CHAPTER 1267: CHAPTER 247: ASTONISHING ALL, UNBELIEVABLE (PART 5)

The Third Piano Concerto is divided into three movements, with the climax of the first movement supporting the entire framework. There are two versions in circulation. One has a dance-like humorous quality, which is the version on Song Jinwen’s score. As this section passes, the emotion gradually calms down, transitioning to the second movement. It is at this point that a deeply melancholic sound suddenly emerges, a somber grand chord akin to a great bell weighing heavily on everyone’s heart, creating an instant, breathless sensation.

This is... Song Jinwen was shocked. This is the other version. Ji Yunya actually... she actually... It seems she knew this piece all along. Thinking of this, Song Jinwen felt even angrier. You, Ji Yunya, deliberately played this trick on me, see how I will deal with you.

The second movement is a hybrid trend formed by a combination of variation and ternary forms, lamenting in D minor, then presented and varied in D-flat major. The emotion becomes increasingly stirring, the intensity gradually rising. The piano plays rapid groups of ornamental notes. From F to D minor, the music leaps forward with an unstoppable force directly into the third movement.

In this movement, Song Jinwen showcased her technique perfectly, but on Ji Yunya’s side, there was a sudden modesty, a convoluted melancholy, lamenting as if weeping. Somehow, it suddenly stirred a sadness in everyone’s heart, as if exposing the long-buried memories and every nightmare tormenting the spirit at midnight, like they were suddenly exposed to the sunlight, filling one’s heart with infinite sorrow.

The music suddenly shifts, becoming joyful, quickly evolving into a vigorous march. The stomping effect created by strong chords evokes Slavic men’s tap dance, sometimes humorous, sometimes lyrical, sometimes wide-ranging, sometimes serene. The melancholy shadows of the first two movements have been swept away here. With the free transitions between C minor, B major, and F major, the tempo of the secondary theme becomes faster. At this point, what’s being compared is whose hand speed is faster. One hears only the urgent piano notes, rushing like a torrent, like the Yellow River in its tumultuous flow, grand and majestic, making the heart quicken with urgency.

Song Jinwen gritted her teeth tightly, she was being caught up by Ji Yunya. Both were locked in a tight duel, like two golden dragons battling in the air, neither yielding an inch. By this time, cold sweat was already beading on Song Jinwen’s forehead, her face showing anxiety, with her lips tightly clenched.

In contrast, Ji Yunya had her eyes gently closed, her expression as serene as a cloud drifting in the breeze, forming a stark contrast with the passionate music under her fingers, yet even more profoundly moving.

Song Jinwen quickly glanced at Ji Yunya, almost spitting blood in anger. She must not lose, she absolutely cannot lose...

After a brief cadenza, the secondary theme has already become a solemn and magnificent hymn, the vigorous chords of the piano resounding like bells, so intense and shocking...

In her desperate attempt to catch up with Ji Yunya, Song Jinwen missed a beat — one wrong step leading to another, her tempo had been disrupted, unable to continue, sweat rolled down her forehead like rounded pearls. The piano notes sounded like a chaotic dance of demons, no longer possessing the grandeur they had at the beginning.

Ji Yunya’s fingers flew, the echoes of the bell resounded throughout the entire hall, as if an echo roared, so profoundly moving. At this moment, it was the most brilliant and magnificent moment of all piano concertos. Everyone was brought into such emotion, with hearts fervently beating, as if some emotion was about to break free from its shell, breaking through the shackles of this era.

At the climax, a jarring note from Song Jinwen abruptly sounded, but it does not affect the main theme. Her eyes suddenly widened, and with a "wow," she spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering onto the black and white keys in front of her, with a bit even splashing on her face. She looked at everyone’s incredulous eyes, with the last of the glorious notes ringing in her ears...

She was unwilling, how could she have lost? How did she lose?

The music changed to a presto tempo, with frenetic triplets cascading down from the high register. Hands alternated, rapid ornamental figures once again sounded from the low register, commemorating the composer Rachmaninoff, with the finale concluding with his signature — four vigorous, march-like notes.

This is a large-scale performance piece, with very few able to perform the entire work. The intense emotional expression and profound technical skill leave many pianists daunted. This piece conveys the most resolute Russian spirit and greatest vitality. The composer’s personal force, Rachmaninoff himself, is vividly demonstrated in this work. He once humorously referred to this concerto at its premiere as a "work for elephants," symbolizing its vast size and weight. To perform this piece well, one needs not only perfect emotional expressiveness and the most exquisite finger techniques but also a powerful physical stamina. The emotional impact it conveys deeply moves everyone who hears it.