The God of Conducting Starting from Absolute Pitch

Chapter 361 Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

The most special, greatest and most legendary of all Beethoven's symphonies.

The fourth movement of this work has even been sung as the anthem of the European Union.

This is a confluence, where two rivers meet.

One river is Schiller's "Ode to Joy", and the other river is Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" itself.

Only when these two are fully integrated can the great "Ninth Symphony" be born.

In this work, all kinds of dreams and hopes of mankind from all ages are mixed in.

Everyone can hear the flavor of life from music.

And it is also different from the other eight symphonies. It can be said that it is overlooking everything in the past from the top of the mountain.

Because a long time had passed between the Eighth Symphony and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, its field of vision became particularly broad, so it could fly over his "complete book of life".

It can be said that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is Beethoven's "Life Book".

Romain Rolland once wrote in his book that Beethoven's life was like a stormy day.

He was born under an "unfortunate star" and lost his mother when he was young. He had to struggle to take care of his alcoholic father and younger brothers. He finally looked forward to the maturity of his love with Giulietta Ichiarti, but it failed due to an accident.

At the age of 26, he suffered from a cursed ear disease. The pain and despair made him unable to breathe and even led him to decide to commit suicide.

All these things almost completely defeated Beethoven.

But in the end, he finally mustered up the courage to stand up.

Not only did he strangle fate by the throat, he was even trying hard to bite it off.

At last, now, with the dawn glimmering before him, a new path opened up. The compass needle returned to normal, and the sail was set.

His heroic spirit of survival finally drove away the god of death and started his second life.

He withdrew from the social circle and kept company with nature and his own soul.

Until the last stage of life.

"Seek joy in pain" is the noble language that Beethoven took as his creed.

He silently endured the pain of shackles that surged up like a tide, looking forward to happiness, looking forward to the goal of life that he didn't know when it would be realized...

Finally, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was written.

He wore the final crown.

That year, he was 54 years old and only had three years left before his death.

You could safely say that Beethoven's deafness contributed to his inner maturity, helped to focus his genius, and liberated him from the boredom and mediocrity of his time.

Chen Qiu exhaled slowly and looked at everyone in the orchestra, his eyes filled with indescribable seriousness.

This piece is the most difficult one that Chen Qiu and the Harmony Symphony Orchestra have ever performed.

The difficulty is not because of the technical difficulty of this piece.

To be honest, if you just want to perform it, you can even let a group of middle school students rehearse more and produce such a set of works.

But the problem is, playing out and playing out are two completely different concepts.

Music does not just exist in the musical notes.

Music should exist under the expression of music.

I want to express the connotation of this work and my own thoughts on music.

This is the most difficult part of this piece.

Not even one.

There are countless orchestras around the world who have performed this piece of music, but how many of them have truly left their names in music history and have been regarded as the golden rule by countless people?

Apparently, there are only a few.

For example, the performance conducted by Furtwängler and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on April 1942, 4 to celebrate Hitler's 19rd birthday was later called the "Black Beethoven's Ninth Concert".

Bernstein's performance on Christmas Day in 1989 to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall had unique political significance. He replaced the word "joy" in the original work with "freedom". The performers included many orchestras and soloists from Germany, the Soviet Union, the United States, Britain, and France.

Naturally, there is also the performance with Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic led by him.

all in all.

If the Harmony Symphony Orchestra can really perform something well with this piece, then it can basically become one of the top symphony orchestras in the world based on this piece.

The reason why those top symphony orchestras are called top is not because the strength of their musicians is much stronger than that of other symphony orchestras.

Simply because they were able to play versions and record songs that would leave their names in music history, allowing everyone to follow in their footsteps, to understand and to think about the meaning of music.

Fortunately, Chen Qiu did not pin his hopes on making it to the top in the world in this one.

He prepared Beethoven's Ninth Symphony simply because the current atmosphere was more suitable for Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Therefore, even if the feeling expressed by the orchestra was not so perfect, Chen Qiu could accept it.

after all……

No one can achieve success overnight, right?
After taking a deep breath, Chen Qiu made eye contact with everyone in the orchestra.

The entire church fell into complete silence.

Everyone was looking at Chen Qiu and his Harmony Symphony Orchestra.

The information in the music also passed through Chen Qiu's brain at this time.

The first movement is a solemn allegro that is not too fast.

At this moment, the sun was gradually setting into the valley.

The dim afterglow slowly fell from the colorful glass in front of Chen Qiu and floated on Chen Qiu's body.

The surrounding lights blew slightly loosely towards the band members, brushed across their cheeks, and finally fell into Chen Qiu's sight.

The solemnity in the church completely calmed Chen Qiu's heart at this moment.

He smiled at the orchestra members and nodded gently to them.

His thoughts on music suddenly came to an end at this moment.

For some reason, he suddenly felt the silence that Beethoven felt when he wrote this piece, and the desire in his heart for musical interpretation.

He wanted to play music.

He wanted to lead the orchestra to perform this piece of music.

and so……

Chen Qiu raised his hands, looked at Qin Xian and others, and waved them vigorously.

Ong!
The bows of the string section brushed against the strings.

Bringing a sound of tranquility mixed with hesitation.

The hum of music at this moment seems like nothingness.

You can't feel anything.

No sound, no color, no perception.

Nothing at all.

This is the "nothingness" of music.

This "nothingness" dominates the entire music.

Bring everyone into the nothingness before the creation of the world.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Chen Qiu and the Harmony Symphony Orchestra, their gazes filled with anticipation.

The string part at the beginning is well done, giving it the feel of a top symphony orchestra.

So what's next?

Everyone looked at Chen Qiu.

Chen Qiu raised his left hand slightly.

Although he had already felt everyone's anticipation, his arms did not show any urgency.

Just like in the rehearsal before.

He swung the baton in his hand and waved it towards the wind instruments not far away.

hum!
The sound of wind instruments rang out.

Falling on that layer of string music that represents nothingness.

This is the fifth note.

This is the fifth note that represents emptiness.

He made everything about music more chaotic.

But it gives color to the music.

hum!
The theme of the music finally appeared at this moment, and he woke up from chaos and darkness.

It was inconspicuous at first, but soon, the feeling of the music instantly came to everyone's heart.

It is increasing little by little.

The sound of a flute in the distance was advancing slowly, like an ancient horn.

Brightened up the long night.

Chen Qiu's gaze suddenly focused.

His gaze towards everyone became more serious.

His palm raised and dropped suddenly.

At this moment, the music of the orchestra, along with his hands, split the sky like lightning.

boom!
So grand, so magnificent.

The moment he came out, he attracted everyone's attention.

but.

The moment Chen Qiu's palm fell, it retracted slightly.

The sound of music also became much dimmer at this moment.

As Weingartner said, he appeared suddenly and then quickly burrowed into the ground, like an Arabian demon disappearing in a column of smoke.

And when it breaks out again, it will be a new theme.

After the new theme appears, the famous tragic introduction of the vice section is soon reached.

Chen Qiu raised and lowered the baton in his hand, pointing to the Ai drum not far away.

The bass drum in Ai's hand fell suddenly.

Heaven and earth first opened.

Chaos separation.

This is the pulse of the earth.

This is also the pulse of all things.

Strings and wind instruments, along with the roar of the timpani that almost shattered everyone's hearts, suddenly sounded at this moment. Buzz!
One wave after another.

The emotion of the music never stops from the beginning.

He is hurtling towards higher ground.

The mood of music is completely different from the dynamics of music.

Chen Qiu is very obviously controlling the intensity of the music.

Don't let the music be too loud, and don't let it become too dim.

You can clearly hear from the music the emotions that Chen Qiu and the Harmony Symphony Orchestra want to express.

This is positive.

This is also upward.

They crushed all difficulties.

They look to the future with anticipation and optimism.

The dark tone at the beginning was just like the past of the Harmony Symphony Orchestra.

They didn't know how much they had been through before.

As the waves grew louder, the music gained an overwhelming momentum.

This is the present of harmonious symphony.

They started out as a student orchestra that was not favored by others and have gradually come to where they are today.

After a hundred trials and tribulations, gold is refined; from the cocoon, a butterfly emerges.

The two overlap and merge with each other, and what is finally presented is everything about the Harmony Symphony Orchestra.

This is also the indelible core of their music.

Clarinet, oboe, flute, piccolo, contrabassoon.

Trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba.

Violin, viola, cello, double bass.

Snare drum, timpani, and other percussion and color instruments.

Every musical instrument is roaring at this moment, interpreting its own phrases and colors.

A large number of musical phrases of different themes cooperate and connect with each other.

In the end, this group of deputy ministers of various shapes and lengths was formed in front of everyone.

At this moment, Chen Qiu gradually reduced his control over the music, allowing the music to show some of the musician's own personal color.

Qin Xian, Zhao Xi, Ai Gu, Su Yue, Huang Xin, Rui Jia...

Everyone's music is presented in the music at this moment.

Regardless of Qin Xian's obedience with his own ideas.

Or maybe it's Zhao Xi's willingness to serve as a supporting role.

It’s still Ai Gu’s second-year student.

Su Yue’s coldness.

Huang Xin’s cheerfulness.

Ruijia’s efforts.

Everyone's musical style is presented in the sub-section.

The feeling of music is also gradually expanding at this moment.

Everyone looked at Chen Qiu with a little surprise, and at the people in the Harmony Symphony Orchestra, there was a hint of surprise in their eyes.

They heard it.

They heard many, many different timbres and expressions in the music.

These timbres and expressions are mixed together, but they do not become chaotic, quite the opposite.

Under Chen Qiu's leadership, these tones became well-organized and presented a sense of order.

This is the feeling of harmony.

Everyone felt it.

The harmonic feeling of the music was not diminished by the difficulty of this piece. On the contrary, Chen Qiu pushed this harmonic feeling to a higher level.

In order to achieve this harmonious feeling, Chen Qiu obviously cut down a lot in the musical expression.

In terms of performance alone, the level of this orchestra may not be as good as those top symphony orchestras.

However, in terms of musical expression, what this orchestra presents is extremely rich.

Although they don't want to admit it, they have to say it...

The music presented by Chen Qiu and the Harmony Symphony Orchestra made them almost forget the strength of this orchestra.

They forget that this is a student orchestra.

They only remember the indelible momentum and sense of harmony in this symphony orchestra.

Obviously, Chen Qiu's choice was successful.

What to do if an orchestra has a weakness? There are two ways.

Or, you can continue to improve this symphony orchestra so that your orchestra has no weaknesses.

Or, you can develop the strengths of your band so that your strengths outweigh your weaknesses and no one notices your weaknesses.

The first method is very difficult. If one really wants to become a symphony orchestra without weaknesses, no one knows how long it will take.

Since the band had just been established, it was obvious that Chen Qiu had only the second choice.

And he did succeed in taking this second path.

The harmony remains in everyone's mind, and they forget their strength.

The corners of Chen Qiu's mouth couldn't help but rise, and his eyes became particularly determined.

His hand went up and the sound of the orchestra became strong again.

Two huge waves emerged in the music.

They were ramming and roaring wildly.

They rise slowly from the mystery and collide with each other, reaching a sublime climax.

The roar of the music has reached its climax at this moment.

The resonance of the harmony almost made everyone's brain go blank.

This is a struggle.

This is a victory in the struggle.

This is the charge towards victory again and again, no matter how many sacrifices are made.

Depression, tragedy, expectation, victory!
The mood of the music is always laying the groundwork and moving towards the next scene.

After this most intense, craziest and most powerful climax, the band returns to the trembling open fifth at the beginning!
After the forceful release, the music seemed to fall into emptiness again.

Everyone returned to the scenery before the world opened.

Dazed and dazed.

All sorts of emotions suddenly emerged.

They don't know what their efforts are for.

I don’t know why I succeeded but it seems like a failure.

but……

In this emptiness, they felt a completely different feeling.

This is not the "nothingness" at the beginning.

At this moment, this "nothingness" has been tainted with the color of harmony.

He already has the feeling of harmony.

The material of the opening music is presented again at this moment and appears in front of everyone.

This time, it was no longer as slow as before, but became more intensive.

The roar of the timpani in the distance and the roar of the tuning section make the music particularly heavy.

The highly concentrated development section and the reappearance of the entire main section gave everyone an indescribable emotional release.

They couldn't help but sit up straight and look at the orchestra very seriously.

It’s clear that at this point the music has reached the development department.

Next comes the final ending of the music.

Everyone's eyes were solemn.

They listened to the performance of the Harmony Symphony Orchestra very carefully.

Dare not make any sound.

If possible, they would even want to hold their breath.

They don't want any extraneous sounds to pollute the music they hear.

Chen Qiu seemed to feel everyone's expectations.

The corners of his mouth rose, he raised his hand slightly towards everyone, and pulled hard.

The bass range in the band becomes extremely prominent at this moment.

The appearance of Ruijia's double bass brings the music to a more profound end.

She lay on her double bass, slowly pulling the huge strings and bow in her hands, her eyes determined.

This is the episode where she has the most presence as a bass.

Because she is foreshadowing something different!

The ominous continuous bass seems to be foreshadowing something.
It seems to be foreshadowing something.

No one knew, but a shadow was cast over everyone's heart.

The tragic narrative in this movement ends with a profound and meaningful phrase.

With the final roar, everyone was able to breathe a sigh of relief.

They looked at each other in disbelief, unable to believe how much had gone through their hearts in the past 15 minutes.

The scale of the first movement of the Ninth Symphony is second only to the first movement of the Third Symphony.

Just like the infinite universe.

"This light and dark atmosphere, devoid of joy, swelled up like a giant, and in its all-embracing reverence and majesty it took over the existing world, that is, the world created for the joy of God."

Not far away, someone murmured.

(End of this chapter)