Old-time musicians

“Da Da Da”

The sound of leather shoes tapping on the wooden floor echoed in the silent rehearsal room.

Kaplun took the briefcase, and Fanning adjusted his tie before going up to the podium.

The musicians stared at him without blinking.

"Good morning, everyone." Fanning smiled and said, "Let me tell you about the plan."

"On August 15, this Friday, the train to Santarambourg will depart at 10:30 a.m. Please manage your time, bring your musical instruments and personal belongings, and gather at the Uvransel Railway Station. We will attend the opening ceremony on the 16th."

"This time, everyone will stay in the imperial capital longer than in previous years. The school has rented a rehearsal venue in the Theolien National Concert Hall for everyone, so before the official performance on the 21st, we will continue to rehearse for no less than 8 hours a day. I will try my best to get an hour a day to rehearse on the stage. Please tighten up your final state."

"Then there is the issue of candidates that everyone is concerned about. After I finish reading, Mr. Kaplun will hand you the tickets."

Fanning said, reaching out to take the booklet handed over by Kaplun.

Although the elimination rate was less than 20%, and the progress of the assessment system was posted on the wall at all times, those who ranked high were basically sure to win... But before the results came out, the musicians still couldn't help but feel uneasy, especially since the assessment results were already in the middle and lower range, and their hearts were hanging in their throats.

Except for a few calm people, most students began to think about their performance experiences over the past month. Some felt that it was not their turn to be eliminated, and some began to complain that they could have done better in some areas.

According to what Professor Fanning originally said, from more than 80 people to more than 60 people, this means that at least two people will be eliminated from each violin section of the string group, and the conventional instruments of the woodwind and brass groups - flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, and trombone may each eliminate one person.

Even the two "heavyweight" tuba players sitting in the right rear looked at each other, and read the uneasy expressions on each other's faces.

At this time, the most stable people in the orchestra, apart from Roy and his group, were probably the timpani player, the harp player, and the student who played the triangle. Many people secretly looked at them with envy. At this point, these positions would not be replaced temporarily.

As Fanning read out the names one by one, the shoulders of the people whose names were read out relaxed, and they leaned back in their seats with a long sigh of relief, while the rest of the people became more and more restless.

The time passed quickly.

"Done?"

"That should be all, the principals are still here..."

"It seems that there are a total of 72 people. Professor Fanning's final move did not seem to be as severe as he said at the beginning..."

Some people whose names appeared early, with a leisurely mentality, deliberately counted the situation behind. They found that Fanning only eliminated 5 string group musicians, 2 woodwind group musicians and 3 brass group musicians.

The final ratio of musicians should be the sound balance adjustment made by Professor Fanning after considering the characteristics of the orchestra and the repertoire.

"Without me..."

"Really?"

The few people whose names were not called felt a huge sense of loss, their necks were stiff, and they even lost the will to move their eyes and vision.

Some girls even had red eyes.

Those who were selected as formal members of the symphony orchestra had certain ideas and pursuits, and their performance level was also at the top level among the students in the school. At this moment, they couldn't help but regret their slackness during the initial rehearsal, and regretted that they didn't study hard enough during the practice time after rehearsal.

But when Professor Fanning first met after taking office, he explained the details of the four major sections of the assessment very clearly, and answered everyone's questions. Later, he strictly followed this set of rules... Today, the elimination rate is even lower than the proportion of advance notice.

Several people admitted that they realized the importance of this concert and its influence and economic benefits far exceeded their expectations only after seeing the record of sold-out tickets on the day of ticket opening. They began to try their best, but half of the time had already passed.

Thinking of other musicians whose performance level was not inferior to theirs and who had given their all throughout the concert, they felt that they had no complaints, but they were really sad.

"I didn't expect that I really couldn't attend this popular concert..."

"The seven or eight-day trip to the imperial capital is over?..."

Only a few people missed this precious opportunity. Although their eyes were dim, the atmosphere in the hall was not solemn for a while. The performance was imminent, and more musicians were cheering and looking forward to it.

... In many cases, the feelings of a few people are ignored. After being hit, what surged into their hearts was a sense of depression and alienation.

"I've seen everyone's efforts, especially Mr. Capron after the ticket sales day. I'll send the tickets to everyone first. There are 83 tickets in total, including the musicians and Miss Belinda, the music clerk." Fanning smiled softly, "We have to thank your senior Mr. Lou Adair. He arranged a train with a more convenient departure and arrival time, and reserved a first-class carriage and two second-class carriages for us. Moreover, he will go to the imperial capital to support us, and you will see him again soon..."

Everyone's hearing was selectively blocked, and they basically didn't hear what Lu did later.

"83 pictures?"

"Did I hear it wrong? Aren't there only 72 musicians participating?"

Kaplan and Belinda began to divide the invoices from both sides, and sure enough, every musician present received one.

Those students who had not appeared on the list read out by Fan Ning held brown thin cardboard two-part bus tickets in their hands. They looked at the flying fonts of the city station names and times on it, and repeatedly smoothed the thin strip of tickets with their fingers. The dotted line is protected by the tape, lest it be accidentally torn before checking in.

…Is this a consolation prize? …It’s pretty good. I went to the Imperial Capital to eat and drink for free for seven days without any performance obligations or psychological pressure.

The most uncomfortable point for them before was when they stayed at home at 10:30 in the morning on August 15th, imagining the scene of the steam train leaving Ufranser.

"This trip to the imperial capital is more special than previous years." Fan Ning said loudly.

Everyone immediately collected their tickets and raised their heads to listen carefully to what the permanent conductor would say next.

"Three special points."

"The first is attention. Since there are some well-known situations on the billing day, I won't go into details on this point. I believe it will not be difficult for you to understand."

Everyone nodded silently in their hearts.

As soon as the news of the sold-out day came out, Fan Ning ended the rehearsal early because of exploring the secret door. The musicians were stunned by the news as soon as they disbanded. They immediately bought newspapers and publications from major media and almost told To every one of his family and friends, the news spread faster than cholera and tuberculosis in the city.

"The second is the length. As mentioned just now, in previous years we usually only stayed for about three days, rushing into rehearsals and rushing into battle. This time, in order to let you get more familiar with the new venue, it is also a rare opportunity to feel the atmosphere of the opening ceremony. Before There are seven or eight days before and after."

"The third is the environment. The recent atmosphere in the imperial capital is not very peaceful!" Fan Ning said here, his eyes slowly scanning everyone, "Recently, security incidents in Santalan Fort have occurred more frequently, and I can even tell everyone As a reminder, according to statistics, the proportion of residents encountering mysterious incidents is higher than in previous years, and the police security system is under high security!"

Everyone's expressions became solemn when they heard this. In fact, some of them were well-informed or people with high news acumen had already heard about it.

"So, for those ten students who are not responsible for performing, the orchestra still needs you."

Fan Ning held his hands on the railing of the podium and met their eyes: "We have 82 members, including me, the conductor's assistant, the full-time music staff, and our violin soloist who is not here today, including Professor Commons, The principal and other professors will also arrive at the performance a few days later...With a scale of 90 people and a seven-to-eight-day sojourn, daily management is an issue that cannot be ignored under these special factors. "

"Mr. Capron, Miss Sheeran, and Miss Belinda have their own things to be busy with... I need you 10 students to do the administrative work during this period. Each of you is responsible for the orchestration group you are in, including but not Limited to: check-in procedures, counting people every morning and evening, taking care of everyone's belongings, collecting and providing catering needs, supervising travel discipline outside of rehearsals, handling and reporting of special situations, etc..."

"The things I'm talking about may seem trivial, but in fact, if there is an accident in any link, it will directly affect the performance. What you do is very important to the orchestra and determines whether others can devote their pure energy to music...also Please all musicians observe discipline during this special period, obey their management, do not go out without authorization, and rehearse on time and go to bed on time.”

The eyes of these ten students lit up little by little.

Their previous mood was actually a bit complicated. From not being able to board the train to being able to board it without the pressure of performing, it seemed like a purely good thing, but once they had nothing to do, they couldn't help but feel a sense of alienation.

What people fear most in a group is that they no longer have value, especially those who have experienced playing in an orchestra, no matter how relaxed their mentality is, they will have a very deep feeling about this. Because they have experienced how it feels when the notes they create merge into a huge and magnificent flow of harmonious sounds.

Fan Ning had already experienced and understood the truth in his previous life: a music career that only played "stand-alone" is incomplete.

Once this kind of ensemble or chorus experience is had, the whole person's values ​​​​will definitely change, deeply or shallowly.

"Since your subsequent efforts are also inseparable from the success of this concert,... you will participate in the distribution of the box office proceeds from the performance as usual." Fan Ning continued.

"What...participate in distribution as usual?"

"With such a high price and all sold out...how...how much profit is this?"

Train tickets, management tasks, income distribution. Fan Ning first gave them the same status in form, then the same status in value, and now the same status in economics. These people were knocked unconscious by the sudden reversal of happiness. , especially the ladies with red eyes before, have now become Professor Fan Ning’s loyal fans and admirers.

Although Professor Fan Ning was harsh in the early days, now he is relatively kind and easy to talk to. There are also many regular musicians who are thinking like this at this moment.

"Of course, a little regret." Fan Ning keenly captured the subtle changes in the expressions of everyone in the orchestra, "Live music recording... your names can't appear on the record. There will always be some losses caused by slacking off in life. , as your teacher, I have the obligation to let everyone experience this truth... I will try to reduce your losses, but completely eliminating it is unrealistic."

When these people felt both loss and happiness, he changed the subject again: "As a final reminder, the new Turner Hall is expected to open to the public in November, and a new resident professional symphony orchestra will also start in advance. Formation, you are all outstanding potential musicians that I know very well, so...graduates may have some bonus points when applying.”

At this point, Fan Ning blinked: "Let me tell you about the salary package provided by the band. In my preliminary plan, it is about twice the industry average...nearly twice!"

"Twice?" The ears of the musicians present, especially the senior musicians, all stood up!

"The average weekly salary for a professional symphony orchestra should be 8-10 pounds, right? Nearly double!? Starting at 16 pounds?" Some of them suspected that they heard it wrong.

——Compare this with the job opportunities that graduates were looking forward to at the graduation ceremony: weekly salary for administrative staff is 5-6 pounds, and for teaching assistant positions is 7-8 pounds.

The income of a normal professional symphony orchestra musician alone can be compared to that of a normal professional symphony orchestra musician. This does not take into account that the happiness index of working in a symphony orchestra is higher than that of a relatively boring administrative or teaching and research life.

Most people are starting to get excited.

My performance this month has not been good enough. Fortunately, I will have another chance in the future.

"Mr. Fan Ning's pull is really... and it makes the classmates who were slack in rehearsals turn to supervise and manage others this time... This is really subtle... and the future symphony orchestra, I am also moved, the treatment is not the point ..." Roy, who was sitting in the front, listened carefully to Fan Ning's words the whole time and watched everyone's reactions change with a smile.

Fan Ning's way of handling the situation has not only affected these ten people, but also the students whose evaluation scores are in the middle and lower reaches, as well as the vocal chief who should have higher self-requirements, all have more ideas.

Moreover, he deliberately put the announcement of the formation of his professional symphony orchestra at the end.

Judging from the experience of rehearsing for more than a month, this group of students all have solid academic backgrounds. Although they do not have much artistic accumulation and sometimes have a playful nature, they have many plastic talents, just like a High quality white paper.

Is it important to be a mature artist with a strong personal style? Of course it’s important! However, it is entirely possible to choose to improve the level of the orchestra in the form of concerto collaboration. In addition, there are currently several talented vocal principals who are as skilled as mature artists. In this way, the ceiling of the overall performance quality can be raised.

And to improve the stability and performance limit of the orchestra... For Fan Ning, graduates of the student symphony orchestra from the Conservatory of Music are the most important and direct fresh blood.

After the rehearsal in the afternoon, Joan, who was wearing a white dress, was squatting on the ground to pack up her flute and sheet music. When she saw Fan Ning coming over, she softly asked, "Caron, do you think your mental problems have improved recently?"

Several musicians around him who had not yet had time to walk away turned back curiously.

"..." Fan Ning almost choked on her saliva when he heard her words. After the musician walked away, he said helplessly: "...It's better than nothing."

"Me too." Qiong picked up her small satchel.

"Go home after dinner?"

"good."

The two of them were walking on the campus, which was still sweltering in the heat. He asked, "I heard that you have a small elixir experimental bench at home?"

"Yes." Joan nodded happily, "So you invited me to dinner today in exchange for me taking you on a tour? When did you become interested in this?"

"No..." Fan Ning handed a piece of paper folded in half several times to her hand, "I just want to ask where you purchased or ordered your glass instruments or other equipment...

"Would you like to introduce me?"