The competition proceeded in an orderly manner, the first few contestants gave quite impressive performances, and the judges gave them very high evaluations. Especially Hannah, she played the composition 'La Campanella', one of the most difficult piano pieces. By using this song in the preliminaries, she directly raised the competition's difficulty up by several levels.
The players scheduled behind her would ultimately become her foil if they didn't give a more dazzling performance, and the judges were more unlikely to score them higher than their performance actually deserved.
Because the applause was endless, she spent a long time bowing to the audience in thanks, only leaving the stage after a full two minutes. Zhou Yun Sheng was scheduled after her, so he was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up.
"Good luck." Looking at the sickly and old fashioned young miss, she smirked and said.
"Did you change your entry song at the last moment?" Zhou Yun Sheng asked in standard German. He remembered that the repertoire listed Hannah's entry as 'Sonata Pathetique', but she suddenly raised the difficulty, putting the remaining players in a very awkward position. Of course, if the other contestants were stronger than her, this little episode was for naught.
"Yeah, you're allowed to change it right before you go on. Why don't you give it a shot?" Hannah grinned and said.
"Your proposal sounds good, I like a fierce competition." Zhou Yun Sheng smiled and nodded, then wrote a small note and handed it to the judges.
The judges seemed stunned after looking at the note, and they repeatedly sent people to consult with him to see if this was truly his decision, but he only nodded in acknowledgement. Sitting in the back row, Xue Zi Xuan noticed that the curtain was delayed and walked over to ask about the situation.
"Xuan my dear, your sister changed the song at the last minute, she wants to play 'To Pavlochev' [does not exist]. We advised her, but she's not willing to heed our words. So … …" The staff member shrugged, feeling very helpless.
'To Pavlochev' was not included in the 'Transcendental Etudes', but the difficulty compared with them was higher. This song was slightly obscure, and the musicians known for it were very few. This was not only because it required master-level piano skills, it also needed abundant emotions invested into it, emotions that ordinary people couldn't imagine.
One of the most famous pianists in the last century, Prokofiev, had a mental breakdown from playing this song. Since then, no one could completely play it, and it became known as the 'Devil's Music'. The players needed to strike the keys and continuously play inharmonious chords, from beginning to end, the rhythm never waned until the climax.
When the song premiered, the audience was unable to stand the stimuli from the strong tone and chose a collective exit. From that day, 'To Pavlochev' was completely pushed out of the mainstream music scene, until a century later, when musicians started noticing the hidden and unique charm to its melody and tried to make it reemerge in the music world.
But they all failed without exception, and even Xue Zi Xuan announced that he could only play 'To Pavlochev's body, he couldn't reshape its soul.
The Devil's Music could only be played by the Devil.
This was why the judges were so shocked. They didn't want to watch a player with potential be eliminated because they picked the wrong song. But if the player insisted, they wouldn't stop it.
The host announced the last minute change, and the audience began booing. The remaining contestants were laughing loudly in schadenfreude, and throwing thumbs up at Hannah. If Hannah hadn't provoked Xue Jing Yi, she wouldn't have committed competition suicide. Oh well, that was one less competitor.
"Yan Ye, Xiao Yi hasn't come out on stage yet, why are they booing?" Xue Lao Si was confused by the audience's illogical rudeness.
Xue Yan googled 'To Pavlochev', after reading the summary, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"The Devil's Music, fuck me." Xue Lao Si glanced at the phone, dumbstruck.
While the two men talked, the curtain opened. A girl (boy) dressed in white was sitting in front of the piano, a spot light focused on her head, lighting up her fine hair. She slightly lowered her eyelids, as if adjusting her emotions.
The judges didn't urge her to start. The girl had demonstrated her courage by choosing this song, they were willing to give her a little more time to set up.
Sitting at home and watching the competition live, Xue Jing Yi secretly clenched her teeth, not understanding why Huang Yi changed the song at the last second. Did he think he could perfectly interpret the song, something even her brother couldn't do? Was he too arrogant or too stupid? If she'd known it would be like this, she wouldn't have let him compete in her place. He'd screwed up her chances!
Zhou Yun Sheng concentrated on 'To Pavlochev's creation. It was composed by a little known musician in the last century named Kallans. After the premiere, the song received numerous bad reviews, and he committed suicide by poison. The corpse slowly rotted away in the old attic where he lived until it was discovered by the landlord a month later.
At that time, the public thought that he had chosen death because he could not accept defeat, after all, he had spent seven years to write this song, saying he had put in 'blood, sweat and tears' was not an exaggeration. But Zhou Yun Sheng didn't think so. Why was this song called 'To Pavlochev'? Who exactly was Pavlochev, and what relationship did he have with Kallans?
The people at that time couldn't find out, and they also didn't truly want to check, but Zhou Yun Sheng had 008, it was a breeze to find the truth. By searching through the library of historical archives, he found out that this Pavlochev was a real person, he was Kallans' high school classmate. Their relationship was very close, but after they graduated, Pavlochev committed suicide because he couldn't stand his family's abuse. From the day of his death, Kallans spent all his energy and time on composing this song, and the day after the song was finished and premiered, he also chose to commit suicide.
To devote a life's work to a dead man, then follow him duty-bound, how heavy were his feelings? Were they really just simple friends? Zhou Yun Sheng didn't think so, and according to local medical records, Pavlochev had been committed to a psychiatric hospital by his family because he'd fallen in love with the same sex. In those days, there was not the slightest bit of respect for homosexuals, and once discovered, they were rejected by society as a whole.
Did Pavlochev suffer inhuman torture and choose death? And Kallans, his lover, how could he persevere in that endless despair? From start to finish, 'To Pavlochev's melody was so violent, was it really just to express the pain of losing a loved one?
No, there was also resentment, resistance, and condemnation- condemning this cruel and pitiless society that destroyed their happiness and destroyed their will to live. These violent emotions were interwoven in the melody, pure love and pure hate, combining into pure destruction.
What Kallans really wanted to do after his lover's death was destroy this cruel world, but he didn't have the ability to put this into action. So he could only pour his endless love and hate into this composition, venting it on the listeners, and venting it on Pavlochev. Yes, he was also resentful of him, he hated him for leaving him to face death alone.
When the audience couldn't stand the stimuli and hurled abuse at him as they exited, he must've been overjoyed, and he left the world the next day, satisfied.
The critics at that time were very sensible, their description was correct, this was indeed the Devil's Music, because destruction and death were its main themes.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yun Sheng took a deep breath and violently pressed the first note. He had also experienced the warmest love, and the most painful torment. He'd also struggled desperately at the unseen end, also wanted to fight against this cruel and heartless world. When his lover had thrown him back into the real world to face death alone, he'd also hated him, but he'd also loved him so much he could burst.
Kallans' feelings, he understood them.
The judges and the audience endured the long silence, waiting for his timid exit. They didn't expect his motionless body to suddenly move, striking like lightning. After the first high note darted out, it was followed by a segment of extremely heavy, sharp, discordant rhythm, rolling down like a mountain avalanche.
The teenager quickly, violently struck the keys, and because of his excessive force, his veins bulged, his expression malevolent and painful. His back was straight one moment, then suddenly bent over, his swaying hair leaving a trail in the light. His fingers swiftly slid from one end of the piano to the other, barely perceptibly striking each note in the jam-packed, 300 note bar.
The shrill notes continuously attacked the audience's eardrums and went straight into their hearts, making them feel fearful and uneasy, while also feeling painful and oppressed, as if a hand was covering their mouth and nose, dragging them into suffocating desperation.
But the teenager clearly felt more pain and desperation than them, because he was engrossed in the music, his face stained with sweat or tears. And as his head swung, the unknown liquid flew onto the back of his hands and the keys, the spot light glinting off it.
He clenched his teeth, pressing down heavily on the last note, and the music from hell came to an abrupt end. He weakly rested his hands on the keys, his heavy panting picked up by the receiver, echoing in every corner of the concert hall.
The audience was so quiet a needle drop could be heard. Some were clutching their chests or faces in horror, some had tightened their lips, choking back tears, and others were sitting lifelessly. Until today, they really hadn't comprehended that music had the power to affect the soul. Every note he played had made them feel sharp pain in their quivering souls.
"Fuck! Fucking awesome!" Xue Lao Si was stunned. Even he, an uncouth fellow, could be stunned by the boy's music, not to mention the auditorium full of professionals.
Xue Yan was the first to applaud, after him, sparse applause sounded until it became thunderous. The eight judges stood up and loudly applauded, their cheeks flushed with excitement. To hear such a pure 'To Pavlochev' in their lifetime, they could die without regrets.
Xue Zi Xuan squeezed through the audience and ran onto the stage, tightly pulling the boy into an embrace, every one of his cells trembling. He'd been conquered by him, body and soul.
"Encore!" Batch after batch of audience members stood up, their cheers merging into a monstrous wave.
Zhou Yun Sheng pushed Xue Zi Xuan away and gave everyone a deep bow, his face still containing traces of discomfort. Xue Zi Xuan took off his white gloves and wiped the sweat from his brow, then tightly hugged him again, his proud smile so bright the whole world could see.
Because of Xue Yan's lack of mobility, he was stuck in the audience seats and could only stare at the stage, his expression livid.
"I want to treat my legs." His brief sentence.
"Oh? Didn't you say you didn't want to?" Xue Lao Si was first stumped, then he looked back at the stage where Xue Zi Xuan was standing shoulder to shoulder with the boy and naturally understood.
"Fine, I'll go back and help you arrange the operation." He gave a relived smile. Once there was a person you loved more than life, your unfortunate life will slowly become fortunate.
The contestants were crammed into the hallway, their expressions particularly funny. Whether it was expressiveness or skill, the boy was able to rival the world's top musicians. After Hannah raised the competition to a high level, the boy had pushed the level to a height ordinary people couldn't dream of reaching. Not to mention the youth group, even if he was in the adult group, he would be a worthy champion.
And now, the contest had only just begun, there was still the semi-finals and finals, what surprises would he bring?
The judges all unreservedly gave him the highest score. Perfect, except for perfect they couldn't give any other comments. The teenager thanked the audience and was preparing to step down when he was enthusiastically called back. They were too fond of him, and even wanted him to perform again, but this was clearly not in line with the competition's rules. Zhou Yun Sheng could only endure the repeated curtain calls before returning to the lounge in Xue Zi Xuan's protective embrace five minutes later.
The players scheduled behind him had little hope, but they were strangely relaxed during their performances. They knew that they couldn't surpass him even if they put in all their efforts, so they felt no stress. The game had only just begun, but the champion among the candidates was already identified. Unless something unexpected occurred during the contest that made him unable to properly participate, he would win.
Xue Jing Yi was sitting in front of the TV, swallowing a heart stabilizing pill. The boy's incomparable talent had far exceeded her estimations, she was now feeling agitated, unsure if she could reach his level after getting his heart.
When standing on the stage, he was like a star on the horizon, so far away.