The Miracle from Poor Families to Piano Masters Chapter 3 Heading to South Africa

At the beginning of September 1997, Ms. Aina of the University of Pretoria in South Africa extended an invitation to Professor Zheng Daxin, Professor Li Mingzhu and Shen Wenyu to attend the music festival in South Africa, and arranged for Wenyu to hold a solo piano concert in three major cities in South Africa.

At the beginning of the year, Wenyu and Mr. Li's trip to South Africa and Wenyu's piano recital left an extremely good impression on South Africa, setting off a whirlwind of Chinese piano in South Africa, and the South African audience was shocked by the exquisite piano playing skills and rich appeal of the 10-year-old boy from China, and could not let go for a long time. Invitations from South African cities and schools to perform continued to pour in, and because Wenyu's return date had arrived, Ms. Aina had to apologize to them again and again. Although more than half a year has passed, the South African audience who have listened to the entertainment piano performance is still still unsatisfied, eager to listen to Wenyu's piano again. Those who did not hear it were regarded as a great pity, and hoped that there would be an opportunity for Wenyu to hold a solo concert in South Africa again to satisfy their desire to enjoy a feast of sight and sound.

When the South African Music Festival came, Ms. Aina sent a special invitation to Wen Yu and the three of them.

South African Music Festival, held in mid-September. This festival is a traditional grand festival in which the whole country participates. Many of the world's leading musicians, performers and celebrities from all walks of life come to South Africa to participate in the music scene. Therefore, the South African Music Festival is a major event of african musical activities and a grand event of foreign exchanges in the Republic of South Africa.

WenYu was invited this time, and the conditions and environment were very different from the last time he went to South Africa. This time I was officially invited to the festival. Moreover, the organizing committee of the music festival specially arranged for WenYu to play a piano solo for half an hour in the second half of the opening ceremony of the music festival. Think about it, what a high honor this gave the Chinese boy Shen Wenyu! And the three people do not have to worry about their own travel expenses, all paid by the South African side.

Teacher Zheng was very happy to receive the invitation. Wenyu Xueqin has been frequently appearing at home and abroad in just five years since Wanzhou, and has received a lot of applause, and his contribution as a teacher is indispensable. Teacher Zheng, Teacher Li and Wenyu also reflect the chinese virtue of respecting teachers. A friend of Teacher Zheng also wrote to him from South Africa: Visas to South Africa are not a problem. Mr. Visa also knew Wenyu, listened to his piano solo, and was very fond of him.

The last time I went to South Africa was from Beijing, and this time I left Shenzhen. On September 17, Wen Yu and his party arrived in Shenzhen and came to Shenzhen Art School. Mr. Zheng immediately went to visit his classmate, colleague, and famous piano educator Mr. Dan Zhaoyi. As soon as the two of them met, they happily talked about life and work, and the most talked about was of course their proud disciples Li Yundi and Shen Wenyu. Shen Wenyu met with Li Yundi and Chen Sa, who were studying piano at the art school. Three outstanding people of the new generation with high musical talent and different characteristics get along together, laugh and laugh, and are very harmonious.

The next day, the Shenzhen Art School posted a big red poster with a large banner "Warmly welcome Shen Wenyu to perform at the Shenzhen Art School." On the same day, Wenyu held a piano solo concert at the art school, and the solo repertoire was basically a repertoire that went to South Africa to perform. After the concert, many of the audience members of the art school rushed to take a photo with Wenyu and ask him to sign an autograph. China's "Piano Art" magazine published in a 1998 issue of the 99 Music News: "On September 18, 1997, Shen Wenyu, a 10-year-old talented piano boy in Sichuan (a student of Zheng Daxin of the Sichuan Conservatory of Music) was invited to perform in South Africa, passing through Shenzhen and successfully held a solo piano recital at the Shenzhen Art School."

On 22 September, the South African Music Festival opened in Pretoria. Musicians, tourists and South African citizens from all over the world took part in this grand festival. After a few brief speeches at the opening ceremony, Wen Yu came on and played solo piano for half an hour. Solo at the opening ceremony of the festival, an accolade that many performers aspire to! The organizing committee of this music festival specially arranged a Chinese boy piano solo, which is unique in the history of the South African music festival. Wen Yu played a difficult repertoire, and with his skillful and touching passion, he opened a spiritual singing and exchange with thousands of audiences on the scene, and won their thunderous applause. Especially those people in the music industry from all over the world, seeing such a powerful Chinese boy emerge, they were even more surprised and sighed.

On September 24, Wenyu performed mozart's K488 concerto with the renowned Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. This concerto is the top work of Mozart's piano concerto and is famous all over the world. The full-field tickets were sold out a few days ago, and before the opening, there were many people outside the venue waiting for someone to refund the ticket. Many audiences have listened to Wenyu's extraordinary piano sound half a year ago, and today they come to the theater again, even buying tickets from ticket sellers at a high price in order to listen to Wenyu again. When WenYu played, the whole audience was quiet, and the whole theater gushed with warmth. The listener was intoxicated, and as the sound of the piano made them float in the air for a long time, they enjoyed the beauty and comfort brought by the sound of the piano. At the end of the song, the audience stood up, and the applause like a tide sounded for a long time, teacher Zheng saw with his own eyes abroad that his favorite student was so welcomed, his face was full of brilliance, and the applause was towards the disciples and also towards the teacher. Students stand on the shoulders of their teachers and receive greater honors. Teacher Zheng was very excited, the applause continued, Wen Yu and the orchestra conductor were still frequently thanking the audience, Teacher Zheng could not suppress his emotions, and almost shouted in the theater. Oh, yes! What could be more gratifying in this world than to see your students achieve great success?

Thousands of spectators, regardless of race or region, gathered to listen to Shen Wenyu's piano solo, reminiscent of South Africa in the past, which was the place where the apartheid system in the world was the most severe. In April 1994, South Africa held its first-ever race-agnostic general election, and Mandela was elected South Africa's first black president. Racial discrimination has been greatly eliminated and South Africa has embarked on the path of modernization of democracy and the rule of law. It makes people feel that noble and beautiful music has appeal, and it can soften the psychology of hatred between people of different nationalities and different hearts.

On September 26, Shen Wenyu held a recital concert at Stenburg University, performed in Johannesburg on the 28th, and performed in Pretoria on the 30th, and each recital was very successful!

After the Stenburg University concert, Music Professor Anthony. On behalf of the school, Mogboche sent Wenyu a letter of thanks. In my heart, I wrote: "Dear Wenyu: Thank you very much for sharing your beautiful music with us tonight, please accept this little gift, it represents our gratitude and admiration for you." You will always be the most popular person at our university. We will keep a close eye on your great future. ”

Just as Wenyu's first trip to South Africa was sought after by the media, this time the South African media still organized a strong lineup of interviewers to report on Wenyu's performance and whereabouts. The South African Times published a photo of Wenyu playing, under which it read: 10-year-old Shen Wenyu is regarded as a piano prodigy. He is now visiting South Africa as an invited guest at the University of Pretoria. A reporter reported that the title was: "10-year-old Chinese piano prodigies are popular in Cape Town"! At the 9th Shanlan National Primary School Piano Competition held at Dubanville Secondary School last night, a 10-year-old Chinese piano prodigy pimped the interest of all Cape Towns present with his world-class solo performance. The 10-year-old, who has been compared to classical music masters such as Mozart, will play in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Stenberg and other places before he returns home next week.

Wenyu's performances in the music industry in South Africa include: Bach Average Rhythm BWr846, Beethoven OP13 Pathos, Debussy's Bergamask Suite Of Four, Schubert OP, 90, NO4 Improv, Chopin OP, 7, NO, 1,OP, 50, NO3, OP, 24NO, 2, OP, 2, OP, 24NO, 4 Mazurka Four OP, 31 Wittics, OP, 15NO.2 Nocturne, Mendelssohn Duo OP, 38NO6, Mozart K, Mr331 Sonata, Chinese works include Li Haiying's "Sunset Drum". Shen Wenyu was invited to come prepared this time, and prepared three recitals, different piano pieces and five piano concertos for the organizers to choose. It is truly incredible that a 10-year-old child has such energy!

Wenyu came to South Africa this time, and there was Teacher Zheng and Teacher Li together, compared with the last time, the pressure was reduced, and the mood was naturally relaxed and happy. This time they still live in Ms. Aina's house. During the festival events, sometimes they go out to perform, or watch art group performances or go out to visit, and they can't return to Pretoria on the same day, so they stay in a hotel for a night. Don't look at Wen Yu sitting on the piano bench, it doesn't look like a child, but in his leisure time, his childlike nature and innocent childlike heart naturally reveal. In Professor Aina's house, he would run around like any other child, teasing puppies and playing with puppies and kittens. Staying in a hotel outside, the teachers and students had never been so relaxed, and WenYu was really happy. After returning to China, Teacher Zheng told Xiao Yuansheng that he stayed with Wenyu in the hotel, and after dinner, he told Teacher Zheng jokes, one by one, non-stop, these jokes came from the set of "Foreign Philosophical Comics" and other books and newspapers that Wenyu had read at home many years ago, and the teachers and students often laughed. Teacher Zheng saw that it was late at night and said, "Rest, rest." Ke Wenyu pestered the teacher, "Talk about one more, talk about another one." Teacher Zheng said that Wen Yu's energy and memory are really good, where there are so many jokes, he can tell an hour or two in one breath without stopping. In South Africa, the boring and monotonous life abroad actually had Wenyu's jokes, which made Teacher Zheng very happy.

During Wen Yu's stay in South Africa with Mr. Zheng and Mr. Li, it was at a time when the People's Republic of China and the Republic of South Africa were preparing to establish diplomatic relations. South Africa's major media often report on China's social and economic development. In their conversations with South African professors, Professor Zheng and Professor Li admired China's more pragmatic achievements since the reform and opening up, and said that China's reform and opening up has reference significance for South Africa's development.

In 1997, Chinese boy Shen Wenyu went to South Africa twice, and with his exquisite piano solo, he set off a Chinese piano fever wave in South Africa. Through Shen Wenyu, the South African audience's understanding of China was real from the fog. In fact, Shen Wenyu's impressive achievements in piano art are themselves due to China's reform and opening up. With his smile and self-confidence, Chinese boy Shen Wenyu sings with his piano to spread friendship in South Africa, and he is a real "folk little angel".