BXBX NOVEL Chapter 435 The Conductor's Competition (1)
Oblivious of the situation around them, Eli and Randel went on their way to check the members of the Orchestra.
The students have already assembled in the rehearsal venue and were ready to start their final round of practice.
"Mentors!" As soon as they saw Eli and Randel, the student's eyes glistened excitedly.
In their eyes, Eli and Randel were top-notch mentors who managed to groom their students from being mere participants for filling the registration gap to real champions in their own events.
Eli glanced at the youth orchestra and Lainie. She looked at them with satisfaction, never did she expect that the wins garnered by Raya and the rest would help Lainie gather more members.
For their chosen piece, Prokofiev Symphony 5, their numbers were more than enough!
After interacting with the orchestra members for a little while, Eli signaled Lainie to start their rehearsals.
Prokofiev 5 is a symphony with four movements running for about 46 minutes. Since it was the final rehearsal, Eli opted to allow them to finish the entire movement first then took some notes along the way.
However, she allowed Lainie to refine the details of the music and see if she could point out the things that could be improved in the process.
In the end, Eli was impressed to see that Lainie was able to point out the things she also saw throughout the piece.
She only gave minimal advice on the way the students could bring color to their own parts. With this, she knew that Lainie will be able to bring out the best of the piece tomorrow.
It was already night when the rehearsal and refinement of the performance ended. Before they parted ways, Eli gave her final words of encouragement to reinforce the young musician's state of mind.
Tomorrow will be the day when they will show the world what kind of music they were able to make, even if they were only assembled and met a few weeks ago, they knew that music can bring amazing things into their lives.
–
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A barrage of fireworks filled the venue for the competition of the conductors.
Since it was a very special category, the venue of the competition was actually an open square to let everyone witness the greatest music the young generation can make.
It was also grand as it will be broadcasted to the other parts of Prasinos on their respective open squares.
A grand stage was prepared for the participating orchestra and seats for the jury and honored guests were prepared.
A sound enhancement barrier was also carefully set up by the mages to ensure that the music would not be compromised even when they were performing in an open area.
There's also a barrier to regulate the temperature around the square. As it was broad daylight, it might become humid and hot inside the square which may affect the viewers and even the musician's instruments.
All that the venue needed were the participants of the competition, which was actually quite controversial.
It was because there were only two participants from the initial five participants who registered.
Originally, the other four participants all came from the Vanderford Territory and their allied nations.
However, at the last minute, the four teams decided to merge into one picking only those who were the cream of the crop to be part of the unified team Vanderford Orchestra.
As for the Green Wave Institute, other than research and fine arts, they did not actually participate in non-magic activities. That was because they limit their close interactions with people.
Nevertheless, the delegates of the Green Wave Institute reserved a specific view house for them to spectate the battle between humans.
Soon the crowd started to cheer as the emcee of the competition entered the hall.
Following him was a group of professional musicians all dressed neatly in their suits and dresses, some carrying their respective handheld instruments.
They positioned themselves in the orchestra area and waited for the emcee to start the ceremony.
"Great mornings, distinguished guests! Juries, ladies, and gentlemen!" The emcee's voice rang excitedly in the square, flaming up the excitement of the crowd.
The crowd cheered with exhilaration, it was because the competition is basically a face-off between two great empires.
"Today is a very special day because we will be witnessing the birth of two great young composers who will be presenting their respective chosen pieces right at this moment.
Now behind me was the most famous orchestra in the entire Prasinos, the Haven Light Symphony Orchestra!"
Another cheer came from the crowd as they were not expecting to have a chance to hear and see the legendary orchestra.
"Before the tournament started, the conductors submitted their respective pieces for their performance.
During the course of the grand tournament, they were tasked to assemble enough members of their own orchestra to ensure that their chosen pieces could be performed successfully today!
Now the scores of their chosen pieces were given to the Haven Light Symphony Orchestra.
They discussed, analyzed, and broke down each of the scores and before we witness each of the conductors perform with their assembled orchestra, everyone will hear how the pieces sounded when played by the seasoned musicians!"
Upon explaining the details of the competition there were mixed reactions in the crowd.
Most of them were excited but some expressed their shock and bewilderment.
That was because they would be forcing the two orchestras to make their respective performance distinct enough to not be overshadowed by the legendary orchestra!
This would then put so much pressure, not only on the conductors but on the young musicians themselves.
Meanwhile backstage, Lainie stood still and steadfast.
She did not show the slightest bit of worry or intimidation upon seeing the orchestra who were now at the pinnacle of orchestral music in Prasinos!
"Do not think about anything. It is normal for us to see a performance far superior to ours, but that is alright. What we bring is the true and sincere interpretation of the piece, which we spent time to internalize and interpret."
"I believe in our work."
Lainie's words touched the trembling hearts of the nervous musicians. Desmond, Raya, Marie, and Hailey smiled proudly, seeing their friend stand firm.
She became a good leader and a conductor in such a short amount of time, and they could not help but become proud and relieved.
Seeing their own conductor remain unwavering, the nervous hearts of the orchestra members calmed down.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the backstage waiting area calmed down. The nervousness in the young musician's eyes was replaced by determination and passion.
Soon the two conductors were summoned by the organizers to decide who will perform first.
The Lainie obediently followed and saw a young man in his early twenties waiting with a frigid expression beside the organizer.
Upon seeing Lainie, the young man's eyes flickered in shock, but soon his eyes calmed down and his temperament came back to its original detached haughty manner.
The haughtiness he showed, however, does not come from mocking the receiving party. Instead, it came from the confidence that he had in his own ability and talents.
Lainie did not take offense either, at least his rival did not show her a sign of disdain and underestimation.
She deduced that the other party was shocked because currently, it is a rare sight to have a female conduct an orchestra.
"Lainie Yseult… and Fredius Yseult?!" As soon as the organizer in charge saw Lainie enter, he took a look at his prompt sheet to call in the conductors.
However, there was a surprise because the two rivals actually share the same family name?!
"Are you two…" The organizer realized that he had overreacted. But since he had already reacted like that, he took the chance to ask the two about their connection with each other.
Lainie was just as shocked as the organizer, and so when the other party asked, she just shook her head. Eventually, she looked at the young man named Fredius hoping he knew the answer.
'Could that be the reason why he looked a little shocked earlier?' Now that she realized that they share the same surname, Lainie also started to doubt.
"Probably a distant relative. However, this is the first time we saw each other." Fredius Yseult shrugged his shoulders and answered straightforwardly.
"O-oh… Alright then. Let's decide who would be the first to perform among you two then." Since it was the cause, the organizer awkwardly officiated the drawing of lots.
"Alright, the first one to perform would be Fredius… Yseult and your assembled orchestra. Then after that, it will be your turn Lainie… Yseult." The organizer announced in bewilderment.
The two conductors, however, did not mind and instead looked at each other while extending their arms to shake hands.
"Best of luck…" Lainie said calmly.
"Ditto.." Fredius answered.
Even so after that, the two went back to their respective camps without sharing any more words.
However, their minds were already set to do their best in order to lead their own orchestra to create the best music for the grand tournament!