Old-time musicians

The two masters put themselves in the shoes of the players and both felt that Fanning's variation should be coming to an end.

But Fanning, who finished the 12th lively style canon, did not stop for a moment and began to create a full and long tone line with his left hand, while playing a melody composed of a large number of thirty-second notes and sixteenth notes in the treble.

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"What else?" Schillings and Niemann looked at each other, and the next sentence in the other's mouth was particularly obvious.

Does Mr. Fanning's inspiration cost nothing?

Variation 13, Sarabande, originally means sacred and marching in Spanish, with a slow rhythm, elegant and approachable melody, especially the large number of Baroque-style ornaments used here, which makes the work more casual, flowing and long, and intriguing.

According to the structure of three variations as a group, this means there are at least 15 variations.

"Forget it, don't guess, just listen carefully." Niemann concentrated again and held his breath. Such exquisite polyphonic music, if you are not careful, you will miss a lot of wonderful details.

Variation 14, Fanning's state became slightly nervous again, and his left hand played a fast and delicate decomposition arpeggio.

This is the most difficult touch piece in the middle period of the work. The whole variation is full of running factors. From the 9th bar, a rapid wave sound group appears again. Fanning's hands once again make a long-distance leap in the high and low range, quickly hitting those scattered and concentrated notes.

Variation 15, fifth degree canon, the dark color of g minor appears for the first time, and the speed also changes to a medium-slow andante.

Fanning first played a descending fourth progression in the middle voice, and then imitated it in the high voice. The different movement directions of the two voices created an effect of "stretching" the sound, allowing the audience to experience an extremely difficult dynamic.

After hearing this, the audience with less insight gradually grasped the rules.

Even those who are dull in art can understand the thrilling and majestic structure of this variation from others.

On a micro level, the number of measures in each variation can be divided into the smallest musical unit according to 32:16:8:4:2, and the consistency with the overall bass trend of the aria is maintained; on a macro level, every three variations are grouped together, summarized by the most profound canon, and the interval imitated by the canon increases by one degree for every multiple of 3, and the genre layout is continuously cycled according to the cycle of "dance-touch-canon", with various gorgeous techniques emerging in an endless stream...

The color change of G minor brings an uneasy and depressed mood to the 15th variation. Fanning seems to have become cautious even in breathing. Some parts use the fingertips to touch the keys in a continuous manner, like a deep sigh, and some parts choose to touch the keys in a non-continuous manner, like a wandering person moving his steps.

At the end, the music slowed down, and the melody came to the third note of the main chord, B flat, and continued to struggle forward, C note, D note, slower and slower, lighter and lighter... It was like lying on the endless grass, looking up at the vast starry sky, and the consciousness gradually drifted to the cold clouds.

"Is it over?"

The atmosphere was extremely quiet, the tail sound lingered for a long time, and Fanning, who looked up and closed his eyes, did not move for three breaths. Many listeners in the back thought so.

Such a magnificent structure, huge volume, unparalleled ingenuity, inspiration-filled but not losing the beauty of mathematics, can be heard on the spot The process of its birth, even those mature artists who pale in comparison feel that today is worthwhile.

"It shouldn't be a minor key, right?" Luo Yin, who held his breath and listened throughout the whole process, supported the front with both hands and gently asked his father.

"Of course it won't end with such a wandering sense in the minor key." McAdam, who felt the sublime meaning, had a very solemn expression at this time, "But I think the 'climbing feeling' created by the end of the 15th variation and the 'cold feeling' of the minor key itself seem to indicate that Fanning has built this cathedral to the dome, to the place where the divinity reaches. I don't know how he will deal with it next..."

The Marquis did not realize at this moment that his originally calm attitude had quietly changed: "...Anyway, it's good that you can serve as the chief under him. Get along with him more and ask for advice in the future."

As a person with extremely strong inspiration among the Profound Enlightenment, McAdam obviously has a very accurate understanding of the 15th variation.

This is only the first half of the arched structure of the "Goldberg Variations". After climbing to the dome of the cathedral, the second half is both a formal transition and perfection, and symbolizes the latter journey of the closed loop of revelation.

For Fanning, this lonely pilgrimage, which was completed by a single pianist, has not ended, but the various anxieties and self-doubts at the beginning of the performance have disappeared, leaving only the calmest thinking and the most pious expression of the notes.

The cold and ethereal ending is almost non-existent, and Fanning, who closed his eyes in contemplation, slowly opened his eyes.

A smile of relief and joy appeared on his face, and the whole person became active again. He raised his left hand and played a full and powerful G major triad in the bass.

"Winter!——"

A series of passionate scales rushed up from the middle range, and then turned into a sonorous dotted step in the high range. The second scale then imitated and deformed in the bass.

Variation 16, in the French overture style of 2/2 time, opened the curtain for the second half of this masterpiece. The interweaving of flowing rhythm and walking rhythm is like watching a grand and gorgeous ritual event.

In the second half of the music, it changes to a three-part fugue in 3/8 time. The theme presents a light and natural dance style in the pursuit, such as the palace door opening, the sun shining on the carpet, and the colorful cannon salute firing up the spirit. Vivid guards greeted the spectators.

"We completely underestimated the richness of his inspiration." Bishop Christopher felt as if he were standing on the dome of the church. After quiet meditation, he began to look at the magnificent scenery below with a new state of mind.

After concluding with a bright and full major chord, Fan Ning released the pedal again and made humorous skips on the keys with both hands.

Variation 17, a two-part touch piece. "1-3-2-4-3-5-4-" first the left hand melody moves upward in a roundabout way of three degrees, and then the melody in the right hand jumps down in a roundabout way of six degrees, creating a dynamic atmosphere. , interesting sound effects.

Variation 18, six degrees of canon arrived as promised. Fan Ning's left hand played a swaying melody that resembled a gavotte. Against the background of this free counterpoint of the low part, two canon melodies were played one after another, just Half a measure apart, imitative counterpoint is carried out in an intimate manner.

The interweaving of long and short sounds is like the stretching and contraction of two people's limbs in a pas de deux. The elastic, light and lively musical image is vividly displayed in front of the listener.

"It actually reached 18, and it's already the sixth structure." Luo Yin put his hands on his knees and sat upright, completely immersed in the music under Fan Ning's fingertips.

She felt that Mr. Fan Ning on the stage started from the originally empty wasteland and relied on his own efforts to gradually build a magnificent cathedral brick by stone. His figure was so huge compared to the towering building. Although the building is small, the building was built by him, which makes it a feat and makes people cry.

"Is this what Mr. Fan Ning said before, the sublimity in 'quantity' and the sublimity in 'strength'?" Luo Yin, who was listening, gradually tightened his hands on his clothes on his knees.

The seventh group of genre cycle units.

Variation 19, Minuet. The dance music genre that is most familiar to the public first originated in the French countryside. During the reign of Louis XIV, it was the first to be used as an accompaniment to dance at the court, thus entering the eyes of the upper class. Fan Ning's left hand struck out an octave-decomposed jump, taking the theme bass as the direction, as a clear three-beat dance step, while his right hand weaved a sweet melody of two parts, the middle part always kept flowing, and the high part was Lazy and relatively static, it shows an unearthly elegance.

Variation 20, Touch Technique. From the beginning, Fan Ning stretched out his hands wantonly, struck keys alternately quickly and flexibly, and played the reverse progression of broken chords. In measure 9, a new triplet sound group appears, sweeping across the high and low ranges. The two materials take turns to develop in a reflective manner, creating an extremely dazzling musical image, and finally disappear with light decomposed chords.

Variation 21, Canon. The imitation relationship rises to the seventh degree, and the gloomy color of G minor appears for the second time. Fan Ning pops up the theme with a serious and slow expression, first ascending the fourth scale, and then descending the fifth scale. The solemn melody interacts with each other with slight ups and downs. The chase is like the intertwining of prayer and confession. Finally, the atmosphere falls into silence and ends with descending minor chords.

The other half of the arched structure is gradually completing its closed loop.

The eighth group of genre cycle units.

Variation 22, Gavotte. Fanning once again presented the bass line of the theme in the most concise way - one whole note per bar. On this basis, the three voices above enter a short and distinctive material in turn. The simple and plain counterpoint brings a hint of chicness. The entire variation is completed in regular questions and answers, with distinct mathematical beauty.

Variation 23, Touch Technique. Fan Ning adjusted his breathing time, stretched his fingers a few times, and then played a series of clean descending scales with his left and right hands. In the process of development, they were gradually divided into groups of four, with two-note tapping or Embellishments of decorative sounds are interspersed, and finally it turns into a double-note group with alternating hands, ending on the main chord.

Variation 24, Canon. The imitation relationship rises to an octave, and there is also a free counterpoint bass background, but the canon form of this variation is not very strict. Fanning shows the audience its polyphonic lines in a lazy and casual state, as Rest and recuperate on your own.

Because the most dramatic and profound part of the whole song is about to come.

"Mr. Fan Ning, are you finished?" Luo Yin always regarded listening as a conversation and asked softly and subconsciously.

Fan Ning on the stage kept his hands lifted from the keyboard, just hanging in the air.

Or is he thinking about what to do next?

"No, it's not over yet." McAdam's voice came from the front, very soft, but it rang clearly in Luo Yin's ears, "From his conception, the biggest dividing line is between the 15th and 16th variations. should be of equal length.”

"He seems to be brewing an emotion, or looking for a state..." Viadlin looked serious, "It's like he is about to tell some kind of event that is definitely better to ignore."

Fan Ning gently placed his left hand on the keys, then lifted them up, going back and forth twice before stopping to speak.

The third time, he finally found the feeling of timbre and emotion. He closed his eyes, lowered the keys with his left hand, and played a weak but solemn double tone on the third in the major of G minor. Then, his right hand weakened and played carefully. A chromatic rondo sound pattern, this sound pattern takes difficult steps upward six degrees, and then slides down step by step like a sigh.

Variation 25, Sarabande, slow triple beat. In the previous life, this variation had an alias, called the "Black Pearl" of the Goldberg Variations, to imply its unusual texture, color and emotion.

When the music reached this point, the listeners suddenly fell into grief. Fanning's breathing on the stage became weak, and his left hand filled the harmony of the middle and low voices with compassion and deep touch, while his right hand played a slow, solemn, and winding melody.

The sounds pulled and entangled with each other, and the strong sense of stagnation made the pace of time moving forward extremely slow and difficult.

"This is a profound monologue of life." Christopher's mouth moved a few times, but no sound came out. He felt that all kinds of memories in his heart were evoked, and one picture after another flashed in his mind, which made people think and examine, those painful or joyful, regretful or perfect.

Under the chromatic harmony that continued to appear in the left hand, the light in the church seemed to dim inch by inch.

The descending melody in the high pitch area tells of pain, but from time to time there are high notes that suddenly break in and jump upwards. Many of them are outside the mode, forming a completely transitional modulation without any transition. They stand abruptly at a high place. The difficulty of finding a way and seeking, as well as the desire full of pain, are really heartbreaking.

In the last four short bars, the music has been continuously descending for nearly four octaves, and finally stopped at the G note of the large letter group.

"Black Pearl" sank to the bottom of the emotion, and the spirits of the people seemed to fall into the abyss. Suddenly, it was like a dazzling light suddenly rising, and a whirlwind-like sound stream burst out from the stage with great joy and brilliant glory!

Variation 26, touch technique, 18/16 beats, extremely special beats, secretly inspired the player to adopt an extremely fluid and high-speed processing method.

The sixteenth notes played by Fanning from the middle range quickly and continuously coiled upward, and the G major third double tone played first in the high voice seemed to imply the sublimation of the minor double tone at the beginning of the previous variation.

In bar 9, the sixteenth notes moved to the low voice, and rose again from a lower place - the G note of the first clef, and brilliantly arrived at the d note of the third clef in bar 16.

This sudden release of all repressed ecstasy was directly reflected in the cheering spiritual state of the audience. The violent light from the world's will poured down from the height of the church, soaking the figure on the stage who was concentrating on playing the extremely fast sound flow.

As if an electric current touched his whole body, Fanning, who reproduced Bach's great work, finally changed the intensity of inspiration further in the spiritual resonance of a large number of artists, approaching the level of a high level.

He did not stop playing, and finished Variation 27, a lively ninth-degree canon, Variation 28, a tremolo passage written in the style of courant, with a lively and humorous meaning, and Variation 29, which was full of alternating tremolos, brilliant and majestic.

Coming to Variation 30, according to the previous rules, it seems that it should be a canon that rises to the tenth degree of imitation, but it is not. As the last variation, Bach replaced the tenth-degree canon with a quodlibet, a genre that combines different secular folk songs with superb counterpoint.

Warm, nostalgic, and family-like melodies sounded from all parts of Fanning's hands. After experiencing various strict variations in the previous ones, Bach used the simplest secular folk songs to compose his own musical philosophy: the pilgrims saw the glory on the dome, and walked in the world again with a sense of destiny to comfort the suffering and enlighten all living beings. This seems to be a metaphor for the return, fusion and sublimation of divinity to humanity.

The church was silent.

All the splendor and skills were gone, and the quiet, sacred, and spotless aria sounded again in Fanning's hands, as if returning to the starting point.

Perhaps in music, there has never been a repetition that has such a moderate and ambiguous emotion as here.

Only then did the audience realize that after experiencing 30 variations, they were so eager to return to the aria again, and they had returned unconsciously.

All the feasts and gatherings have dispersed, and the bumpy journey has ended. We should be happy, because there are sacred sparks in the souls of all people that were originally thrown out from the gathering point. This is a yearning engraved in the depths of the soul, and it is an unforgettable memory like homesickness.

——It's time to return to where you came from.

They will not feel that the appearance of the aria is redundant at all.

It may not be the end in the true sense, but the beginning of a new cycle. It means the arrival of eternity, or the eternal arrival process of tiny but great creatures.

Time is homeless here.

The last note faded away quietly, and Fan Ning gently raised his hand.

He stood up, with a serene smile, leaned sideways to hold the piano and saluted the audience.