Please, come home and practice the piano

Chapter 1378, Section 598: Let's all take the level test together! [Part 2]

After playing the entire piece in one go, Tang Xiaoxing smiled slightly, put down her hands, stood up, and bowed while playing the zither.

At the same time, Li An glanced down at his watch. From start to finish, Tang Xiaoxing's hunger for winter wind took exactly three minutes and forty seconds.

Although it was ten seconds slower than the last recording, the overall sound was more compact.

"good."

Ang Lee smiled and said, "The overall lines are beautiful. Listening to the whole piece, how should I put it? He handles it with ease."

The three men nodded in agreement; those four words perfectly encapsulated their confidence and skill.

“Very good, very good.” Li An looked at Mu Xin.

Mu Xin gave a thumbs up and said, "Perfect."

Wang Xiaohu and Xiao Che laughed when they heard this comment. They also thought that Xiaoxing's rendition of "Winter Wind" was fantastic, even better than the one she played last night.

"Thank you, judges."

Tang Xiaoxing bowed again and then happily stepped off the stage.

Wang Xiaohu took over the baton from Tang Xiaoxing and walked onto the stage.

"Good morning, examiners. My name is Wang Xiaohu. I am a Level 4 examiner. My piece to perform is an Arabic dance."

After finishing the introductions, Brother Tiger sat down at the piano. Without any of Tang Xiaoxing's preparatory steps, he adjusted the height of the piano bench and immediately began to play.

With a few solid touches of his fingers, he sketched out an exotic melody, and the rise and fall of his body gave him the feel of a young pianist.

While a thorough grasp of the repertoire is certainly an important factor, the experience gained from conducting on stage multiple times has also contributed to his stage performance abilities.

Having missed the summer camp concert, today's examination stage can be considered a way to make up for his wish to perform on stage again before going abroad.

With a long and a short staccato note, Wang Xiaohu steadily brought his hands back into the air.

Although he made two mistakes in the middle, it did not affect his decision to give himself a perfect score.

I am awesome!
Wang Xiaohu stood up, bowed, and stepped forward to await the "examiner's" comments.

The teacher and student looked at each other for a moment, and then Li An nodded.

"The embellishments in the melody are handled well, and the transitions are relatively smooth, creating a full musical image at the beginning."

Hearing this, Wang Xiaohu was slightly pleased, but he was already in the habit of waiting for another "but".

"It's really good. The contrast between strong and weak notes in the repeated musical phrases is also logical. It's excellent."

"Well, let the teachers speak."

Wang Xiaohu: There's no buts!

Mu Xin took over, saying, "I also want to say that the ornaments added a lot to the whole piece. Keep up the good work."

Yan Zhen: "The work is very expressive."

Old Tang: "You can pay a little attention to being a bit firmer when ending the ascending scale, but that's all. Keep it up."

Ang Lee: "Making the ending of a long sentence firmer doesn't mean you have to use an emphasis; you should keep working on that in the future."

"Thank you, teachers." Wang Xiaohu nodded and bowed, then stepped down from the stage.

The two people in the car below the stage also gave Wang Xiaohu a thumbs up.

Wang Xiaohu chuckled, moved his lips, and said, "Go, Alin!"

Old Tang: "Candidate number nineteen."

The car rose up and walked onto the stage.

"Good morning, examiners. My name is Che Lin, I am a Level 8 examiner, and my piece will be the first movement of the Pathétique Sonata."

Wang Xiaohu: Go, Alin!

Tang Xiaoxing: Go, Arlene!

Wang Xiaohu had just adjusted the stool to be a bit too high, so Xiao Che sat in front of the piano, raised his hand, and then lowered the stool a little.

I stretched out my arm again to feel it, and the car found its most comfortable position.

call.

He took a deep breath and gently clenched his fists.

The next second after releasing, both hands slammed vertically onto the piano keys.

"when!"

With the pedal under his feet, a heavy, loud bang suddenly exploded, but there was not a trace of agitation.

The moment her fingertips touched the keys, there was no extra emotional buildup; her wrists were straight, and her fingertips struck the center of the keys precisely.

Ang Lee could tell that, compared to Xiao Xiao's performance of the F minor sonata and his subsequent performance of Beethoven on stage, Xiao Che had learned to be more restrained.

The solemn introduction, though drawn out under his fingers, carried a hint of resoluteness. It was still an unconventional approach. He had discussed this point with Xiao Che when he first heard Xiao Che handle it this way in class.

He was certainly not against it.

As a teacher, even if he supports the car playing according to its own ideas, he also needs to make sure the car knows what the mainstream treatment looks like.

And so, we hear those sharp notes right now.

When the mournful first movement is no longer accompanied by its wailing chants, what is left of it?

The car presented a musical scene to the audience with an interesting restraint.

It doesn't strive for a booming volume, but rather imbues each chord with a penetrating power like metal and stone.

The arpeggios in the low register are as steady as cast iron.

The melodic lines in the high register are sharp as if cut by a knife.

There was not a single lingering or hesitant sound.

Her body remained perfectly straight, her shoulders and neck relaxed yet not slumped, only her fingertips moved swiftly across the piano keys.

The running sixteenth notes are even, with each note attacking with a very light emphasis.

When the musical phrase reaches a turning point, she does not deliberately increase the pressure on the keys, but controls the brightness and darkness of the tone through the friction between her fingertips and the keys.

The film accelerates gradually before suddenly gaining momentum; this scene appeared three times in just two parts.

Tang Xiaoxing was stunned again.

She had always had a question: Arlene's playing offstage and playing onstage were always subtly different.

But it is these subtle differences that amplify Arlene's stage presence many times over.

She didn't feel anything special when she heard Arlene play this part last night.

At this moment, she felt that the music and visuals were completely different from last night.

How did Arlene manage to do that?

Tang Xiaoxing really didn't understand. What she knew was that most performers' performances offstage and onstage were basically the same.

Even though the stage atmosphere might give performers a temporary boost, there are only eight people in total at this exam venue.

too strong.
"when!"

When the main motif of the recapitulation section is reproduced, the car increases the pressure of its fingers.

Her touch on the keys became more refined, and her left-hand chords became more stable.

The grand and tragic melody enters a forward-moving dotted rhythm, but there is no heart-wrenching grief, only a refined and sharp tone.

The brief pauses are left just right, like the breath-holding before a sharp blade is drawn.

Upon hearing this, Ang Lee suddenly chuckled, and to onlookers, he looked at Wang Xiaohu, who was sitting diagonally to his side, with a hint of bewilderment.

He wondered if it was because he was in a relationship?

Emotion has always been the driving force behind artists' soul.

For a pianist, it is both the core medium through which music resonates with the audience and the key to the performer's technical breakthroughs.

Essentially, it is the expansion of the boundaries of mutual achievement between people and music.

If technique is the skeleton of a performance, then emotion is its blood.

Ang Lee understands this deeply. After meeting Chen Xuan, he would unconsciously let his own emotions take the lead when playing some lyrical passages.

To put it simply, the rhythm of the music has changed.

Genuine emotional investment allows each musical phrase to carry a sense of rhythm and cadence, enabling listeners to feel the warmth behind the music.

Just like this at this moment.

In Xiao Che's hands, Beethoven's Pathétique theme is no longer simply about sorrow, but rather encompasses a complex emotion that moves from resistance to forbearance and finally to acceptance.

This level of emotional expression was absent in the tragic performance preceding the car. Ang Lee understands the car.

The car doesn't like playing blanks, so without a clear sensory guide, what it's hearing now is definitely not this kind of music.

He and Chen Xuan discussed this issue before going to bed last night.

Chen Xuan asked him if Chopin's historical achievements could have reached the heights they are today without George Sand.
Ang Lee thinks this makes sense. Just like Brahms, if he hadn't met Clara, could he have written those restrained yet passionate notes later on?
Brahms was only nineteen years old when he met Clara.

Perhaps this is the potential of love for artists.

Ang Lee is genuinely curious about what kind of lyrical pieces the little car will be able to perform in its current state.

"when!"

Another loud piano note rang in his ears, and Ang Lee snapped out of his thoughts.

Towards the end, the car plays a descending scale with lightning speed.

There was still no deliberate diminuendo or acceleration, but all the emotions were released at once in the accented note of the last chord!
"when!"

The piano music dissipated in the air above the stage, and the little car slowly withdrew its hands from the keyboard.

As if she had just finished a concert, she stood up, played the piano, turned around, and bent down with a smile.

She didn't sweat this time.

Once on stage, she seemed much more relaxed, smiling as if she was extremely satisfied with her performance.

The group of children's eyes fell on Li An; they were eager to hear how the teacher would evaluate candidate number nineteen.

Ang Lee smiled and said, "You guys tell me."

Old Tang and the others chuckled to themselves, wondering what else they could say. They had already gone through countless compliments and praises for the car in private.

Just like with Tang Xiaoxing, their skill levels are beyond evaluation.

Old Tang: "Okay."

Mu Xin: "Okay."

Yan Zhen: "Okay."

The three teachers each gave a "good" answer, like a relay race, which made the children laugh.

Ann Lee: "Okay."

Hahaha, Wang Xiaohu and Tang Xiaoxing couldn't hold back anymore.

moment.

"Let's talk about the pedal. The pedal has a special effect in Beethoven's works. Unlike most composers who want to express harmonic resonance, he used the pedal mainly to emphasize contrast."

"The pianos used in Beethoven's time were far behind modern pianos in all aspects of their functions."

"That is to say, all of Beethoven's ideas for the tonal effects were based on the level of piano craftsmanship at that time."

"So if we want to pursue Beethoven's original ideas on a modern piano, we need to control the pedals more subtly during performance. Different pedal depths and timings will create different sound effects."

"For example, if you want to produce a vague, hazy sound, you can't just stomp on it."

"You played brilliantly. You could try exploring other possibilities."

Finally, Ang Lee smiled and gave the most direct affirmation, "Full marks, keep up the good work."

Tang Xiaoxing: Wow!!

Wang Xiaohu: Awesome!

When the little car on the stage heard the words "perfect score" gently uttered from the teacher's lips, her heart was deeply moved. This was the first time in her memory that her teacher had given her such direct affirmation in front of so many people.

"Thank you, judges! Thank you!"

The little car was so excited that she bowed at a 90-degree angle. If she weren't at the exam site, she would have definitely shouted "I love you!!"

I'm so happy!

With a hint of smugness on her face, candidate number nineteen, Xiao Che, lightly jumped off the stage.

Old Tang: "Candidate number twenty."

The twentyth examinee was a chubby little boy with a round face, who came from the cultural center.

Hearing that it was his turn to go on stage, the chubby boy got up in a daze and walked onto the stage.

"Good morning/afternoon, esteemed judges. My name is Yu Jiaming, Level 6, and I will be performing Andante."

The chubby boy felt like he had wandered onto the wrong movie set. What kind of terrorists were these?!
-
Unfortunately, the chubby boy forgot the score during another intermittent performance and was stopped by Mu Xin.

With that, the fourth wave of candidates had finished. Li An and the others had just taken a sip of water when the fifth wave of candidates entered the venue that morning, including Qiao Zhizhi.

When they met upstairs and downstairs, the three people in the car gave Qiao Zhizhi a good talking-to.

Go Zhizhi!

"It's alright inside, not that scary!"

"I'll be waiting for you!"

Xiao Bei, A Liu, and their friends were waiting downstairs when they saw the group coming down the car and immediately went over to them.

Wang Xiaohu gestured for them to go to the door to talk.

Several children came outside, and Wang Xiaohu vividly described the first movement of Tang Xiaoxing's "Winter Wind and the Tragic Cart".

Everyone's blood boiled after hearing this.

They truly deserve to be called the kingly duo of the Four Steel Team.

Ah Liu suggested, "Let's go out for lunch together after Zhizhi comes down, to celebrate."

Xiao Bei pouted: "I have to go to Grandma's house soon."

Marco: "I have to go back too, I have a math class at noon."

Ah Liu: "Alright, alright, let's look forward to that day."

When that day was mentioned, everyone except Wang Xiaohu laughed.

Wang Xiaohu was stunned: "Which day?"

Marco quickly replied, "Of course it's the day of the teacher's concert! You won't skip it, will you?"

Wang Xiaohu: "Of course I'm going! How could I not go!"

Tiger, of course, had no idea that everyone had arranged a farewell party for him before he left the country. He was still grinning foolishly and said, "I thought it was something else, all this mystery."

The group of children then chatted for a while about their plans before the start of school. Although there were still many happy things to do, there were only two weeks left before school started.

About ten minutes later, Qiao Zhizhi happily walked out the door.

"How is it?" The children rushed forward.

Qiao Zhizhi chuckled: "The teacher said she should have let me take the Level 3 exam."

Yeah, wow!!
-
At noon, Grandpa Tang kept his promise and treated the two young girls to a meal of Er Mao Mala Tang (a type of spicy hot pot).

After eating, Grandpa Tang wondered, "Is this stuff really that delicious?"

But none of that mattered. During the meal, Tang Xiaoxing mustered up her courage and asked Xiao Che about her doubts.

Why can the performance evoke different feelings on stage and off stage?

The car couldn't give a specific answer to this question either.

"When I'm practicing offstage, I first have a framework for the performance, or as my teacher would say, the general direction."

"To ensure the overall direction remains stable, once I'm on stage, it depends a bit on my condition and mood. If I were to go on stage again now and play the first movement, I might play it in a completely different way."

Tang Xiaoxing: "I admire you so much."

Xiao Che: "I admire you the most! Xiao Xing, you're so steady. I'd be content if I were half as steady as you."

Tang Xiaoxing: "No way! I'm nervous when I go on stage too."

Car: "That's why I said you're too steady!"

On the way home, I listened to the two young girls chatting away, while Grandpa Tang didn't interrupt, just smiled from time to time.

In his view, the two children correspond to two extreme artistic styles.

So let's leave the answer to the future.

"You two have worked hard this morning, take a good rest this afternoon."

The two little girls said "No!" in unison.

Tang Xiaoxing: "I want to practice the piano!"

The little car grinned: "Me too!"