< For the Music Genius - Episode 126 >
Sizzle sizzle!
The mansion in Pyeongchang-dong was bustling. The sound of grilling meat and the savory smell of various dishes made it easy to mistake it for a holiday.
The reason was simple. Today was none other than Chairman Wang’s birthday, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that all of Jeil Group’s loyal followers had gathered.
Even if he created a soccer team, there was no shortage of numbers. Chairman Wang had three sons and two daughters, and he already had enough grandchildren to fill one hand.
“Father, happy birthday!”
“Happy birthday, Grandpa!”
The voices of the eldest son, Son Il-seon, and the grandsons followed as if repeating his orders. Among them was the third son, Son Hong-won, who had been rejected by Chairman Wang.
He looked like a child who was anxious, sitting there in a state of anxiety, afraid that Chairman Wang might get angry at him.
“Okay, thanks. Let’s all listen.”
It was impossible to be angry on such a happy day. On the table where silence had descended, only the banquet was shining brightly.
As the rice bowls were about to empty, one person spoke first, unable to bear the atmosphere.
“Sister, is Yuha still in America?”
“No, he should be in London by now.”
“London? Why did you go there to play? How nice it would be if you could come to Korea on a day like today to celebrate your grandfather’s birthday. Even though he’s usually quick-witted, he always misses such an important day. Our Gyeongwon woke up suddenly when he heard that it was his grandfather’s birthday. I think Il-seon oppa needs to scold Yu-ha. He’ll get spoiled if he stays abroad all the time.”
The youngest daughter of Chairman Wang, who was in charge of the department store, was whining.
While there were brothers who were afraid of Son Il-seon, there were also those who were not, and the youngest daughter was one of them. Since Chairman Wang raised her as a child, she sometimes lacked the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
“Yuha visited Korea a week ago. I called him in advance because I thought it would be too crowded on a day like today and I wouldn’t be able to have a proper conversation with this old man.”
“yes?”
“I’ve eaten everything, so you can go talk to your brothers.”
When Chairman Wang got up first, his children were seen to hesitate. It was obvious why they had come to Pyeongchang-dong. They wanted to impress Chairman Wang even a little bit regarding the inheritance that would come later.
“Father, I brought out the boy tea.”
It was when Chairman Wang was taking a break in the study. Im Hye-ra came knocking on the door, holding a teapot and a teacup that she had brewed herself. Why did she want to pour the tea neatly to cleanse her palate? Of all the daughters-in-law, isn’t she the one who knows Chairman Wang the best?
“Mom, what’s the atmosphere like outside?”
“Most of the time, they are busy looking at Mr. Ilseon’s face. The third son seemed relieved that his father didn’t say anything. I was nervous that my father might get angry.”
“Is it because I’m afraid I’ll break the third person’s forehead with a spoon like Chairman Yoo? The hierarchy among them is something that I, the one who’s leaving, should take care of, not I. Look at the youngest, he still thinks he got the department store because of his outstanding abilities and is acting wild.”
In a way, today was a day for Son Il-seon, not Chairman Wang. It was also because of this that Chairman Wang, who was usually like a tiger, gave up his seat first.
“Mom, who do you think will take charge of the future of Jeil Group?”
“Objectively speaking, among the gentlemen and ladies, Ilseon is the most outstanding.”
“Then who do you think will take over next?”
It was not an easy answer. Chairman Wang had more than ten grandchildren. Of them, Son Yu-ha was said to be the most outstanding, but he was still young.
Chairman Wang smiled pleasantly as he watched Im Hye-ra, who was thinking calmly, over and over again. No matter how I looked at it, she really did choose a good daughter-in-law. As such, there was no way to give Son Yu-ha extra points just because she was his daughter.
“That’s enough. By the way, Mom, you brewed the tea really well.”
Some time had passed, and the teacup was about to be emptied.
“By the way, Father, what were you looking at just now?”
Im Hye-ra looked curious as she looked at the thick album on the desk in the study. It seemed that she had been very curious since she had come to the study with a bottle of tea.
Chairman Wang smiled playfully at the sight of Hye-ra Im looking around with her eyes wide open. It was a hearty smile, just like the smiling children in the photo.
“What is it? It’s my only hobby.”
* * *
-The conductor’s hands are heavy.
These were the words I heard when I first received the baton from Maestro Spencer. He must have told me to have a sense of mission because the orchestra’s tone changes at the conductor’s fingertips and the interpretation of the piece is recreated.
Even if it is a simple 4/4 beat, the orchestra that expresses it with a huge sound shows that they trust and follow the conductor.
-Keep in mind that the dead song must come back to life at your fingertips.
In colloquial terms, conductors are said to be those who reinterpret the notes of the dead. They have to recreate and present melodies of symphonies left by great composers who died hundreds of years ago or as little as a few decades ago.
“Hyun, did I tell you about the time when I first learned conducting?”
“which?”
“For about three years, I must have been responsible for binding and transcribing the music scores of the orchestra members. I had to know very well what kind of work the orchestra members did, what kind of tone the trombone produced, and what kind of music scores were used for that instrument. After three years of doing that, I was able to hold the baton for practice for the first time.”
Who would have thought that Maestro Spencer would have had such days? Wasn’t he the maestro who could command numerous members with just one command?
Everyone holds their breath when they see his charismatic gaze on the conducting podium, so it is not for nothing that he is called the heart of the London Symphony.
“Looking back on those times, I have many feelings for Hyun. He was such an outstanding violinist, but he also showed tremendous ability as a conductor. It was a great blessing to be able to lead without losing his touch amidst the sounds of so many instruments.”
“Thanks to the Maestro’s excellent teaching.”
“Don’t try to cover up your talents and efforts with the word humility. Just look at your right hand.”
Looking at his palm, he saw that the skin on his hand that had been holding the baton was already peeling off and calluses had formed. There were even blisters all over his body, so anyone who saw him would have thought he had been marching on his palm.
Maestro Spencer has been teaching me conducting with all his heart for the past week, from the basics to his own know-how.
It was the courtesy between teachers and students to put forth all their effort as a learner.
“Guest conductors are like wanderers looking for an oasis. They have to work with different orchestras every time, so they face many difficulties outside of conducting. That’s why everyone wants to have their own orchestra as a permanent conductor. However, to become a permanent conductor at a world-class orchestra, you have to go through many hurdles. I wonder where Hyun will end up.”
Isn’t that a fiercely intense gaze?
When I finished my bar exam in my last life, a senior colleague gave me this look. He strongly recommended that I graduate from the Judicial Research and Training Institute and come to his law firm.
Of course, it is incomparably more intense than the gaze of the senior at that time. Of course, isn’t he the world’s greatest maestro?
That was when.
“Maestro, the midnight snack delivery is here.”
“Snack?”
In the middle of the night, the voice of the conductor Dmitry was heard from beyond the practice room, calling out, “Hongdukke.” Before they knew it, the members had the word “midnight snack” on their lips.
All the members, including Dmitry, came to the practice room. It must be because they will soon have to leave this place and head to Germany.
Principal cellist Emanuel even had a cake in his hands.
“Now, there’s something I absolutely have to do when I go to Germany.”
“What is that, Emmanuel?”
“Show them exactly what kind of people the London Symphony Orchestra’s reserve members are. Come back after you’ve broken the Berlin Philharmonic’s noses!”
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I barely managed to hold back from almost getting caught in a sare.
I forgot that the competition between the world’s leading symphony orchestras is fierce. It wasn’t just Emanuel. The other members had the same expression.
They were looking at me as if I was their family. Everyone was clenching their fists and cheering for me to head to Berlin. If someone saw me, it looked like I was going to a showdown.
* * *
August in Germany is like spring in Korea.
“Hyun, I have arrived.”
I looked out the car window wearing only a thin cardigan. The Berlin Philharmonic Concert Hall has a unique exterior and interior.
Like the synesthetic interior, the exterior was also designed in a multifaceted way, giving it a sophisticated feel that was hard to believe for a building built decades ago.
Moreover, isn’t it said that the interior of the concert hall is arranged in various levels and angles like a vineyard on a hillside, with the farthest seat from the center of the stage being only 30 meters?
“There are more people than I thought?”
“I found out that today is the Berlin Philharmonic’s rehearsal day.”
“Rehearsal?”
I parted ways with Yuha at the airport and arrived in Berlin two days earlier than scheduled. I had some time to spare and came to see the outside of the concert hall, but the day I went was a market day, which was a windfall.
“Can the general public watch the rehearsal?”
“There are days when it is open to the public, but today is a rehearsal day for the Academy students.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t see it in person. Chrissy, please wait in the car for a moment. I’ll go and look around the concert hall by myself.”
I didn’t go straight to see Maestro Yuri. In the West, it is sometimes considered rude to go earlier than the scheduled time.
I was briefly looking around the outside of the concert hall.
“hyeon-!”
I thought it was a concert hall employee with white hair calling my name. I was about to take a step forward, but then I heard my name vividly again.
“hyeon?”
“The name is correct, though.”
“Let’s go quickly. What are we going to do if it takes this long to go to the bathroom―!”
Without even being able to refuse, I was led by the old man’s hand into the concert hall.
The old man personally checked the seat and helped me sit down. The other people sitting next to me looked at me with a puzzled expression.
That was when.
“Everyone, please focus―!”
As the members in their casual attire stepped onto the stage of the concert hall, the chaotic hall became simply quiet. The eyes of these students, who were the academy students, were more serious than ever.
It would be the same, after all, as it is the Berlin Philharmonic. It would not be an exaggeration to say that all of them dream of becoming a member of the Berlin Philharmonic as their lifelong dream.
‘The Maestro isn’t here yet.’
Just because it’s an orchestra rehearsal doesn’t mean the maestro will always be present.
Sometimes the conductor takes over that role, and perhaps on a day like today, it is to showcase the individual skills of the Academy students.
Don’t you practice according to the signal of the man who appears to be the conductor?
‘That’s amazing.’
There was an outburst of admiration with a different meaning than during the London Symphony. In particular, the ability of the first violinist, who appeared to be the conductor, was beyond words.
It felt different from Dmitry of the London Symphony. Dmitry was more talented as a performer than as a conductor, while the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic was also quite capable. Even his cold appearance was similar.
“If you have any questions, please raise your hand now.”
It was a brief break after the second movement. The conductor asked the audience in the concert hall, but there was no answer.
The academy students must have been frozen by the conductor’s charisma. It was understandable, because the rehearsal seemed to be just as good as the students thought it would be.
“Can I ask you a question?”
At that moment, Kang Hyun slowly raised his hand.
“It’s okay, but what is your name?”
“My name is Hyun.”
The conductor Samuel narrowed his eyes at the appearance of the academy student, who looked very young. For some reason, the name seemed familiar.
* * *
one side,
“I told you I had to go in?”
“Well, well, rehearsal has already started so you can’t come in.”
Choi Hyun, a 27-year-old academy student from Shanghai, China, was scuffling with another employee at the entrance to the concert hall.
Why on earth would I get a stomachache on the day I could attend the Berlin Philharmonic’s rehearsal, which I had been looking forward to more than ever?
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