I am a Big Player
Chapter 342 - 340, The Poet Pianist (Third Update)_1

Chapter 342: 340, The Poet Pianist (Third Update)_1

Adapting a piece is a personal endeavor; a master leaves their unique signature, no one plays exactly like their predecessors.

And now, Ren He was playing the most challenging version, the tragic emotions infused with a sense of positive and uplifting spirits, it simply stunned everyone present.

Yang Xi yearned to learn the piano because, back at No.4 Middle School, she once heard Ren He perform the Croatian Rhapsody, a live master-level solo piano performance that felt profoundly different, incredibly moving!

Tragic Chapter 3 gained worldwide fame for good reason; its melody is so beautiful that it’s hard to resist.

It was at this moment that Ren He’s students realized they had struck gold. No wonder other professors had said he was originally invited to join the Juilliard School of Music as a composition professor, but ended up teaching piano because he didn’t want to teach composition.

Whether in composition or piano performance, he was undeniably a true master!

If he had really gone to the composition department, where could they find such a distinguished teacher?

Ren He’s fingers danced on the piano keys like flowing clouds and water; not to mention the auditory pleasure, just watching those fingers was a delight to the eyes.

When he stood up after finishing, all the students, including Yang Xi, burst into applause. Even Yang Xi was hearing this piece for the first time. Classical music doesn’t mean it’s ancient music; it’s a form of "serious music."

This was somewhat different from the types of music Ren He usually wrote. Yang Xi truly wondered if there was anything Ren He couldn’t do!

Ren He smiled and said, "In a few days I can give you the score, but remember not to blindly imitate. Consider the poetic phrasing I’ve used in this piece. Remember, the most important thing you’ve learned from me this year is how to handle poetic phrasing."

Poetic phrasing... Suddenly everyone felt their dry practice had become romantically inspired once again.

Day after day of monotonous practice had begun to wear on everyone, enduring only by their passion. However, after this lesson, their lives were filled anew with excitement. It was fascinating!

Not long after the class, many at the Juilliard School of Music were already aware that the new young professor could write poetry with a piano...

And as for Ren He’s theories on piano music, they were applicable to other fields of music as well: once a certain level is reached, one must consider how to manage the dynamics to express one’s emotions, and this approach is like writing poetry.

Actually, many had vaguely grasped this concept, but it was Ren He who expressed it so beautifully for the first time, evoking strong resonance and agreement among everyone – it was the beautification of their craft.

Some teachers joyfully shared the news with friends in the music community, and suddenly it seemed that everyone strongly agreed with this idea; although the score might be the same, everyone has a different poem in their heart.

Because of this shared agreement and resonance, such a romantic theory quickly spread through the music community, and everyone knew that it originated from the young professor at the Juilliard School of Music!

Little Professor, the nickname spread quickly, and everyone felt it was very fitting for the 16-year-old educator.

And on the very same evening, a video titled "Juilliard School’s 16-year-old Little Professor. Tragic Chapter 3" was uploaded online. The video showed a young man sitting upright at the piano, filmed from behind as per Ren He’s request; he could imagine that this might go viral, perhaps even in his home country...

It was precisely because the melody played in this video was so melodious, the emotions so abundant, and it was the first time everyone heard this song!

At this moment, everyone suddenly remembered something: Chairman Joseph had previously announced that they had intended to offer the role of composition professor to this little professor. However, he didn’t want to teach composition, so in the end, he became a piano professor!

Did he compose this piece himself? Those moments in the music that alternated between cheerful and passionate were just too captivating!

When the performance video came out, no one doubted the little professor’s capabilities anymore. In fact, Chairman Joseph was even praised for his open-minded approach to talent, which almost became a delightful story in the music world. Joseph was overjoyed, and every time he saw Ren He, he would affectionately call out ’little professor’...

However, there was a small incident: parents of composition department students suddenly requested to hear Ren He’s other compositions and, if possible, asked him to take on the position of composition professor...

Their reasoning was simple: the composition department still lacked a suitable professor and was being temporarily covered by the violin professor because he was also fairly well-known in the composition community. But clearly, the parents had their own verdicts after hearing pieces composed by both: they were worlds apart.

The violin professor couldn’t help but chuckle, "I admit, I’m not as good as the little professor, but this is quite harsh." He didn’t take it to heart though; he had already felt inferior when Ren He played his four consecutive pieces, so he wasn’t bothered by others saying that Ren He was better, even believing his own violin skills were only on par with Ren He’s. To him, it was okay even if Ren He managed departments single-handedly... what a prodigy!

Joseph then sought Ren He’s opinion, "Look, before it was me who overruled everyone, now the general consensus is in your favor. Will you take on this responsibility?"

"No," Ren He declined outright, not because he didn’t respect Joseph but because he still had to donate to Columbia University... no, a library, and he would have to teach there, right? Currently, he only had two piano lessons per week, and once they were over, it was practice time for the students, so his own schedule was quite free; he really couldn’t take on any more classes.

But Ren He also left himself an out, "If in the end you still can’t find a suitable composition professor, let’s talk about it again, okay?"

Joseph was initially a bit disappointed by Ren He’s uncompromising refusal but seeing that there was still a glimmer of hope, felt it to be a good sign; perhaps there might be a chance. Joseph himself was someone who seemed eager for talented individuals. For the sake of the Juilliard School of Music, he was willing to endure much, even to withstand external skepticism, just so Juilliard could prosper.

Juilliard School of Music was his dream and faith.

In the end, Ren He remained a piano professor, yet this time no one would question him. Parents of piano department students even called him, hoping he would stay true to himself and continue as a piano professor...

The video of "Tragic Chapter 3" remained a hot topic on the internet, and not only was it trending in America, but it also gradually gained popularity in China.

The person who was most attentive to the musical scene was Liu Jiamin. As soon as she heard that a new classical piece was released, she hurried to the Qinghe Club Headquarters classroom to watch the video. The person’s back wasn’t very distinctive, and all that was known was that it was someone of Asian descent, but the piano playing style was far too familiar to her as a professional performer!

When Liu Bing and the others, laughing and joking, arrived at the headquarters, they saw Liu Jiamin with headphones, staring blankly at the computer, and they asked, "Jiamin, what are you looking at?"

Liu Jiamin turned around in a daze and suddenly said, "The club president has gone abroad to be a professor!"

What the heck? Wasn’t he supposed to be studying? How did he become a professor all of a sudden?!

...

A reward and an additional Chapter to come, though it will be late.