In the Utrecht Municipal Concert Hall, on the large wooden rectangular main stage, a black Stanway nine-foot piano is quietly placed.

For top international piano competitions, Stanway seems to have become a regular piano for competitions. This German piano brand with a long history of more than a hundred years has inherited the rigorous and exquisite craftsmanship that the German nation has in common, and has an unparalleled gorgeous tone.

The Municipal Concert Hall has a small space, about the same as in Vienna. It also has a dark red solid wood decoration as the main color, and has also undergone strict acoustic decoration. Of course, from the appearance, the concert hall is a bit old, which can be seen from the extremely smooth seats and the peeling wood grain of the four corners of the wall.

Compared with some of the newly built large concert halls in China (the place is not the most advanced, and of course it is not the largest. However, when you walk here, there is something called "content", which makes you feel a kind of purity that belongs to music.

For many pianists, this is the temple of piano, Mount Olympus.

The hall, which can accommodate more than 6,000 spectators, is packed at this moment. Piano enthusiasts from all over the world gather together to look forward to this top competition in the piano world!

Similarly, authoritative and serious music media from more than 60 countries around the world also occupy one of the best viewing corners of the venue, where various video equipment were set up. However, here, taking photos is strictly restricted, flashes are not allowed, and shutter sounds are also limited. Everything here is designed for the competition, and no factors that affect the competition are allowed to appear.

On the east side of the stage, behind a row of simple blue tables, there are judges. There are 11 judges, from the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, the United States and Brazil. They are all senior musicians and pianists. For example, one of the judges, the famous Polish pianist Yasinski is the teacher of Zimmerman, a famous international piano master today; the Dutch judge Hawke is the champion of the first Lister competition; the Italian judge Bernatta has won many international piano competitions; Grafman from the Curtis Conservatory of Music in the United States is an internationally recognized authority on piano education...

The eleven judges represent the highest achievement in piano performance on this planet and are also absolute authority in this field. If it weren't for the top events like the Liszt Masters Cup, it would be a difficult task to bring these eleven judges together.

Of course, there are two other events that are as famous as the Masters Cup, which may bring them together. These two piano events are the Chopin Cup International Piano Competition and the Tchaikovsky Cup International Piano Competition. Like the Lister Cup, these two international events are also named after a famous musician. Chopin is a famous Polish pianist and is known as the "piano poet", while Tchaikovsky is a famous Russian composer. He has countless classic works, especially the world-famous "Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto", which is a classic among the classics!

"Hello, everyone, I am Luo Hongmei. I am now reporting to you at the Utrecht Municipal Concert Hall in the Netherlands. I believe that all domestic music fans who like piano can't wait for this upcoming Liszt Cup International Piano Competition. After years of waiting, fans around the world have once again ushered in this super feast in the piano world. I will be here to bring you the latest reports later. Please pay attention to our special program at any time."

In a corner of the audience, Luo Hongmei faced the camera with a microphone in her hand, and quickly did the pre-match broadcast work. She is a senior reporter of CCTV Music Channel. For such a music event, media like CCTV will naturally not miss it. They sent a report group a few days ago. It is not the first time that Luo Hongmei has reported on the Chopin Cup and Tchaikovsky Cup. She can be said to be an old reporter.

But at this moment, she was still a little excited, not because of anything else. Because of this year's Liszt Cup piano competition, the Chinese players were the most selected in all countries, and six people came directly. You should know that there were only 46 contestants participating in the quarterfinals. This also shows from one aspect that China's piano level is getting higher and higher. As a reporter of the music channel, she is of course happy to see such changes.

Standing next to her was Millie, a reporter from the famous American music station MTV. The latter is also her old acquaintance, and the latter is also giving a brief introduction to her own camera. After the end, the two of them greeted them easily.

"Hi, Luo, it's been a long time no see." Millie waved at her easily.

"Long time no see, Millie, you are still so energetic." Luo Hongmei exclaimed with a smile. She spoke fluent English at this moment. For her who often runs around abroad, speaking English has long become an instinct, as natural as eating and drinking water.

"The same is true for you, no change, and you still look so beautiful." Millie said with a smile.

"Thank you." Luo Hongmei happily accepted this praise and expressed her gratitude.

"I looked at the list of players. This time your players have come a lot, with six of them." Millie said.

"China has developed very fast piano over the years, but your players are also very strong. I see Maxim and Jack Jones have both come to participate. They are both long-known pianists and they are also here to participate in competitions and compete on the same stage with these newcomers, but it is a bit unfair." Luo Hongmei said half-jokingly.

"Yes, these two are very outstanding pianists, but they probably feel that they have not won the most important award in the international market, which is a bit regretful." Millie said with a smile, but she looked a little proud. There were only four contestants in the United States this time, but as Luo Hongmei said, two of them are already famous pianists. Not only have superb popularity, but their piano skills are also master-level. In fact, many people have already made predictions before the competition. If this Masters Cup can be decided, it is likely that they are among these two.

Speaking of this, some people may find it strange, what does "if the championship can be decided" mean? Since it is a competition, there will definitely be a first place and second place. How come there will be no championship?

Yes, there is nothing wrong with this idea in other games. But if it is a match like the Liszt Masters Cup, it will be a different matter.

In fact, whether it is the Liszt Masters Cup, the Chopin Cup and the Tchaikovsky Cup, these three world-class events have never produced a first place in the finals. This seems a bit incredible, but it is precisely one of the attractions of this game.

This is the reason for this situation. It is precisely because of the seriousness of the competition itself. In such top professional events, the strict standards and high requirements of judges are unimaginable to ordinary piano enthusiasts. Each of the eleven judges has a set of strict judgment standards. If the contestants cannot meet their requirements, then these strict judges will believe that the contestants do not qualify for the championship and refuse to make them champions. At this time, even the organizers of the competition must respect the opinions of these judges!

Looking at Milly's smile with a hint of proud expression, Luo Hongmei felt a little uncomfortable. Of course, she knew that the two pianists she just mentioned were all very excellent pianists around the world, but among the Chinese contestants participating in the Masters Cup this time, there were also Lang Lang. You know, Lang Lang is a pianist who is as famous as them internationally, and if you are simply in terms of influence, Lang Lang is bigger than them. After all, in China, Lang Lang has a huge number of music fans.

Luo Hongmei was thinking that if this Masters Cup, like those popular entertainment competitions, joins the online voting session, Lang Lang's popularity will definitely surpass those two pianists, even if they have a large number of music fans in Europe and the United States. You should know that if there are more people than people, China is not afraid of any country!

Of course, Luo Hongmei's main focus was on Lang Lang, and the focus of this broadcast was mainly on Lang Lang. After all, in China, Lang Lang has become the spokesperson of the art form of "piano", especially for many young piano children, Lang Lang is a living idol. His deeds have been promoted and magnified in movies and magazines countless times. Luo Hongmei has received great confidence in Lang Lang.

Thinking of this, she remembered another interview she had with Lang Lang a few days ago. The latter said to the camera with great confidence: "I came here to win the championship, otherwise what would I do."

A half-joking word showed his strong confidence. Recalling his strong strength in previous performances and competitions, Luo Hongmei had a strong premonition that in this game, Lang Lang would definitely shine and become the focus of attention of the audience!

Luo Hongmei looked at her watch, and there were five minutes left before the game began.

At this moment, a staff member had already come over and reminded them not to continue making noises. Luo Hongmei had had several similar reports, nodded in cooperation with the staff, and then found her seat and sat down, stop talking.

Because the venue provided is limited, the conditions for live broadcasts are not met. Luo Hongmei and her reporting team can only use the ancient recording method. Of course, local TV stations in Utrecht can broadcast live throughout the whole process, and only their signals are not provided to themselves and other media.

From this point of view, it can also be seen that for the elegant art of piano, there are currently relatively few audiences around the world. If it is a sports competition like the World Cup and NBA, this will definitely not happen. I am afraid that live broadcasts can be seen all over the world.

There is no way, whether it is piano, bel canto, violin, etc., any elegant art has a small audience problem. People who can appreciate it naturally think it is an excellent thing, and it is a great spiritual enjoyment. But for those who don’t understand, whether it is Liszt or Zhang Ste, this kind of play is not as good as the "Free Flying" of the Phoenix Legend.

The high and low artistic music is the current situation for many years. People in this circle seem to have no intention of changing this situation, but enjoy it very much. They think that things like this elegant art should be something that a few people with culture and cultivation can come into contact with. If they understand and understand this thing, they will be "higher" in their cultivation.

However, they ignored the fact that art, whether elegant or vulgar, has only one ultimate goal, to meet the spiritual aesthetic requirements of the public. If this is not achieved, it is strictly not a successful art form.

Luo Hongmei sat in her position, waiting for the start of the competition, and began to turn these messy thoughts in her mind. She has been in this industry for a long time and is a major in art appreciation, so she naturally has a deeper view of this issue. In her opinion, such competitions held in a very small circle are not considered successful even if the specifications are high. Whether it is the champion or the runner-up, who has left this circle, does anyone agree with their honor? When walking on the street, how many people will know about Liszt when they say to an ordinary person?

It is faintly true that Luo Hongmei feels that this is not the best way out for piano art, even other elegant arts. History has proved that art without a broad mass base is destined to become a long-term art. But Luo Hongmei can't say where their way out lies.

On the stage, a host wearing a crimson evening dress had already walked on the stage. Luo Hongmei didn't know her, but from the schedule provided by the organizing committee, she learned that the young and beautiful host was from the Juilliard School in the United States and had a very nice name, Vivian, a graduate student in the broadcasting and hosting department.

She has an extremely grand, typical American face, and her voice is very similar to the female host in a very famous talk show in the United States, and is very contagious.

"Gentlemen and ladies, beautiful Utrecht, today, 46 outstanding pianists from more than 20 countries gather together, and they will present us with a wonderful piano competition, which is a grand event in the global piano world..."

Vivian made a simple opening remark, briefly introduced the competition situation, and then reviewed the history of the Liszt Master Cup, and then began to introduce eleven judges one by one. After each introduction, the judges sitting in the judges stood up and waved to the audience below. Every time at this time, there would be a burst of long-lasting applause from the audience. These people were all master-level existences, and those sitting here were senior piano fans. Seeing them was like seeing an idol, they were naturally very enthusiastic.

After introducing the judges, the rules of the competition were read out. A few minutes later, Vivian finished his concise opening remarks and officially announced the start of the competition! (To be continued...)
Chapter completed!