The God of Conducting Starting from Absolute Pitch

Chapter 300 Integration
Clarinet Concerto in A major, K.622.

This is an orchestral work by Mozart, written for clarinetist Anton Statler in 1791.

The piece of music was one of Mozart's last completed works and also his last purely instrumental work. After the piece of music was completed, Mozart passed away.

This concerto is notable for its carefully designed dialogue between soloist and orchestra and for not overly showcasing the soloist.

There aren't many climaxes.

Chen Qiu and the orchestra had discussed a related topic before when they were performing Mozart's concerto. That is, if they wanted to use Mozart's works to get a particularly good result in the competition, what would be the best concerto they could choose.

The first priority is definitely the piano concerto. Mozart has many piano concertos and there is a lot of room to choose from. Even though there are many excellent versions performed, for them, the piano concerto is also a work that is particularly easy to stand out.

However, since there is no dedicated pianist in the orchestra, most of the members of the orchestra's color instrument group come here to play part-time. In addition, it is not easy for Chen Qiu to perform this piece directly on stage, so Chen Qiu is unlikely to choose the piano concerto.

Second priority is the violin concerto.

As a musician of the classical period, Mozart learned to play the violin from a young age, and the number of his violin concertos is second only to his piano pieces.

However, compared with piano music, there are much fewer choices for violin concertos, and there are only two that are well-known and liked by the audience.

Therefore, if performing a violin concerto, Chen Qiu and the orchestra basically choose between these two pieces.

In addition to the piano and violin, there are some other instruments arranged in order.

For example, concertos for horn, flute, and harp.

The clarinet concerto is always the last choice for Chen Qiu and the orchestra.

This is not because Su Yue’s level is poor, or because other clarinet players who can be chosen are poor.

It's not even because the piece is unpopular.

This is simply because...

This piece has no cadenza.

The cadenza, or the solo part, is a part that makes the soloist stand out more in the music and makes it easier for him to show his upper limit.

In this kind of competition, Chen Qiu and the orchestra guaranteed the lower limit of the entire work to ensure that there would be no unnecessary mistakes.

The soloist, on the other hand, raises the ceiling of the work.

See if you can raise the score of your work from 90 to 100.

Although Chen Qiu believed that Su Yue could work with the orchestra to raise the lower limit to 95 points, or even a higher score.

But compared to others who are aiming for 100 points, his ceiling is much lower than others before the game even starts.

Naturally, Chen Qiu would not choose this piece with the orchestra.

This also meant that although Su Yue had played with them in the orchestra before, they had never played a clarinet concerto with the clarinetist.

Before Su Yue left the orchestra, Chen Qiu had never thought about related issues.

But after Su Yue left the orchestra, Chen Qiu often began to feel a little conflicted. It would have been great if he could have chosen the clarinet concerto with the orchestra at that time.

Anyway, the level of other bands is not as good as theirs. Beating them is like beating one's son. There is no need to bring Qin Xian to use his ultimate move to beat them up.

On the contrary, playing a clarinet concerto with Su Yue might bring more good memories to the orchestra. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Of course, things are over and done with. Chen Qiu didn't dwell too much on these things. He just thought about them for a while and then practiced the piano accompaniment part of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major.

There was no further action beyond this.

He never thought that what he had practiced before would be used today.

Looking at Su Yue in front of him, Chen Qiu was slightly surprised, then he smiled gently and spoke.

"Okay, have you practiced this piece before? Do you need some time to practice?"

Su Yue shook her head, looked at Chen Qiu, and said softly: "No, I have been practicing this piece recently. Instead, do you need time to look at the score? The accompaniment of this piece is not easy."

Chen Qiu also shook his head slightly, sat in front of the piano, slowly pressed a standard note, and said with a smile.

"No, that's not necessary. After you left, I practiced this piece many, many times. I am much more familiar with this piece than you think, so..."

Chen Qiu looked at Su Yue, who was shining brightly under the bright lights, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

He nodded gently at Su Yue, focused his eyes on his piano, raised his fingers, and placed them on the keyboard with an extremely light gesture.

Ding ding ding ding.

The keys pressed by Chen Qiu's fingers drove the hammers behind the keyboard, which lightly collided with the strings in the piano cavity.

It brought a series of crisp sounds like pearls.

Clear, smart, and gives people infinite vitality.

But the mood of the music is not like that.

Such a clear tone is exchanged for a caress as gentle as silk.

Just like velvet wrapped around the whole body, it surrounded Su Yue, slowly fit her skin, passed through her soul, and brought her indescribable softness.

It was as if the body was trapped in the big bed in the early morning, firmly sucked by the tiredness and warmth surging from the body, unable to move.

I even wanted to continue sleeping on this bed until the end of time.

Such a soft and beautiful voice made Su Yue's calm face reveal a smile.

She touched the clarinet in her hand, looked at Chen Qiu who was standing behind her, chuckled, and turned to look at the empty audience seats in front of her.

The auditorium was dim and you couldn't see anything except the dark red chair backs.

But Su Yue listened to Chen Qiu's performance as the orchestra was replacing her, and felt the light shining down from overhead. The empty concert hall gave her a feeling that it was crowded.

It’s like I’m really playing along with the orchestra.

Playing Mozart's Night tonight.

Playing their first public performance.

Although Chen Qiu's piano is not that powerful, it can be compared with those top pianists.

But as a conductor.

The piano in Chen Qiu's hands has a feeling that pianists don't have.

That's the sense of the orchestra.

Chen Qiu really took the piano playing very seriously and gave it the feeling of an orchestra.

Make the sound of each part sound as if it is an instrument in the orchestra, performing around Su Yue.

Just as the concerto itself was intended.

Chen Qiu fully demonstrated the concerto's characteristic of using the entire orchestra to bring out the solo instrument.

Although Su Yue had not officially started her performance yet, Chen Qiu had already paved the way for her.

The piano has pushed the emotion of the music into the sweet spot that the clarinet can accept.

As long as she blows the instrument in her hand slightly, she can perfectly connect with the accompaniment given by Chen Qiu.

Hearing the accompaniment in her ears, Su Yue looked towards Chen Qiu behind her.

At this moment, Chen Qiu just happened to look at Su Yue with a gentle smile. After their eyes met each other, Su Yue gently raised the clarinet in her hand.

She didn't look at the empty auditorium below the stage.

Instead, he looked at Chen Qiu.

She blew the clarinet in her hand towards Chen Qiu.

An extremely soft sound slowly flowed out from the clarinet, dripping at the feet of the two people and gradually spreading upwards.

She took over the musical theme and gave it a deeper interpretation.

The sound that came out of her mouth took the softness that Chen Qiu had given to a higher level.

Every falling note is like a feather passing through everyone's heart.

It makes people feel itchy.

Chen Qiu's eyes were not looking at the keyboard in his hands or the music score in his mind.

At this moment, all his attention was focused on Su Yue.

He used all his understanding of conducting and musical accompaniment to make his piano more suitable for Su Yue and her music more beautiful and soothing.

Su Yue did not avoid the tenderness given by Chen Qiu. She looked into Chen Qiu's eyes without fear, taking in the tenderness expressed in Chen Qiu's music bit by bit, wrapping it around herself, and giving her music as a gift to Chen Qiu.

Chen Qiu gave Su Yue corresponding tenderness, and Su Yue also responded to Chen Qiu with corresponding tenderness.

The two of them played music back and forth.

Unlike other concertos, the solo instrument is not relatively independent.

On the contrary, the two people's music almost completely blends together.

You don't even know whether it is a concerto or a symphony.

On the second floor of the concert hall.

The members of the orchestra squatted cautiously behind the railings of the stands, only sticking out half of their heads to watch Chen Qiu and Su Yue who were playing to each other on the stage, trying their best to avoid being discovered by Chen Qiu and Su Yue.

As they listened to the music, Huang Xin's mouth corners couldn't help but shrunk, and she whispered to Rui Jia beside her.

"No, why aren't these two together yet? Damn, this piece of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major is almost being played as a nocturne by these two, isn't it? Although the first movement is supposed to be soft and gentle, this one is too soft and gentle, isn't it? These two are almost like you are in me and I am in you..."

"Um……"

Before Rui Jia opened her mouth to speak, Qin Xian beside her touched his chin, squatted in the corner, and whispered.

"But this piece is like this. Mozart's A major clarinet concerto does not have a solo part for the clarinet. Therefore, this piece will focus more on the cooperation between the clarinet and the orchestra, and the communication between the two is particularly high. So, there should be no problem with this kind of performance... right?"

Listening to the music in his ears, although Qin Xian explained it, there was obviously some hesitation in his eyes.

Just as Huang Xin said.

Although this piece itself does require cooperation between the clarinet and the orchestra, and in fact this piece was written for the cooperation between the clarinet and the orchestra.

But from what he had heard so far, the music of Su Yue and Chen Qiu seemed too closely aligned.

Tighter than he ever did.

You have to know that when he played with Chen Qiu for the first time, he was just like he is now, completely immersed in Chen Qiu's music, following Chen Qiu's rhythm, and then was scolded by Chen Qiu.

But he didn't quite understand it at the time? He was even a little unconfident and felt that he was a little weak, which made him act so cowardly.

And Su Yue, who is so strong, is actually so close to Chen Qiu.

Even so, Su Yue still maintained her own feeling while fitting the clarinet, ensuring the independence of the clarinet.

But this is too tight.

Sometimes Qin Xian couldn't even tell who was who between the two.

The soft feeling of the music seemed to melt away in the palm of my hand in the next second.

Isn't this a bit outrageous?

Qin Xian couldn't help but think so as he listened to the music.

But because he was the principal of the Harmony Symphony Orchestra, he still needed to maintain Chen Qiu's position as conductor, so he had to bite the bullet and say it.

“Although the music of the two people is completely stuck together, I feel that conductor Chen Qiu must have his own deep meaning. After all, conductor Chen Qiu’s strength is here, he will definitely not just casually make his music completely fit in with others…”

"Stop talking nonsense here!"

Zhao Xi put his hand around Qin Xian's neck, then pointed at the two people who were playing for their own amusement over there, and whispered to Qin Xian.

"We are all musicians, but the music of these two is almost sticky and stringy. I don't know where you can hear such performance, but I have never heard such an interpretation in my life."

"Although the overall expression has little to do with the work itself, this Mozart clarinet concerto with the sour smell of love does sound quite interesting?"

Ai Gu hid aside and whispered to everyone.

"But to be honest, Chen Qiu and Su Yue are still very talented. The emotions expressed in the music are obviously not very related to the original song, but it still sounds nice and interesting. Tsk, I wish I could have the skills of these two someday."

"What's the matter? You also want to play with Chen Qiu as conductor?"

Yue Fu, who was clinging to the wall, couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, and said to Ai Gu, "If you want, stand up and tell Chen Qiu now, maybe the two of them will let you join!"

"No, I don't want to be a light bulb."

Ai Gu gave up peeping at Chen Qiu and Su Yue's performance and chose to sit down with his back against the wall. He listened to the music and asked Yue Fu curiously.

"But speaking of which, why isn't your music with Xu Shuwen like Chen Qiu and Su Yue's? I remember you and Xu Shuwen were also a couple, right?"

"Tsk, I can tell you've never been in a relationship. How can an old couple like us compare to those who live apart from each other?"

Yuefu looked at Ai Gu and clicked his tongue twice, too lazy to say anything more to him.

He continued to cling to the wall in front of him, sticking half of his head out to watch Chen Qiu and Su Yue's performance, and couldn't help but whisper.

"But then again, Chief Su Yue's level of strength is really strong, and it is visibly strong. I feel that she seems to be even stronger than before she left! What do you think?"

"Ah."

A boy playing the flute next to him also nodded.

He looked at Su Yue playing the clarinet and couldn't help but feel envy.

"It would be great if Senior Sister Su Yue could come back. If Senior Sister Su Yue comes back, I feel our wind instruments will not be suppressed by the string instruments anymore."

"Hey, you're a bitch, aren't you? Wait for me, I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Tsk, are you going to show me? Le Fu, you should reach Su Yue's level first and prove yourself first."

The flute player pursed his lips at Yuefu and said unhappily.

Lefu was so angry that he was shaking with anger and wanted to go up to him and teach him a lesson.

But because they were in a peeping state, they could only clench their fists and gesture, then snorted coldly and continued to eavesdrop.

Seeing Yuefu's childish appearance, Xu Shuwen smiled gently, sat on the steps and said nothing.

Compared to the rest of the band, she could hear more.

All everyone heard was the music of Su Yue and Chen Qiu blending together.

And when she heard Su Yue's music, she realized that besides the extremely firm self-image on the outside, beneath this hard exterior, there was also a deep attachment and desire hidden.

This feeling was not noticed by anyone.

She didn't know what exactly she was attached to or what she longed for.

But she knew that Su Yue was not as cold, unkind, or as proud as a swan as her appearance showed.

Xu Shuwen smiled and closed his eyes, letting his heart immerse in the music of Chen Qiu and Su Yue.

Feel the two people's interpretation of music.

And under this music.

What they both hide from each other.

……

Chen Qiu and Su Yue had no idea that their music was being listened to by everyone in the band at that moment, nor did they know that group of people were complaining about the sticky feeling in their music.

They only have eyes for each other at this moment.

Their music only contains each other's music.

The two blend and collide with each other, releasing their feelings for each other.

But for some reason, while they were expressing themselves, they were also hiding some desires deep in their hearts.

Just like a small animal that is afraid of getting hurt, they are cautiously testing each other and dare not move forward rashly.

But even so.

The way they looked at each other was so gentle.

Until the last note of the first movement fell, neither of them had come out of the performance state.

They just looked at each other without moving.

The air in the entire concert hall seemed to be stagnant, causing everyone on the second floor to feel uneasy.

Just when the people hiding on the second floor were wondering if they had been exposed, Chen Qiu finally stood up, covered the piano in front of him, sighed softly, and said helplessly.

"Sorry, I think we may have to stop here today."

(End of this chapter)