assistirfilmes Chapter 069 Two Songs
Chapter 069 Two Songs
October 7th, Thursday.
Jingyin, Huo Xintong's office.
Yang Du sat on the sofa and yawned widely.
He was already busy with work these past two days, listening to demos to select tracks, and then staying up late to work on the arrangement for Jiang Yinglan's sake.
The more Yang Du thought about it, the angrier he became. He decided that he must write a story about a wicked mother-in-law to vent his anger when he got back.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door, which was then pushed open.
"Old classmate, we've been waiting for you! Bao Kuan, you've worked hard too, please have a seat."
"Old Huo, you've been so secretive all this time that I've even turned down the station's review meetings."
Huo Xintong pulled Yang Du forward and introduced him to the two men: "Old Li, Bao Kuan, let me introduce you to this promising young man, Yang Du, a third-year student in the composition department of Beijing Conservatory of Music, whom I mentioned to you a few days ago."
As she spoke, Huo Xintong pointed to the man in the blue shirt walking ahead: "Yang Du, this is Li Qin, the chief director of this year's CCTV National Day Gala, and also an old friend I've known since college."
He then introduced another middle-aged man wearing black-rimmed glasses: "The music director for the gala is Yan Baokuan. Director Yan is a graduate of our Beijing Conservatory of Music's conducting department. You can call him senior brother; we're all family."
Li Qin pointed at Huo Xintong: "Alright, you're all from the Jingyin group, so I'm the only outsider here."
Everyone laughed.
Yang Du understood immediately: "Hello, Director Li. Hello, Senior Brother Yan."
After the group sat down and exchanged a few pleasantries, Li Qin and Huo Xintong mostly reminisced about their university days, while Yan Baokuan and Yang Du listened from the side.
After a long chat about everything under the sun, we finally got to the point.
Li Qin said, half-complaining and half-jokingly, "Old Huo said you have a song that's perfect for the National Day Gala. I pressed him for details, but he wouldn't say more, insisting I come here to listen for myself. So, isn't it time for this ugly daughter-in-law to meet her in-laws today?"
"Don't worry, Director Li, everything is ready."
Yang Du took out his phone, connected via Bluetooth, opened the encrypted file, found "The Lone Warrior," and clicked play.
A low, slightly subdued prelude slowly flowed out.
Yan Baokuan's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. This prelude seemed quite different from the grand, magnificent, and boisterous National Day celebrations that were common.
The tone is too dark and doesn't quite match the overall atmosphere of National Day.
"It's all about courage—the scar on your forehead, your differences, the mistakes you made..."
"There's no need to hide anything—your worn-out doll, your mask, your true self..."
The melody of the verse is not exciting, but rather has a narrative feel and a sense of heaviness. However, as the melody progresses, the expressions on Li Qin and Yan Baokuan's faces become more and more serious.
As the chief director of CCTV's National Day Gala, Li Qin has been under unimaginable pressure during this period.
He was well aware of the general policy from above this year; in previous years, the main theme was to be bold and vigorous, and to advance rapidly.
But this year, both the higher-ups and the station's leaders have repeatedly emphasized that the gala must not be highbrow and inaccessible to the masses; it must be down-to-earth, follow the mass line, and sing about the spirit of the people in this great era.
During this period, Li Qin and Yan Baokuan rejected at least eighty to one hundred songs during the review process.
It's not that the songs are badly written, or that the singers are bad at singing; it's just that the themes and main points have been similar over the years.
To put it bluntly, it's all empty rhetoric and grandstanding.
No matter how ornate the language or how grand the arrangement, the core message remains superficial and fails to take deep root in the lives of ordinary people.
But this song, "The Lone Warrior," is completely different!
Although his outer garment is not glamorous, its theme is not vague; it truly targets ordinary people who are striving forward.
"I love you when you walk alone through dark alleys, I love your unyielding spirit!"
"I've faced despair with love, but I refuse to shed a single tear!"
As the chorus began, Li Qin's mind automatically started matching the most suitable images for the song.
During this song performance, the large screen behind the performer didn't need any dazzling special effects; it simply played a series of real video clips.
There are border guards standing watch in the wind and snow, traffic police directing traffic in the rain and wind, firefighters rushing against the flames, medical staff working around the clock, and even deliverymen and sanitation workers hurrying along the streets...
Even every ordinary person who struggles and strives for a living!
Although this song doesn't feature the tenor or soprano voices commonly seen at previous galas, the lyrics precisely target ordinary, unsung heroes, making its theme and message an excellent choice!
The four-minute song finished playing very quickly.
"Old Huo, oh Old Huo..." Li Qin turned to look at Huo Xintong and said with emotion, "Your Beijing Conservatory of Music has produced an outstanding student this time."
As a professional, Yan Baokuan agreed, saying, "The verses are restrained and build-up, while the chorus is an emotional outburst. My junior is truly remarkable."
He paused, then added, "I'm not afraid to tell you this, junior brother, but what we fear most when organizing large-scale national galas is those overly vague hymns. Everyone gets tired of listening to them, and we get tired of rehearsing them, but there's no way around it. The requirements from above are there, so we have to bite the bullet and go for it."
"But this song, 'The Lone Warrior,' is different!" Li Qin praised. "Who says only those who stand in the light are heroes? A single sentence can resonate with the audience. All 14 billion people in the country are ordinary heroes; the message is immediately clear."
Yang Du smiled and said, "Director Li and my senior brother are too kind. It's good that it meets the requirements of the gala."
Finally, he asked, "Director Li, regarding the singer, do you have someone in mind?"
Li Qin was taken aback. Usually, these kinds of songs were coordinated by the station, but since Yang Du had asked, he gave him face and said, "It's not decided yet. What, do you have an idea?"
"I'd like to recommend a singer, Lin Xu."
The name was unfamiliar. Li Qin went through the names of various performing arts troupes and popular singers in his mind, but couldn't find it.
"Hahaha." It was Yan Baokuan, who was standing next to Li Qin, who introduced them.
After listening to the introduction, Li Qin said earnestly, "Xiao Yang, since you personally recommended him, Lin Xu must be qualified in terms of vocal technique and singing ability. I personally trust your professional judgment on this point."
"However... the National Day Gala is not just an artistic performance, but also a political task. According to past practice and the station's tone, songs of this weighty nature usually require the cooperation of comrades from the art troupe."
Looking at Yang Du's young face, Li Qin felt that although the boy was very talented, he was probably still a complete novice when it came to the intricacies of the system.
So he deliberately offered a suggestion: "If we absolutely have to make an exception and let a pop singer perform, that's not out of the question. But would they be lacking in composure? Would they be able to command such a solemn stage? We need to carefully consider that."
Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit awkward, Huo Xintong was about to speak up to smooth things over and move on from the singer issue, following Li Qin's words.
After all, the fact that "The Lone Warrior" was able to be performed at the National Day Gala already exceeded expectations for today, so there's no need to create any resentment over the singer's sake.
To everyone's surprise, Yang Du spoke up quite naturally.
"But I never intended to use 'The Lone Warrior' to reflect the solemnity of the event. This song is meant for the masses. The song that is solemn is another one."
Upon hearing this, the three people in the office seemed to be frozen in place.
Huo Xintong almost choked on his words. He had only heard of "The Lone Warrior" but did not know that Yang Du had a hidden skill. He glared at him.
He was kept in the dark about something so important.
"Wait a minute..." Yan Baokuan was the first to react. He looked at Yang Du in disbelief and said, "Junior brother, you mean there's a second song?"
"Yes, that's right." Yang Du said matter-of-factly, "The demo of 'The Lone Warrior' was finished a long time ago. I've been staying up late these past two days arranging the music for a different song."
"Today is your birthday!"