Sporadic applause broke the tranquility. All at once, the light clapping spread through the concert hall like a thunderstorm. Some people even stood as they applauded. Surrounded by unceasing applause, I bowed and left the stage.
I wanted to play more. I wanted to make even more beautiful music with that piano. It was the first time I had ever felt this way.
I returned to the waiting room and dashed over to Miss Ayumi. “How did I do?” I panted out.
Miss Ayumi wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes with a slender finger. “It was a superb…performance.”
I took a reflexive step back. My knees buckled under the ultimate praise from my mentor, who rarely gave compliments.
“Um, I guess I didn’t make any mistakes then!”
“It’s not even within the realm of not making mistakes. You were just eight years old, you know? When you first came to my lessons and faltered your way through Bayer with tiny fingers. You’ve come this far in just six years, Mashiro.” Miss Ayumi put both hands on my shoulders and searched deep into my eyes. “Let’s take this road together. You have the talent to pull it off. Expand your horizons as far as they can go then broaden them some more, and change that into your music. Then let the world hear your music.”
“Yes, Miss Ayumi.” I was baffled by her word choice that made it sound like she was positive I would make it into the finals.
The afternoon half of the performances still remained. Only five of the fifteen who performed today would make it into the finals.
I waved goodbye to Miss Ayumi who said she had some business to attend to, and went with my family to a nearby diner for lunch. It felt weird having my overly excited parents piling praise after praise on me.
“That’s our Mashiro,” they said together.
“That’s Daddy’s girl,” Mom giggled.
“No, no, that’s Mommy’s girl,” Dad insisted.
Why did their compliments always devolve into them complimenting each other like a dorky, lovey-dovey couple?
“Okay, we have to head home first. Give our regards to Miss Ayumi.”
“Sure. Thanks for coming today.”
“You did a great job out there, Mashiro. Let’s splurge and go out for sushi tonight.”
“Woohoo!”
I watched Dad’s sparklingly clean car drive off before returning to the concert hall.
I showed my participant pass to the doorman and entered the concert hall. Almost all of the seats were taken, but some seats were specifically set aside for participants, and the usher escorted me there.
Now I was free to relax and enjoy the performances as just another member of the audience.
If I’m not wrong, the third year from Seio is performing last in the afternoon half. Oh, he picked Liszt’s “Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini No. 6” huh? Nice! Very nice!
Paganini’s original violin song was known as a difficult piece to play, but Liszt’s etude also proved to be quite the challenge. The technically demanding work abounded with rapid octaves, scales, and arpeggios, which made it easy to mess up, but it was practically guaranteed the performer would receive high marks if they were able to pull it off with zero mistakes and with ample volume during the fortissimo.
His performance during the quarterfinals was fantastic too. It was him who should have taken the stage during Seio’s Christmas concert, not Yukiko Sawakura. I ran my finger down the list of performers until I landed on his name.
His name is Kakeru Tominaga, huh? Throwing a likely winner with real ability into the music competitions is just like Prince Tobi.
Every contestant was fantastic. For every contestant who played faithfully and accurately to the sheet music, there was one contestant who put their own surprising, unique twist on the song that made you think, “aren’t they straying too far from the original?” Of course, some were swallowed whole by the atmosphere of the competition and made a series of mistakes that had me come close to covering my ears.
Aw, I understand how you feel! You get nervous the more people tell you not to.
Before I knew it, it was time for the last performance of the day. I was seriously sick of hearing Bach by this point. I might’ve lost my mind if not for the free songs.
“Number 15, Kakeru Tominaga. Playing Liszt’s ‘Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini No. 6’ as his free song.”
Hooray! It’s his turn! I thoroughly observed Kakeru play a textbook rendition of Bach like he was the star of the day’s performances. He had also abandoned his school uniform for a black suit and a pale blue, pinstripe shirt. He wasn’t especially tall, but his balanced proportions made him look slender. His short, fluffy orange hair accentuated his sharply drawn eyebrows and pretty black eyes.
Liszt – Études d'exécution transcendante d'après Paganini No. 6
The introduction opened with a striking arpeggio. Every keystroke had significant weight behind it. The fortissimo packed an impressive punch. This was the performance of a pianist with fairly large hands. He pulled off the chord consisting of ten continuous notes with his left hand with ease. I was overwhelmed by the sound of the piano I felt reverberating through the pit of my stomach.
I struggled to stay seated while listening to it. Oh, wow. This is amazing! I want to play like this too!
The mournful ring of the high notes toward the middle ignited within my chest. If I had to describe his performance in a word, it’d be passionate. He made three mistakes, but his power of expression was more than enough to compensate for it. It was frustrating to admit to myself, but I wasn’t capable of producing a sound like his. My hands weren’t strong enough yet to make the fortissimo shake through the hall like thunder. There was a limit to how far putting my body weight into it could make up for the lack of strength in my small hands.
I balled my hands into tight little fists. I want to grow up faster. I want more strength to play like this. I kept my eyes locked on the boy on stage as a fierce fighting spirit blazed within me.
All of the middle school performances were over, so the judging committee commenced their decision making. I left the concert hall and scanned the area for Miss Sakurako and Miss Chisako to thank them for coming.
Odd, I don’t see them anywhere. I wonder if they went home after my performance.
I had plans to get together with Kon and Kou after the results were announced. I fished through my bag for my cell phone to confirm the time with them. Where is it? My hands came back empty.
Gone…it’s gone?!
I scoured through my bag again and again, but my cell phone didn’t turn up. I didn’t use it when I went out to eat with my parents. When did I use it last…um…the waiting room! I had thought I turned off the power and slipped it into my bag before my performance. That would make the waiting room the only place I could have dropped it. Panicking, I spun around and headed back the way I came.