It was incredibly sudden. I stood there like a light pole, unable to react when my best friend, Horace, told me all of a sudden, “You should have this. You deserve it more than I do.” I glanced at the golden and shiny trophy with the sparkling words “PIANO DUO COMPETITION – CHAMPION” engraved at the bottom, then looked back at his gloomy and depressed complexion.
Horace and I were both standing in the same auditorium exactly three months ago, with our eyes widening with curiosity as we both stared at the poster for a piano competition. What intrigued us was that it was not like any other typical piano competition. It was a four-hand accompaniment performance! Since both of us really liked playing the piano, we were fascinated by the experience that the competition might give us.
Feeling enthusiastic, I asked Horace, “Hey, wanna give it a go?”
Horace hesitated for a bit. “Sure thing, but don’t you dare screw up that performance!” He joked.
To be frank, I was absolutely sure that my piano skills were no match for Horace’s. By the time I could finally fluently play the simple “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven, Horace had already passed his Grade 8 piano exam with flying colours. In fact, everyone thought that I was really overestimating myself by pairing myself with Horace, even my family. One time, I even overheard them teasing how utterly embarrassed I would look like at the day of the competition. Nonetheless, the discouragement quickly evolved to motivation inside my mind as I tried my very best to practise my scales on the piano.
The song that Horace and I chose for the piano duo performance was the Sleeping Beauty Waltz by Tchaikovsky. I was the secondo, whose duty was to provide the bass and pedal support, while Horace assigned himself as the primo, whose part was relatively much harder to play. However, whenever I asked him if he really wanted to play the difficult part, the only response he gave me was “Are you doubting me or what? You think I’m incapable of playing this simple song?” Then he would give me his usual cheeky grin and walk away.
During the beginning of those three months of preparation, whenever I called him out to practise the song with me, he would be completely willing to do so. Watching Horace’s slim fingers glide through the seemingly endless piano keys and producing such warm and vibrant sounds was truly mesmerizing to me. He seemed to have remembered the whole ten-page music score within merely a week, and the only things left for him to master were the hard jumps for his right hand.
“Wow, you’re really superb!” I praised him. “Just practise these parts and within three months, we’ll definitely shine!”
“Yeah, sure. Don’t worry. We’ve still got loads of time to spare!” He replied.
This, however, was the very last time I practised with him together.
During the following months, whenever I asked him to come and sit beside me at the piano, he would reluctantly refuse. Homework, studying, tutorial classes, soccer… I had heard them all. All I could do was to sit on the cold piano stool in solitude, and start playing the part I was supposed to play alone.
Time flew across our eyes at the speed of lightning, and before we knew it, it was already the day before the actual performance. Horace rushed to me with a pale face, clearly feeling startled. He asked me, panicking, “I haven’t touched the piano for these three months! What should I do?” But unfortunately, I wasn’t available to accompany him for practice.
I told him, “Just practise by yourself, and we’ll surely outshine the others in the auditorium.” Ironically, I was desperately trying to keep myself calm as well. What if we were unable to play that one crucial note? What if I wasn’t able to control the pedal? What if Horace couldn’t swiftly play the melody like he used to three months ago? What if…
At last, the day came. We went completely silent, and just focused on fidgeting our fingers due to our immense nervousness. Strangely, out of both of our expectations, it really sounded amazing when we started playing. Horace’s hands were completely synchronized with mine, and we both had the time of our lives playing on the grand piano, once again producing that sweet tone as if someone was singing.
After the performance, I gasped with immediate relief, but I looked at Horace only to see a face of guilt. When we received the trophy, Horace added, “I’m really sorry, Throughout these three months, it seemed like my love for playing the piano has vanished into thin air.”
“No, we should both be receiving it. Without you, the song wouldn’t sound so sweet, would it?” I smiled.
Hui Cheuk Hei Javier
6C 2017-18