Staggeringly, the day of the competition finally came. Early in the morning, Lin Tian bought breakfast and called Gan Yanyu over. The two sat in the living room of Lin Tian's house, eating breakfast facing each other, and even talked a lot less. Nervous and anxious, but with a hint of excitement. These emotions play back and forth on the girl's expression in turn "Teacher Gan." "." "Yan Yu!" "Ah?!" Gan Yanyu suddenly came back to his senses.
Staring at Lin Tian with wide eyes, the bun in his hand was frozen in the air. "What. What's wrong?" "Have you slept well? I feel like my mental state is not very good." Lin Tian asked helplessly. If morale is so low before the war, it is a sign of overturning. "Sleep well, I remember my eyes were closed yesterday." "." It's over, They all started talking nonsense. "You don't look like a musician." Lin Tian put down the spoon in his hand and came to Gan Yanyu. "Stand up." "My bun" "Stand up!" Gan Yanyu stuffed the bun into his mouth and stood up obediently. "Put your chest out, shrug your shoulders, and look up!" Lin Tian was like a military training instructor, commanding Gan Yanyu. The girl was chewing the buns in her mouth, her little face was bulging, but her body was trying hard to cooperate with Lin Tian, showing a serious expression that she wanted to join the party. "The shoulders are not straight enough."
Lin Tian stretched out his hand and pressed Gan Yanyu's shoulder. Just a gentle pinch. "Um!!" The girl immediately let out a painful moan and almost spit out the bun in her mouth. "Is it so sour?" "." After trying hard to swallow the bun—— “The acid is really sour” The girl said weakly. Asthma itself is not suitable for exercise. Since returning to school, Gan Yanyu has greatly shortened the frequency of exercise to once or twice a week. And after recently starting to prepare for competitions, I have completely neglected it. I lock myself at home every day and practice high-intensity sedentary exercises. As time passed, every part of my body began to stiffen. "If you hadn't told me earlier, I should have pressed it on you last night." Lin Tian said. His master massage skills have not been used for a long time. The main thing is that Gan Yanyu doesn't usually mention it, so it's hard for him to take the initiative to bring it up. He was afraid that he would say, "Take off your pants, stretch out your legs, and I'll rub them for you." After Gan Yanyu finished feeling good, he still didn't appreciate it and opened his mouth to say something that just crossed the line. "When today's game is over, let's go wash our feet." Lin Tian said. "." Gan Yanyu said nothing. Then, she asked: "Will you come into the venue with me later?" "Come in - I bought the ticket." Lin Tian also specifically asked Gao Zhenyang about this matter, whether there was such a thing as an internal passage. As a result, Lin Tian was told—— He is not a family member of the contestant, so he does not have a family ticket. This is really unreasonable! From now on, I will take a photo of Gan Yanyu before every meal and save it. I save for a year and a half, and then I throw it in the face of the organizer and ask him if he has eaten hundreds of meals at my house, is this considered a family member?
"You can watch it from the background." Gan Yanyu said, "Contestants are allowed to bring assistants into the lounge." "I want to feel the atmosphere." Lin Tian said. Of course, it is better to watch the music performance in the audience, because it sounds amazing live. It was too awkward to watch it in front of a big TV backstage. "Then you stay with me backstage first, and then enter the audience when I'm ready to go on stage." Gan Yanyu showed a cautious look. "Alright." Originally, Lin Tian's plan probably had this in mind. Who made Lin Tian the producer? Gan Yanyu could be regarded as being trained by Lin Tian himself. It was like he was about to send the college idol he had cultivated to perform on stage. This feeling is pretty good when you think about it. "It's half past eight." Lin Tian glanced at the time and said, "It's time to go!" Then, he picked up a bun from the table, stuffed it into Gan Yanyu's mouth, and pulled Ya out. Star Cup, full name "Star Cup National Cello Competition" Sponsored by "Star Music Group" and "Star Moon Foundation", and hosted by "Art Future Cultural Center". It is held every two years and has been held twelve times so far. The venue is set to be the "Qingzhou Cultural Theater" in Qingzhou City. As one of the top five local tournaments in Qingjiang Province, the start time is just one month before the Yingqin Cup qualifiers. Therefore, many music lovers will regard the "Star Cup" as a preview of the Yingqin Cup competition. More than half of the Yingqin Cup players will appear in the "Star Cup". For example, this year’s session. In addition to the 18-year-old genius cellist Gan Yanyu who has the highest popularity recently and is currently in the spotlight, There are also several heavyweight guests. Yang Weize: 24 years old, holds a bachelor's degree from Shanghai University of Music. He is studying for a master's degree from the Academy of Music and Drama in Hamburg, Germany. He once studied with the famous cellist Zhao Jun. He is good at classical and modern works, and has won the silver medal in Qingjiang Province's 2022 "Xuanwu Cup" Youth Cello Competition.
Zhu Ya: 26 years old. Bachelor’s degree from Hoshino Conservatory of Music and master’s degree from Shanghai Conservatory of Music. The teacher is Wan Qi, a famous musician and former chairman of the Qingzhou Music Association. Also good at modern music, she won the Best Performance Award at the Shanghai National Music Festival in 2021 and won the 2020 Star Cup Cello Competition. They are all from majors. On the way to the venue, Lin Tian couldn't help but sigh when he looked at the player information released by the organizer. In contrast, the only background that 18-year-old Gan Yanyu can use is that he is the granddaughter of Teacher Gan Hua. Moreover, the negative value of this origin far outweighs the positive value. Everyone else is a certain famous music school. When it comes to you, it becomes "My grandfather is Gan Hua?" Somewhat weird. Lin Tian had previously thought that the Star Cup was just a small local competition in Qingzhou. If it were not for the purpose of buying insurance for the Yingqin Cup, Gan Yanyu would not have even planned to participate. However, it is now increasingly felt that although the value of the competition itself is small, it does not mean that the value of the contestants is low. As a major music province, Qingjiang Province has always been full of talents. Gan Hua, who is recognized as the number one cellist in the industry, is also a native of Qingzhou City. Now, the biennial Longqin Cup is around the corner. For this hard-won spot, more and more young performers will gather in Qingzhou City during this period. "I'm watching this game, why are there still elementary school students?" Lin Tian noticed that on the list of players reviewed in the media, there were also children in their early eight years. "If an 18-year-old is a genius, wouldn't an 8-year-old be a monster?!" "Pfft, of course the music competition has to be divided into groups." Gan Yanyu was almost amused by Lin Tian's seriousness. If the previous questions were professional questions, then this one is a common sense question. Gan Yanyu raised his index finger and said: "Except for invitational competitions with special meanings like the 'Long Qin Cup', which have their own special grouping mechanisms, most of our domestic music competitions are divided into four groups according to age." "Youth group under 12 years old, youth group between 12 and 17 years old, youth group between 18 and 26 years old, and professional group over 26 years old, usually only professional musicians participate." "Then you are participating in the youth group?" Lin Tian asked. "Professional group." "ah?" "Age is just a reference. In theory, if the results are enough, everyone can make an exception and enter the professional group." "."
"I see." In the past, Lin Tian didn't have any clear feelings about what they always said about "genius cellist". Now that I hear it, my feelings suddenly become clear. He said "the results are enough". It sounds like it is easy to participate in an exception. In fact, Lin Tian flipped through the list of contestants. 18-year-old Gan Yanyu is undoubtedly the youngest in the professional group. "It's not as exaggerated as you think." As if he noticed that Lin Tian's eyes became subtle, Gan Yanyu quickly continued to explain, "Actually, it is for all ages. Nowadays, there are very few seniors over 40 years old participating in such competitions. Most of the seniors who have reached a certain age have already achieved enough achievements and qualifications. They do not need to pass the 'parrot' competition." Through "Qin Cup", you can be directly invited to the Long Qin Cup Invitational Competition, and the participants are not the "professional group", but the "special invitation group" with a performance nature. " "Similarly, if they want to participate in some influential international competitions, they also have their own dedicated entry channels and do not need to compete with young people like us." "." Lin Tian understood. In layman's terms: musicians over the age of 40 are unlikely to participate in such a competition. Because they have honor bonuses and their own green channels, even if they want to participate, they are basically directly invited to participate in the competition. However, saying this seems a bit disrespectful of musicians who are "over 40 years old and still have no honors to show off". Having said that. Participating through such a green channel, in the Longqin Cup, the exhibition matches are for people to enjoy and have little confrontation. It is a bit like the feeling of "you other players compete well" and "us masters come up and show off". He's very handsome, but if the goal is a trophy, even if he wins the invitational group championship, it doesn't hold much value. The real gold content is the champion of the professional group. There is a lot to say here. Going deeper: Music competitions for musicians over the age of 40 are the same as most music competitions in previous generations. Performance nature \u003e practical significance. And there is quite a feeling of "nothing is first in literature" and "nothing is second in military force". Perhaps it’s because young people rarely watch the competitions played by veterans, or perhaps the International Music Association wants these older artists to be decent. The war on the future of music should be left to young people to define. This makes it seem like veteran players can only play games with no gold content. However, there is no hard and fast rule that Lao Deng cannot play in the professional group. It's just that you can't rely on "going through qualifications" to fight, but you have to fight your way up.
However, it is still rare for older artists to participate in the professional group. In fact, it's more like: You are already old, and you have been qualified for so long. Whether you are human or ghost, others will respect you as "old artist" and enjoy the treatment of being respected as a senior. Isn’t it good to live a decent life? In this music industry that attaches great importance to competition and honors, you can participate in exhibition competitions from time to time and show off your muscles occasionally. Others can't tell what your level is. It's good to hang around for a lifetime. There is a saying that seems to be said. Writers of the same generation as Ba Jin, no matter what level they are, can still live in glory and glory, no matter what, they can achieve a glorious and decent status. I really ended up running to compete with other young people for the professional trophy. It’s okay to win, but what to do if you lose miserably? What's more, the current trend is that classical music is becoming less and less popular, and modern music is becoming more and more popular. Old people have no chance of survival. Probably, there is a bit of this meaning in it. "Grandpa, he was the champion of the Longqin Cup professional group that year." Gan Yanyu paused and said softly. "ah?" "With my grandfather's resume, he could have had more channels to participate in the Cole Cup, but in order to be recognized as a classical music representative of flower cultivation, he chose to be the champion of the professional group of the Longqin Cup." Having said this, Gan Yanyu's eyes flashed with tenderness and smile. It's like he is proud to have such a grandpa. "." If it were me, I would be proud too. You can imagine. Sixteen years ago, Uncle Gan, who was in his fifties, was known as the first person to grow cello. He could have had a rather glorious old age. In this way, he enjoyed everyone's adoration and admiration, amidst endless flowers and applause, until he retired. However, because of some obsession with music in his heart, he still went. In the confused and doubtful eyes of his fellow musicians, this old man, with all eyes on him, fought his way through the Yingqin Cup in order to participate in the professional group of the Longqin Cup, winning one championship after another. As the "first", I came to the scene of the Cole Cup. People also know the final outcome.
——The Taoist heart is broken, never touch the piano again. I don't know how much ridicule and contempt I will suffer from my peers. They don't understand that they have to compete in the competition even though they can have a prestigious title for a lifetime. In the end, like a coward, he retreated after losing. It has been used as a textbook for reflection by countless music media, with a close-up. From being held in high esteem by all the stars to being ruined. How is it worth doing this? Lin Tian had no way of knowing Uncle Gan's inner world. Because in Lin Tian's eyes, Uncle Gan will always be his optimistic, kind grandfather who loves to make mixed coffee by hand. However, it seems that Lin Tian was able to get a glimpse of Gan Yanyu's inner world. The path they are on now. In fact, it was the road that Uncle Gan never completed back then. "." Take a deep breath. Adjusted my mood. It's useless to think about this now. They're just getting started. Lin Tian turned his attention back to his mobile phone. I plan to finish reading the professional group list that I haven’t just finished yet. Gan Yanyu stretched out a hand and pressed Lin Tian's arm. "Those people you're looking at are useless." "Isn't this useful?" These Yang Weize, Zhu Ya and others. All the students from the majors were either the champions of the previous two years or some grand prizes from other competitions. "Look for the one named Bai Xi." "Bai Xi?" It's very much like a name that people born in the 2000s would come up with. Lin Tian immediately paid attention to the player who was actually allowed to be named by teacher Gan Yanyu. Soon, he found the name on the list.
Bai Xi: 23 years old, graduated from Qingzhou No. 13 Senior High School. "Graduated from high school?" Lin Tian was a little confused. "Yeah." Gan Yanyu nodded. Lin Tian continued to look down. —— Bronze medal in the 2022 "Blue Cup" National Cello Competition. 2022 Qingjiang Provincial Young Artist Award In 2023, he will be a special guest soloist with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, he won the special award from the Changhua Young Musicians Association. What a luxurious resume. No, why are you so fierce despite not being from a music school? ! This kind of pheasant sect that I don’t know where it comes from is so awesome. "Look at this." Gan Yanyu pointed at a column in his resume. [Runner-up in the 2022 "Yingqin Cup" Cello Competition] "2022?" "Um." Gan Yanyu said softly, "That year, I participated." That was the year Gan Yanyu was known as a "deserter". At that time, Gan Yanyu, who was only 16 years old and made an exception to participate in the youth group, dropped out of the competition when he reached the quarterfinals and went to the UK. The music media was in an uproar at that time. As the youngest player in the youth group, everyone was looking forward to her performance, but she missed the game at the last minute. "Bai Xi was 21 years old at the time, participated in the professional group, and finally won the runner-up." "She is very powerful." "I'm very impressed." Gan Yanyu said. This was the first time that Lin Tian heard Gan Yanyu speak so highly of others from her words. Participating in the professional group at the age of 21, he is also a monster-level talented player.
At this age, with such strength, if you participate in the youth group, you can definitely win and improve your record. However, if you have to make an exception and join the professional group, there is only one possibility. Her dream is the same as Gan Yanyu's - the Dragon Piano Cup. She doesn't care about the other trophies. This guy was the runner-up two years ago. In the past two years, he has achieved a lot of results. It seems that he is really determined to win the championship of the Parrot Piano Cup this year. "I didn't expect to meet you in the Star Cup. I thought we would compete in the Parrot Piano Cup." Gan Yanyu's tone was a little depressed. ". You have to cheer up!" Seeing Gan Yanyu's aura slump, Lin Tian pressed her shoulders and shook her hard. In the 18-year-old professional group, Gan Yanyu was the demon in the eyes of others. But now here, her aura is down when she sees a little bit of awesomeness. It really makes people don't know how to comfort her. "Today, let's not think about anything, just go on stage, then play, go home and have a big meal! Do you hear me?" Lin Tian said seriously. The good thing about music competitions is that. No matter how strong your opponent is, you two will play your own music. It's not like sports competitions, boxing matches, or chess, where you have to compete face to face. It's her business if she's awesome. We just need to play our own pianos well. "Yeah." Gan Yanyu nodded. The taxi stopped at the entrance of the venue. As soon as I got off the car, I was greeted by the bustling noise. It was obviously nine o'clock on a Sunday morning, but there were unexpectedly many people. After seeing Gan Yanyu and Lin Tian coming over, the crowd in the distance suddenly became excited. Some of the female college students opened their arms and shouted excitedly:
"Gan Yanyu, the goddess sister is here!!" "It's real!" "So beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!" "So elegant!!" Fortunately, there were security guards on the scene to maintain order and separate the crowd from the players' passage. But Gan Yanyu couldn't stand the shouting. With a red face, she quickened her pace amid the cheers. Seeing this scene, the crowd became even more excited: "Ahhh, she is even cuter when she is shy!" "." Gan Yanyu ran faster. The noise around him quieted down only after they entered the venue. Lin Tian finally knew why Gan Yanyu said she couldn't stand it anymore. Not to mention Gan Yanyu, even Lin Tian himself felt that his eardrums were hurt by the shouting. Fortunately, his current identity is just "Gan Yanyu's low-key piano accompaniment". If the "Moonlight and Cat" vest is exposed one day, he will probably have to indulge in this addiction in reality. It's scary to think about it. Under the guidance of the staff, the two entered a lounge. It was different from the soul concert where one musician had one single room. After all, it was a competition, and the contestants came from all ages, much more than the musicians in the concert. This is a hall, about the size of two classrooms. Lin Tian and Gan Yanyu entered the lounge for the youth group and the professional group. As soon as they entered, there was the same noisy noise. Staff, makeup artists, and agents were coming and going in front of them. The performers who were about to participate in the competition were adjusting their appearance in front of their makeup mirrors, and some had already started practicing. These messy sounds merged together. It was a mess. The feeling of oppression and tension spread throughout the lounge at once. Gan Yanyu also found an empty seat and sat down, putting the cello aside.
"Teacher Gan Yanyu!" At this moment, a voice sounded. They turned their heads together. A woman in a black long skirt and short hair showed a happy smile and walked towards them. She had a delicate smile on her face and wore silver earrings, and she looked like she was also a contestant. "I wanted to see you during the preliminary round, but I didn't make time. Now I finally got the chance, haha!" The girl said with a smile. "Hello." Gan Yanyu nodded politely and calmly, and said, "Teacher Bai Xi." Is this Bai Xi? Lin Tian glanced at the girl's long legs under the black skirt in confusion. Yes, it is indeed white. But not as good as Gan Yanyu. Gan Yanyu's legs are longer. "." "The last time we met was two years ago, right? You were in the youth group at that time, and I have been following you since then. I didn't expect that we could compete on the same stage this year." Bai Xi leaned against the dressing table and smiled warmly. She is obviously a college girl, probably because she didn't go to school after graduating from high school. She always feels a little bit. Flirty. Such a black long skirt is very elegant on Gan Yanyu. On Bai Xi, it always feels vulgar. If Lin Tian hadn't just talked to Gan Yanyu about this person, Lin Tian would really think that Gan Yanyu is very familiar with this person. She is really a social nerd. "Teacher Gan Yanyu!" Just then, a middle-aged woman waved at Gan Yanyu not far away, "You haven't put on makeup yet?"
"Oh, yes." "If you don't mind, I'll put it on for you, please come over." "I'll leave you first." Gan Yanyu stood up and said to Bai Xi. "Okay, go ahead! Let's talk later!" Bai Xi smiled and waved with curved eyes. Watching Gan Yanyu leave. Lin Tian was about to follow, but Bai Xi's voice rang out beside him: "You are Lin Tian, right?"