(4) Moonlight
[The image blinks on, and Oliver's face comes into focus. His hair is down, no braid beside his face, and a little damp. As he speaks, he works at brushing it]
Hallu. I en't got no progress on some sort of channel or nothing yet, but that dun matter, because I can still do this, eh? Well. I have the PCD on top of the piano. Er. I've been playing a little with the recordings, and it seems like this is the best place for the resonance I can find easily.
Er.
So. Tonight, I am going to start by playing, well, part of the Suite bergamasque. It was composed by Claude Debussy, oh, late 1800s, in my world, which seems to parallel the other Earths, at least, if not every other world out there. That makes it, to me, a little over a hundred years old or so. I...can't remember all of Prelude and I never liked Minuet or Passepied as much, so I'm only playing the third movement, Clair de Lune. It means 'Moonlight'.
Arranged by Me (I was kind of bored).
[At this, Oliver blushes]
Er. Alright. This is for Kaworu, whom I'm sure many of you know. He told me that it would be wonderful to hear some music again, and for some reason, Moonlight came to mind. I arranged this piece with sort of a church choir accompaniment in mind, even though there really aren't lyrics or anything. Just...for the feel of it.
[He drops the brush beside the PCD. His arm is bare. He clears his throat.]
Well. This is the Third Movement of Debussy's Suite bergamasque, called Clair de Lune.
[He closes his eyes and starts to play. As he does, his body moves, hair swinging back and forth, often obscuring parts of his face. Occasionally, he'd make a little face when he hit the wrong note, or was too early or late, but more often, he was just making faces as he played the music, recalling it without sheets. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. By the time he finished, it wasn't hard to understand why he was always talking about music.
Taking a breath, he opened his eyes and blushed a little.]
Now, I'd like to play one more piece, again, not the whole thing, just one movement. Er. In this case, it Piano Sonata No. 14 in c-sharp minor, "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2. That's 'Moonlight Sonata', if you know that name. I chose it for two reasons. First, it fits with the moonlight theme. Second, the third movement, which I am going to play, always reminds me of a summer storm breaking over the water, and things seem to have been stormy lately. The storm ends, though, peacefully, and I hope that carries over to the city.
So, Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Von Beethvon, Mvt. 3.
[Again, he closes his eyes and starts to play. This time it starts out faster, louder, stronger. Again, Oliver moves as he plays, putting not just his fingers but his body into the music. Again, he isn't perfect, but it's certainly not bad. Through the last four minutes or so, his tongue starts to peek out of the corner of his mouth, though his eyes never open. After he finishes, he sits still for a moment, as though the music is done but his mind is still playing another piece, or going over the same notes again in a silent encore.
After a few breaths, he looks up at the PCD and swallows, biting his lip. He reached up and knocks it over. With a little noise, there's the sound of hurried rustling, keys are pressed as he leans agaisnt the piano, and he snatches it up.]
Er. Sorry, everyone! Sorry!
[The picture moves rapidly again, back to Oliver, his sleeves rolled up well past his elbows and the top button of his shirt undone. His hair fell about his shoulders, and he gave a little smile.]
Er. Okay, that's all from me for tonight. Michio, I've got some rock coming for you. Er. If anyone can sing Elvis well, you'd be a great help! If you have any requests, I'm always looking. Er. Anyone who can play or sing and wants to take part in the next broadcast, I'm willing to share! Er.
C'est la vie!
[He fumbles with the PCD for a second, and then the feed ends.]
Hallu. I en't got no progress on some sort of channel or nothing yet, but that dun matter, because I can still do this, eh? Well. I have the PCD on top of the piano. Er. I've been playing a little with the recordings, and it seems like this is the best place for the resonance I can find easily.
Er.
So. Tonight, I am going to start by playing, well, part of the Suite bergamasque. It was composed by Claude Debussy, oh, late 1800s, in my world, which seems to parallel the other Earths, at least, if not every other world out there. That makes it, to me, a little over a hundred years old or so. I...can't remember all of Prelude and I never liked Minuet or Passepied as much, so I'm only playing the third movement, Clair de Lune. It means 'Moonlight'.
Arranged by Me (I was kind of bored).
[At this, Oliver blushes]
Er. Alright. This is for Kaworu, whom I'm sure many of you know. He told me that it would be wonderful to hear some music again, and for some reason, Moonlight came to mind. I arranged this piece with sort of a church choir accompaniment in mind, even though there really aren't lyrics or anything. Just...for the feel of it.
[He drops the brush beside the PCD. His arm is bare. He clears his throat.]
Well. This is the Third Movement of Debussy's Suite bergamasque, called Clair de Lune.
[He closes his eyes and starts to play. As he does, his body moves, hair swinging back and forth, often obscuring parts of his face. Occasionally, he'd make a little face when he hit the wrong note, or was too early or late, but more often, he was just making faces as he played the music, recalling it without sheets. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't bad. By the time he finished, it wasn't hard to understand why he was always talking about music.
Taking a breath, he opened his eyes and blushed a little.]
Now, I'd like to play one more piece, again, not the whole thing, just one movement. Er. In this case, it Piano Sonata No. 14 in c-sharp minor, "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2. That's 'Moonlight Sonata', if you know that name. I chose it for two reasons. First, it fits with the moonlight theme. Second, the third movement, which I am going to play, always reminds me of a summer storm breaking over the water, and things seem to have been stormy lately. The storm ends, though, peacefully, and I hope that carries over to the city.
So, Moonlight Sonata by Ludwig Von Beethvon, Mvt. 3.
[Again, he closes his eyes and starts to play. This time it starts out faster, louder, stronger. Again, Oliver moves as he plays, putting not just his fingers but his body into the music. Again, he isn't perfect, but it's certainly not bad. Through the last four minutes or so, his tongue starts to peek out of the corner of his mouth, though his eyes never open. After he finishes, he sits still for a moment, as though the music is done but his mind is still playing another piece, or going over the same notes again in a silent encore.
After a few breaths, he looks up at the PCD and swallows, biting his lip. He reached up and knocks it over. With a little noise, there's the sound of hurried rustling, keys are pressed as he leans agaisnt the piano, and he snatches it up.]
Er. Sorry, everyone! Sorry!
[The picture moves rapidly again, back to Oliver, his sleeves rolled up well past his elbows and the top button of his shirt undone. His hair fell about his shoulders, and he gave a little smile.]
Er. Okay, that's all from me for tonight. Michio, I've got some rock coming for you. Er. If anyone can sing Elvis well, you'd be a great help! If you have any requests, I'm always looking. Er. Anyone who can play or sing and wants to take part in the next broadcast, I'm willing to share! Er.
C'est la vie!
[He fumbles with the PCD for a second, and then the feed ends.]