nodded.

Tang Xiaoxing continued to offer his opinion: "In my view, playing purely according to one's own ideas is not the same as following the spirit of Romanticism."

"Romanticism is an art movement of a specific historical period."

"At its core is to resist the rational constraints of classicism."

"It's the Haydn style that the teacher talked about at the opening ceremony. Romanticism emphasizes personal emotions and imagination, and advocates nature and experience."

"In other words, the self in the performance needs to serve to express these specific era connotations."

“A modern pianist who plays solely according to his own ideas, and whose ideas are unrelated to the spirit of Romanticism, cannot be said to be playing in the Romantic style.”

"This is my idea."

“I really enjoy Professor Novak’s performance of Russian-style works, but I found this Chopin piece today a bit difficult to listen to, and it was hard to connect the themes.”

Marco opened his mouth, but in the end he nodded. Xiaoxing's analysis was indeed reasonable and well-founded.

Wang Xiaohu added: "I was just about to say this. The style of a specific period requires a specific expression. As my teacher said, Professor Qin once said that works from the Romantic period should avoid excessively pursuing minimalism and a mechanical feel."

Xiao Bei: "Yes, I just feel that Professor Novak cut this piece into several parts to play."

Ah Liu: "Um, it really sounds interesting. Okay, maybe it's my problem."

Just then, "You have no problem."

The children looked at the little car, and the little car continued to affirm to Ah Liu: "If you think it's interesting, then it's interesting. Isn't music just something that makes people feel good and interesting?"

Marco: "Arlene, what are your thoughts?"

Xiao Che paused for a moment: "My thoughts are exactly the opposite of Xiao Xing's."

Children: !
Tang Xiaoxing smiled and picked up the spoon again with great interest.

Xiao Che: "First, let me state my opinion. I believe that the self is the core of romanticism."

As he spoke, Xiao Che recalled the brief history of music his teacher had given him, which included an explanation of the Romantic movement.

"The core driving force of the Romantic movement was the liberation of the individual and the rebellion against all forms of reason, rules, traditions, including social customs."

"Putting this into the mindset of performance means that performers need to liberate themselves from blindly following the classical school."

A Liu: "Academic."

Xiao Che shook his head: "It's not the academic school. The academic school also has its own set of standards for performing Romanticism."

Wang Xiaohu frowned slightly, as if he had suddenly grasped something; he had just thought of the academic school as well.

Xiao Che: "Therefore, any act of playing sincerely, unaffected by external influences, and according to one's own inner feelings and understanding, is essentially a practice of the Romantic pursuit of self."

"Perhaps the way people perform Romantic works today is completely different from how it was two hundred years ago, but their core pursuit of individual spiritual freedom remains unchanged."

The children got goosebumps; it felt like they were listening to a debate.

Arlene's explanation now seems to have given one side an edge.

Just then, Tang Xiaoxing spoke again.

“Playing Romanticism emphasizes subjective interpretation, which is the individual externalization of the work itself, rather than completely ignoring the score.”

“The works of Romantic composers such as Chopin and Liszt have their own unique interpretations, which are rooted in the historical context in which they lived.”

"As creators, they did not distort the tradition left by classicism in the structure and outline of their works."

"If a modern performer completely ignores these harmonic progressions, or destroys the rhythmic framework of a work in order to satisfy their own desires, can such a performance be called a romantic interpretation?"

Wang Xiaohu nodded subconsciously: "No."

The children nodded in agreement, seemingly drawn back to Xiao Bei's side by Tang Xiaoxing's words.

Marco was getting excited; he was eager to hear how the racing legend would respond.

Xiao Che smiled; it was the Tang Xiaoxing she knew.

In Xiao Che's view, Tang Xiaoxing was speaking from the heart and not trying to argue with her.

Because everything Tang Xiaoxing said was a microcosm of the other party's daily practice.

However, she also had her own principles regarding the car.

"Romanticism places the authenticity of emotion above formal beauty and technique."

These words weren't spoken by the teacher, nor by anyone else; they were a personal reflection that Xiao Che had while listening to Chopin one day.

"If a performer genuinely wants to interpret music in her own way, and ultimately insists on sincerely presenting that interpretation to the audience, isn't this sincere self-expression the essence of Romanticism?"

"Didn't Chopin and Liszt's self-interpretation during the creative process go against the traditional pace?"

"So whether the technology is correct or not is not important; the key is genuine emotion." "Genuine emotion comes from within. If I don't like something, but I have to say I like it because of some rule, does that liking still have the spirit of romanticism?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaohu felt a sudden tremor in his heart, as if he himself had been publicly rejected by Alin.

Marco and Liu also glanced in Wang Xiaohu's direction subconsciously. Liu wondered if Ah Lin had overheard their whispered conversation in the room these past two days.

That shouldn't be the case; everything was normal today.

Xiao Bei: "Linlin's point of view this time was very sharp, but I still don't like Professor Novak's performance today."

Qiao Zhizhi: "It's normal not to like something. You either like it or you don't. There's no need to like something just for the sake of liking it. That's not romantic at all."

A few laughs rang out at the dinner table.

Tang Xiaoxing nodded in agreement, though she knew this was a debate that would never end.

She realized very early on that there was a fundamental conflict between her and Arlene in their approach to performance.

Just like the sonata in F minor and the mazurka that the little car played at the Xiaoshao race, she simply couldn't accept herself handling things this way.

But that doesn't stop her from enjoying listening to it.

In the past, she might have backed down; good friends don't need to make things so tense over something like this.

But she still decided to voice her last point, otherwise it would be too unromantic.

More importantly, she wanted to hear what Arlene would say at the end.

Just when everyone thought the debate was over, Tang Xiaoxing spoke up again with a smile:

"Romantic music, especially piano works, is known for its technical difficulty and emotional complexity."

"True romantic performance requires the performer to have absolute skill to realize their emotional expression and tonal imagination."

"At the same time, self-expression needs to be based on a deep understanding of the work, cultural literacy, and artistic judgment."

"Any arbitrary expression lacking the above support often fails to bear the profound grandeur or delicate emotional experience pursued by Romanticism."

"Therefore, it cannot be called a romantic performance."

"Linlin."

Holy crap, did they just declare war?
The children, still digesting their thoughts, were taken aback when they heard Tang Xiaoxing utter "Linlin".

But the car didn't give anyone time to react before it spoke up:
"The vitality of art lies in innovation and breakthroughs."

“If we confine Romantic performance to the specific styles and rules of the nineteenth century, it becomes a lifeless specimen.”

Xiao Che completely understood what Tang Xiaoxing meant; in other words, what Tang Xiaoxing said this time was entirely based on his personal experience.

Yes.

What kind of performance doesn't require the performer to have absolute skill?

What kind of expression doesn't require a deep understanding of the work?

What kind of interpretation of a work does not require a foundation of cultural literacy and artistic judgment?
But who else could possess all of this before the age of fifteen, like Tang Xiaoxing?
Xiao Che understood that even taking family background into account, all of this was the result of Tang Xiaoxing's personal efforts.

Therefore, Tang Xiaoxing has the right to be proud and to say those last words.

But who doesn't have their own pride?

"The spirit of Romanticism requires us to constantly challenge boundaries and explore new possibilities for expression."

"If today's performers cannot make bold or even subversive interpretations according to their own ideas, how can the spirit of Romanticism continue?"

"The spirit of Romanticism has broadened the ways in which humanity understands and experiences music."

"Therefore, restricting the scope of self-expression is itself an anti-romantic act."

Xiao Che can say without hesitation that she knew nothing before she met her teacher.

But her love for playing the piano started long before she met her teacher; it was her love for it that sustained her.

No one told her that this was right or that was wrong, and she didn't care whether it was right or wrong; she played the piano simply to make herself happy.

Even now, her teacher never interferes with whether she plays a note for too long.

Aside from her teacher, she didn't care what anyone else thought of her, but she knew her teacher would never say anything that would shake her resolve.

These are two of the few things she's proud of since she started learning the piano: one comes from her personal enjoyment, and the other from her teacher's smile.

"small star."

The big guy's CPU was about to explode, and the little car stretched out its right hand.

Then Tang Xiaoxing also extended his right hand.

"Arlene!"

Then the two little girls held each other's hands tightly.

"Clap clap clap."

Qiao Zhizhi led the way, and everyone applauded the two's excellent speeches.

"thank you all!"

Amidst laughter and playful banter, the familiar Arlene and Little Star are back!
Wang Xiaohu was certain that his gaze was filled with admiration at that moment, but the instant his eyes met the car's, he subconsciously turned his head away.

"So guess what the teacher and his wife are doing right now?"

Just then, Ah Liu suddenly said something.

The dinner table suddenly fell silent.

moment.

"How about we borrow a phone and ask, maybe make a video call?"

"Great! I miss my master's wife so much!"

"Who should we borrow from?"

"I'm going to find Teacher Tang!"

"wait."

Everyone looked at him, and Xiao Che was momentarily at a loss for words.

"I think we shouldn't bother the teacher and his wife today."

"Master's wife needs to rest."