*Heroine’s Results*
Target Character: None
Event: Determination
*CLEAR*
✦ ✦ ✦
The finalist performing right before my turn was already on stage. Kakeru’s rendition of Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Sonata No. 2” drifted down the hallway as I made my way to the stage wing.
“Please hurry,” the coordinator rushed me.
I walked as fast as possible without tripping. The pearls on the hem of my dress glittered in the dim backstage lights.
As I thought, the resonance of Kakeru’s lower register notes is exceptional. He’s extremely talented with the way he uses the pedal, vividly laying on the next phrase while letting the prior note trail behind it.
Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Sonata No. 2” has three versions in circulation: Rachmaninoff’s original version, his revised version, and finally the Horowitz’s revision which combines elements from Rachmaninoff’s original and revised versions. I was very curious which version Kakeru would play. It turned out to be the revised version.
The second movement had a relaxed tempo that could come across as boring depending on the player. Kakeru maintained the high tension of the first movement, transforming its softness into a captivating whisper. He had a dramatic way of adding the stresses, making the fortissimo especially prominent.
I listened carefully, allowing myself to become lost in Kakeru’s Rachmaninoff. The heavy chords that are said to have the sound of church bells as the motif, reverberated at the bottom of my stomach. Choosing a song that required him to play for twenty minutes without pause allowed him to display his physical strength for the judges.
He’s really good.
Kakeru’s passionate play style was a perfect fit for Rachmaninoff’s piano music, which idealized masculine sound. The most frustrating thing about his performance was the inevitable mistakes I heard throughout it. His slip-ups on the irregular arpeggios and arpeggiated descent were particularly painful to sit through. I had no idea how it would affect his final evaluation, but I was relieved.
I’m horrible. How could I rejoice over my rival’s failure? But those ugly feelings were undeniably a piece of me too. What right do I have to rag on Tobi when I’m just as bad? Maybe anyone can become a monster if they let jealously, vanity, and self-importance rule them. If I don’t want to become like that, I’ll have to resist with my whole being and work toward the person I do want to become.
A whirlwind of applause burst from the audience after the final note faded from the stage. Relief spread over Kakeru’s face as he took a bow and left the stage.
“Number 5, Mashiro Shimao.”
The announcer’s voice echoed through the concert hall as I pinched the sides of my dress and headed straight for the piano on stage. Only five people were allowed the honor of playing this piano today.
When I put it into perspective, it’s pretty amazing I was even picked as a finalist in a major music competition like this.
The audience looked dark from the bright stage, but I could tell it was a full house. Somewhere in the silence sat my family, Miss Ayumi, Miss Chisako, Miss Sakurako, Kon, Kou, and Midori. No doubt Sou was sitting in front of his computer waiting for my performance too.
Thank you, everyone.
I bowed to the audience then adjusted the bench height.
My heart was at peace, almost as if the chaos from before was a figment of my imagination. Taking a deep breath, I laid my fingers on the keys.
Schumann – Piano Sonata No.2 in G minor
There were two particularly difficult, or rather, compelling aspects to this sonata.
The first was the tempo speed. Straightaway the pianist was asked to play “so rasch wie möglich” (as fast as possible), only to find in the coda the marking “schneller” (faster), and, in the concluding bars, “noch schneller” (even faster)! It made the pianist want to ask, “just how fast do you want me to play?!” But speed was essential to this song as it demanded the pianist play “appassionata” (passionate).
The second difficulty was the percolating arpeggiated texture in the left hand. It’s said that this sonata puts a great emphasis on the size of the pianist’s hands. Schumann was known to have large hands, so it’s assumed he composed the song using his hands as the standard.
He had supposedly composed this song after giving up on following the road of a pianist and resolving to live as a composer. He’d composed the song around the same time he was distressed by his Clara Wieck’s, the future Mrs. Schumann, father opposing his marriage to his daughter. But Schumann never gave up no matter the setbacks and failures he went through.
How painful that must’ve been for him. But he never once stopped reaching for music and his distressing love.
The first movement was played with a sorrowful cry from the heart and a sweep of passion. I can play this fast? I marveled, surprised by how my repeated strikes of the keys gathered the notes into a twinkling gem that rolled through the air.
And then the second movement came. The C major’s romantic motif was played as if singing about one’s love with the piano. Letting the chords sing, my hands raced over the keys as if I were weaving together a love letter to those dearest to me.
I wonder if this letter will reach Sou in Germany. I sure hope it does. I hope my prayers for your happiness reach you.
The third movement returned to G minor with the Scherzo. It featured a rapid tempo, a brief trio section, and an urgent melody that reversed the gentle impression from the second movement. I struck the keyboard with all my strength for this part.