Piano no Mori Episode 14 Review: Fixation

The second cour of Piano no Mori hits the ground running! The second episode of the season, opens with the much expected Second Stage of the Chopin Tournament! Music has always been at the core of what makes this anime shine, and Episode 14 ‘Fixation’ brings back quite a few classical melodies from renowned pianist Chopin.

Plot

The first day of Stage Two of the Chopin Tournament is underway. First up on the docket are Sophie Ormesson and Pang Wei. Both pianists give it their all, but, it’s Pang Wei that wows the crowd with his powerful playing, which is stylistically similar to that of Sousuke Ajino.

Episode Highlights

English Speaking Announcer: I’m only assuming this is the case for international competitions, but the announcer once again introduces the participants and their programs in English.

CGI Animation: The second cour brings back last season’s CGI animation. While I am still not a fan of the clunky style, I can see that the animators are making better use of it this season. Rather than solely focusing on the pianist, there are a few sweeping shots of the competition hall and the crowd. Unfortunately, it looks like an early 2000’s first-person shooter and not a cleanly shot anime. Mind you, I’m also watching revisions and while I’m not a fan of the CGI there either, I feel it it is better suited to the more action heavy storyline than the slow slice of life storyline here.

Darker and Edgier: During the musical sequences, there is often a visual accompaniment that embodies the feelings and emotions of the pianist. Usually they are directly tied to some past experience. In the case of Wei Pang, his tend to be pretty dark to complement the tragedies he experienced in his past. This season, however, seems to be even darker than the last…

Themes & Trivia

Sonata: In the Second Stage of the Chopin Tournament, participants are required to choose a sonata as part of their program. Sonata comes from the Italian sonare, which means ‘to sound’, denoting a piece of music that is meant to be played as opposed to sung (a cantata). In the pre-Classical era, sonatas were one of many terms used for defining large-scale compositions. It wasn’t until the Classical period that the term was used almost exclusively for multi-movement works.

Sonata Movement Layouts:

The Allegro, which is typically played at a quick tempo
A middle movement, known as the slow movement (an Andante, an Adagio, or a Largo)
A closing movement or Finale which is a return to the faster-paced tempo (ie. Allegro, Presto, or Rondo)

Polonaise: In the Second Stage of the Chopin Tournament, participants are required to choose a polonaise as part of their program. A polonaise is a Polish dance composition, played in ¾ time. Chopin is one of the best-known composers of polonaise.

Mazurka: In the Second Stage of the Chopin Tournament, participants are required to choose a mazurka as part of their program. Like the polonaise, the mazurka is also a Polish dance composed in triple time. They are usually played at a lively tempo, and with strong accents placed on the second or third beat.

Long-Thaibaud Competition: It’s mentioned that Pang Wei participated in this competition prior to competing in the Chopin Tournament. The Long-Thaibaud Competition is an international classical musical competition held in France for pianists, violinists, and singers. Named for pianist Marguerite Long and the violinist Jacques Thibaud, the competition was expanded to include singers in 2011 and was renamed Long–Thibaud–Crespin Competition.

Now Playing

I did something similar in my reviews for Tsurune (and I probably should have done it sooner for these reviews), but, since this is a musical anime, there are a lot of musical pieces played. Rather than cram them all into the Themes & Trivia section, here’s a separate section just for the musical compositions in each episode.

Polonaise No.5, Op. 44: The first piece played by Sophie and Wei Pang in the second stage of the competition. Written in 1841, by Polish composer Chopin, the Polonaise No.5, Op. 44 is often referred to as the “tragic” polonaise.

Played by Charles Richard-Hamelin in the second stage of the Chopin Tournament: YouTube

Mazurka in G Sharp minor, Op. 33, No. 1: The second piece in Wei Pang’s Second Stage performance.

Played by Seong-Jin Cho in the third stage of the Chopin Tournament: YouTube

No. 2 in D major: Mazurkas, Op. 33: No. 2 in D Major is the second of four mazurkas written and published by Chopin in 1838. It has a fast tempo with irregular accents.

Played by Szymon Nehring in the 12th International Music Festival: YouTube

Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 35: Is a piano sonata in four parts composed by Chopin between 1837-1839 and published in 1840. Of the four movements the third, known as the “Funeral March” is the most famous. *Only the 1st, 3rd, and 4th movements were played in the episode.*

Played by Yundi Li: YouTube

Comments

One thing I really love about this series is how much time it spends fleshing out its characters, particularly the side characters. Last week we spent some much-needed time with Adamski, and this week it was Pang Wei’s time to shine. In Episode 10 we were introduced to Pang Wei and his powerful playing, but, in this week’s episode, we get an even more intimate look at his past.

Wei Pang and Kai share a lot of similarities. Both were born under less than savory circumstances and experienced unimaginable hardships because of their upbringing. However, where Kai is continually shown to be optimistic and upbeat, Wei Pang is seemingly consumed by his rage and it shows in their differing playing styles. Wei Pang’s playing is much more somber and terrifying, embodying the pain and suffering he endured throughout his life which imbues his music with a much harsher sound, though no less beautiful.

Surpassing the Master

The start of the second stage of the Chopin is a return to form for Piano no Mori, bringing us wonderful musical compositions from Chopin. But, even more than that, we delve into the personal history of Pang Wei one of the Chopin Tournament’s toughest competitors. This was yet another powerful episode with some great character moments.

I’ll be back next week with another Piano no Mori review, but in the meantime, be sure to check out MANGA.TOKYO’s other amazing Winter 2019 reviews!!

NEXT TIME: Awakening