Entertainment: Is this how you play music?!

Chapter 351 "This is a piece of music that Westerners will never be able to master"

Before you know it, another month has passed.

The rehearsals for "The Butterfly Lovers" were extremely rigorous; after a month, they were only able to perform the entire piece fluently.

Perhaps this is an excellent performance for ordinary people, or even for Westerners, but Li Can knows that it is still far from enough.

But the rehearsals are still progressing very quickly.

Even if a Western conductor were to rehearse Western music, with the same setup, he wouldn't necessarily be able to outpace Li Can by much.

corresponding.

Austrian television also provided real-time coverage of the New Year's Concert at the Golden Hall.

Including Li Can's previous interviews, these will not be broadcast in a short period of time, but will be broadcast on the eve of the New Year's Concert when music fans around the world begin to focus on it.

Therefore.

The focus of the interviews during this period was on the poem "The Butterfly Lovers".

As for music fans, that's fine; they won't be particularly curious if they don't know the specific program list.

Those industry giants who have access to the Golden Hall may be able to find out some things.

Curiosity is simply irresistible.

They even went so far as to pull strings and do favors to get a sneak peek at the Golden Hall.

Among them was the famous violinist Freeman from France.

Freeman's reaction was frantic when he learned that the program included a violin concerto.

A phone call was made directly to the King's Palace, waking Sir Henry in the middle of the night. He then went to great lengths to secure permission to observe the rehearsals in advance.

We traveled across mountains and seas to Vienna.

To Freeman's surprise, he was able to witness an interview with Austrian television about the entire program while observing it.

Perhaps they can reveal more details.

Since Sir Henry had secured the opportunity to observe from the Golden Hall through his own connections, and Freeman himself was a world-class master, it wasn't difficult to get him involved.

Neither of them wanted to disturb Li Can's rehearsals because of this, so they chose not to notify him.

Only Walton in the Golden Hall was responsible for receiving Freeman.

Li Can had no idea that Freeman had traveled all this way just to take a look.

Yes, just a glimpse from afar.

Freeman was on the second floor of the rehearsal hall, quite a distance away, sitting quietly in a corner of the audience.

Li Can once told the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra that music is not for showing off talent, but for changing lives.

Freeman's level is very high. Although it may not reach the level of "changing lives", he does not use music to show off his talent in a boring way.

Even many technically demanding works take on diverse expressions in Freeman's hands.

This stems from a deep understanding of music and art accumulated over time.

But today, Freeman felt that his knowledge was still not enough.

Freeman couldn't understand the very first phrase of the entire rehearsal, which he only heard once.

After the flute's virtuoso passage, the violin's first theme began, immediately making Freeman's eyes widen.

The technique is not difficult; it's something you can learn almost instantly.

But Freeman, as a master, discovered a peak he could never reach, a peak that did not come from music itself, but from culture.

"This musical phrase is just too long!"

Freeman couldn't help but gasp softly.

As a master, he never speaks while others are playing, but he couldn't help but speak up at this moment, which surprised Wharton, who was standing next to him.

"Mr. Freeman, what's wrong?"

"This piece of music is a bit beyond my imagination. I can say with certainty that I cannot express this feeling."

"what?!"

The Wharton people were dumbfounded.

Although they are both involved in music, their focuses are definitely different.

Freeman specializes in violin, which gives him a more detailed perspective on many musical interpretations.

Even if it's very detailed.

You, a world-class violinist, would say you can't handle this piece?
"Mr. Freeman, you are too modest."

"No, this isn't me being modest; it's just that I genuinely can't act it out."

Freeman shook his head seriously.

He frowned slightly and fell silent for a moment.

The music continued.

Finally, after a long twelve-section time, I managed to organize my thoughts.

"Or rather, such musical phrases are not something that Westerners can play. Not just me, no Western violinist can interpret them."

"."

Walton frowned.

This sounds really uncomfortable no matter how you look at it.

Harmonious communication is necessary, but aren't you, Freeman, being a little too self-deprecating?
"This comes from cultural differences. Keep listening, I'll explain!"

Judging from Walton's expression, Freeman knew that the man had misunderstood.

He chuckled softly and whispered a few words, temporarily suppressing Wharton's thoughts.

Time passed slowly.

The story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai is long, yet it is not long at all.

The sonata form of the Butterfly Lovers only has three stages: exposition, development, and recapitulation, which is very short compared to the four large movements of the Ode to Joy.

But the half-hour of frustration brought Walton's questions to a head.

Li Can is certainly excellent, and his works are certainly beautiful.

But what does it mean that Western violinists are completely inadequate?
Explain to me what "no" means!
"call"

After one rehearsal session ended, Freeman stood up, turned around, and left the rehearsal hall.

Walton quickly followed.

"Master Freeman, what exactly are you saying?"

"My God! It's Freeman! Master Freeman, you actually came too?!"

Before Wharton could finish speaking, a gasp came from the side.

Five people came forward to greet Freeman, with one of them carrying a camera at the very edge.

The person at the front was holding a microphone, the logo of which was clearly that of Austrian Television.

"Master Freeman, welcome to Vienna."

Wharton is going crazy.

My blood pressure shot up.

But Wharton was able to distinguish what was more important, so he suppressed his various emotions.

"Master Freeman, may we interview you?"

"of course can."

"Thank you so much, Master Freeman, it's our honor."

After obtaining permission.

The camera was set up.

The first question was asked in a formulaic manner.

What are your thoughts on Mr. Li Can's upcoming new performance?

"."

Freeman glanced at Walton, shook his head, and smiled slightly.

“I haven’t listened to any of the other works, but I can talk about the ‘Butterfly Lovers’ that I just listened to.”

“I told Walton before that this is a piece that no Western violinist could handle.”

"Wow!!"

This statement immediately caused everyone present to widen their eyes. The most convincing evaluation of a violin piece comes from a violinist.

Freeman is undoubtedly one of the leading figures in the violin world.

But surprisingly, the master would say such a thing!

"The inability to master it is not due to technology, nor to the understanding of art, the depth of thought, or the breadth of culture, but entirely to the various differences between East and West."

Freeman's words immediately stunned everyone.

After a moment of surprise, Walton's expression improved considerably.

With Freeman's opening remarks, everyone finally understood what he meant by "music that Westerners cannot master."

"This piece is Western classical music, but it cannot be evaluated by the Western classical music evaluation system at all, and it cannot even be discussed."

"This is the ultimate aesthetic expression of the Xia Kingdom in the form of Western classical music. This is the true Eastern artistic conception and Eastern aesthetics. Everything is based on the foundation of the East."

"The grammar, accent, and narrative style of music are completely different, so I would say that Western violinists cannot master it."

With Freeman's smile, everyone present nodded slightly.

His expression also relaxed a lot.

After all, no one wants to admit that they are inferior to others. While it's good to be humble and learn, saying "the whole West is no good" is still a blow to one's self-esteem, and it's impossible not to react explosively.

Now that I hear it, it seems to have nothing to do with skill level.

That's fine.

Could you give a specific example?

"I can, but I think Mr. Li Can should narrate this, as he will certainly have a clearer understanding. My understanding may differ because I do not understand Eastern culture."

Freeman was very modest.

In fact.

It is already extremely difficult to be able to keenly discover the phenomenon of "completely different deductive thinking" in a completely different cultural context.

Freeman truly deserves the title of master.

"In fact, what I heard in the music was a classic sonata form, with a very three-dimensional and concrete Western music arrangement. The harmonic structure made extensive use of canon form, the counterpoint was very Western, and the theme was consistent throughout. It was a work with a very Western classical music style."

"Looking at the score, you can't tell at all that this is an Eastern piece of music; everything about it is so Western and classical!"

Speaking of it.

Freeman glanced at the closed door leading to the hall and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"But in terms of interpretation, I don't see a single trace of Western thinking; it's an aesthetic expression unique to the East."

"He is truly a genius, and I really want to know how this happened. This is the first time I've ever heard a piece like this."

"!"

This has piqued the curiosity of everyone present.

I simply couldn't resist a little bit.

"Let's wait and see. We must ask Li after he finishes rehearsing."

"Yes, wait a minute, if I don't get this sorted out, I definitely won't be able to sleep tonight!"

"My God, such praise, does it mean that Li has truly achieved a perfect fusion of Eastern and Western art?"

The expressions on everyone's faces were full of disbelief.

Like curious children, they waited outside the rehearsal hall.

Finally, after waiting for half a day, the lobby door was opened at lunchtime.

Li Can was just about to happily head back to the hotel for dinner when he was blocked by a group of people.

"This is what you are."

Seeing the group of people's eyes glowing green, Li Can trembled. His martial arts muscle memory from China was instantly awakened, and the Northern Leg inheritor felt that his feet were a little out of control.

"Is such that."

Walton quickly stepped forward and began to explain.

Li Can was taken aback, his gaze falling on Freeman.

“Mr. Freeman, why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I’m so sorry for the inconvenience.”

Li Can became serious and greeted them very politely.

This stemmed not only from the fact that he was a close friend of his mentor, Sir Henry, but also from Freeman's own words and actions.

Many fans even felt that Freeman was a bit too saintly and had an excessive amount of sympathy.

But in fact, Freeman donates almost all of his performance proceeds to people around the world who are suffering from misfortune, making him a true star among humanity.

Even for that reason alone, Li Can had to show him the utmost respect.

"Li, I don't want to disturb your rehearsal time."

Freeman chuckled and shook his head.

"Let's go eat together, so as not to waste time. But, Li, you must answer our questions."

"no problem."

Li Can nodded, and then he and the group arrived at the Imperial Hotel.

Before serving the dishes, Li Can spoke with a smile.

"Mr. Freeman's musical accent, grammar, and narrative logic are described very aptly, and that is indeed the case."

"For example, Western languages, whether English, German, French, or Spanish, all place great importance on the concept of grammar, and the content they express is very rigorous and regular."

Speaking of it.

Li Can couldn't help but make a joke.

"For example, in Spanish, Mi papá tiene 47 aos, if you remove the phonetic symbols, the sentence falls apart."

"Hahahahaha!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

This sentence means, "My dad is 47 years old this year."

But if you remove the phonetic symbols, it becomes "My potato has 47 p eyes".

"However, Chinese expression generally dislikes being too definitive and tends to be ambiguous. This is because in our culture, it is considered impolite to speak too definitively or directly. In the romantic expression of the East, the ambiguity of written expression is also needed to give a passage more extended meaning and aesthetic conception."

Li Can smiled slightly, first speaking in Chinese, and then explaining the different meanings of the same sentence in English.

"The sun rises in the east and it rains in the west; it seems like there is no sunshine, but it is actually sunny. At first glance, it describes the scenery: the sun rises in the east and it rains in the west. It may not seem like a sunny day, but it is actually a sunny day."

"But actually, in Chinese pronunciation, '晴' (qíng) is the same as '情' (qíng), which means that this sentence can be extended to another meaning: the east side is sunny and warm, while the west side is rainy. It may not be because of love, but it is love."

"Look, doesn't this use the scenery to depict the nervous feelings of a girl experiencing her first love?"

Li Can's words were a revelation.

Especially Freeman.

Inspired, he suddenly burst into laughter.

"I see, Li. In such long musical phrases, you use musical language to make all sorts of very delicate and subtle details, just to express this huge amount of emotional changes!"

"Correct."

Li Can nodded with a smile.

"Because this is a ballad, the narrative logic must be Eastern logic, and the style of emotional expression is fundamentally different from Western music, especially in terms of the freedom of the offbeat, which is completely opposite."

"Sure enough! I felt this offbeat rhythm was a bit like jazz. Isn't this a jazz element?"

"Of course not. This is a rhythm from the folk art of Xia Kingdom, which is more free in the treatment of the reverse beat than jazz."

"Oh? I always thought that people from Xia were very serious, and that their music was too formal and lacked rhythm. Is that true?"

"Of course there are. It's a fact that when square dancing aunties are doing Yangko, it's all about rhythm and various off-beats. Ethnic dances and music use beats even more freely. It's common to see a 33-beat second followed by a 42-beat second."

"Oh?! Amazing!"

Everyone was chatting.

Praises rose and fell.

Li Can's words truly opened a door to Eastern aesthetics for everyone.

Walton showed absolutely no displeasure or suspicion at this point.

Instead, they participated in the discussion with great enthusiasm.

Everyone was intensely curious about the Xia Kingdom's unique and distinctive aesthetics.

(End of this chapter)