"Not bad…" Queen Lucia squinted her ever-calm eyes, there was a light of interest showing on her jewel-like pupils.
As Haley performed her piece, her music showcased her profound arsenal of techniques and the very good foundation of her musicality.
"The violist, Marie, is a sensible player. In her music, imagery is more apparent than the techniques. Haley on the other hand was very solid in her technique. I can see that she was a very well-rounded cellist that could work very well both on her own and with a company." Eli looked pleased while she was intently listening to Haley's performance.
Moreover, the sound of her Cello sounded very good in the big hall. It seems like Haley was very well aware of how she had to project her music in different kinds of environments.
Haley's piece ended with a majestic harmony until a very clean sound of the last note, making the audience feel wanting for more. However, her piece was already done and so they could only raise their hands and clap in response to the beautiful performance.
Only then did Haley manage to sigh in relief. With a smile, she bowed and went back to her seats welcomed by her colleagues with an encouraging smile.
"Wonderful performance Student Haley! Now we have to immediately call on the next student, Student Raya, Violin." Deputy Chairman Bramwell did not delay the introductions and called Raya.
Raya glanced at Desmond signaling him to become her accompaniment.
"Good day everyone, the piece I will perform is Violin Sonata in A major by Besilius Lerant." Raya quickly introduced her piece before signaling Desmond that she was ready.
Standing with confidence and a delicate demeanor, Raya started her piece with a series of strong notes paired with her intense yet controlled bowing.
"This sonata is quite challenging. Wait for the cadenza where she will play a series of intricately hard quick notes along with a lot of bow crossing and left-hand pizzicato." This time it was Queen Tehila who was immediately absorbed with commenting on Raya's piece.
Eli and the rest listened and observed the performance with interest. To Eli's ears, the sonata was a decent piece that could be executed beautifully by a violinist with a strong foundation of the required techniques.
With the way Raya was playing the piece with ease topped by Desmond's accompaniment, the music they created was appealing and relaxing.
If Marie's piece brought the audience to despair while Haley was a delectable showcase of her good techniques with the perfect combination of notes, Marie's music was like a trip to the magical realm of the mystic woods with the dancing fairies hovering around the place.
"She's a good student! Don't you think young Eli?" Queen Tehila was now slowly showing her satisfaction with her soon-to-be student. With the way she was commenting and praising Raya, Eli and the rest felt that the Queen had already gladly accepted Raya as her student.
"She is, indeed. I believe that she will improve by leaps and bounds under your care, Young Highness Second Queen," Eli replied in affirmation.
"Oh… the cadenza part is already approaching…" Queen Lucia shifted on her seat as she leaned forward excitedly. Queen Tehila and the others too.
In the last measure of the piece just before the cadenza was about to be played, Raya was still looking demure and graceful with her aura and notes.
But as soon as the accompaniment stopped, and the cadenza had already started, she became like a different person. Like a queen of the fairies showing her majestic might and agility, Raya cleanly performed the series of quick notes that required flexible and accurate hands.
While she was achieving this, her intonation did not falter, not even once and her phrasing stayed to the beat.
Everyone held their breaths afraid that their breathing would interrupt the enthralling part of the cadenza. And as she continued playing she seemed to be the only person in the hall, not minding the widened eyes that were staring at her in amazement.
The listener's heart pounded as the cadenza was now approaching to end by meeting the climax with the accompaniment. With Desmond's on-point build-up, Raya finished her piece with astounding execution.
Almost immediately, the listeners stood up and clapped clearly still under the excitement of the beautiful cadenza that she played just before the conclusion of the piece.
Desmond looked at her little sister proudly as Raya took a bow towards the audience and then to him as a sign of etiquette.
"What a mesmerizing piece from Student Raya! Now, let's call on our last musician, Desmond, to play the piano." Bramwell finally signaled Desmond who had already stayed at the piano.
"The piece I would like to play is Autumn Rain by Franciscus Lyle."
"A nocturne? Did he want to sabotage his own auditions?" The students and the faculty watching the event could not help but discuss it among themselves.
The sound of murmuring could be heard around clearly not understanding why Desmond chose to play a nocturne piece.
Nocturnes are in no doubt one of the most relaxing and beautiful pieces of music however, in a setting for competitions such as this, the pianists tend to keep nocturnes away from the list of their showmanship.
Even the judges were quite taken aback by his choice, except for Eli who kept calm. Desmond was someone who was considered the leader of the group, but there was something in him that Eli could feel about his personal take on music.
As to its shape, she doesn't mind if Desmond would present it through a nocturne, the important thing is that he was able to show his abilities while playing the piece.
With Grandmaster Reuben's signal for everyone to keep quiet, Desmond finally started to play his piece.
Ding!
The first note was so gentle as it was supported by the next fluid set of notes. It was like a drop of water falling into a still lake causing ripples of waves.
Everyone who was not expecting anything good from the piece was suddenly taken aback. Their ears continued to listen to the notes Desmond played like they were being cleansed by the harmonic notes which he carefully executed according to the dynamics he had decided for each of them.
They were left in awe, some had their mouths left wide open as they fell into a trance. They were like dazed people who were looking far beyond the horizon as the sunlight had completely faded away. Only the warm light on the windows to their home was present as not even the moonlight could be seen.
Suddenly they found themselves standing in the middle of the rain, soaking in its gentle bathing. They were not even motivated to walk into their houses for shade, instead, they closed their eyes and basked in the falling rain drops.
The ground suddenly turned wet, feeling the earthy scent of around them while the wind blew gently as if caressing them in the cold night.
"These kids…" Eli finally understood what the four kids had done. Shaking her head as she finally saw how everyone was enthralled with their music, Eli saw the big picture.
From Marie's piece down to Desmond's, it was a complete journey for the audience to experience, regardless of the event's objective.
Marie started the act by taking them into a tragic story of falling into despair while ending with hope.
Haley's piece was a message of thriving and excelling in the craft they belonged to.
Raya's music is for transformation, how a person who had gone through despair, hard work, and skill perfection transformed into someone who is astounding.
Finally, Desmond's music is a message of contentment and rest.
While after journeying high and low to make a name for themselves, they came to the point that they had found a comfortable ground where they could accept whatever the world was giving to them.
They are at peace and content that not even the rain nor the wind could take away the peace they had in their hearts.
It is their story. Their very own, loudly incorporated in their music, and amazingly they put it together even without playing all at once!
Right after his piece everyone applauded, the murmurs suddenly turned into praises, saying that their souls seemed to have been cleansed by the piece that Desmond had performed.
In the judge's area, everyone looked around Eli with astonished gazes. After they were done listening to the piece, they felt like they were caught in an elaborate trap to watch a four-man play.
"I told you, these kids are the best and only options we could have. Look at what they have done to you… they put you all under a spell…" Eli shook her head as she explained her analysis of their playing.
"However, I still think that the show is incomplete. We still have Anna, Raphael, Max, and Lainie…"
"I wonder if their work would be cohesive with their friends' performances…" Eli looked at the four surveillance screens overhead.
