< For the Music Genius - Episode 128 >
“Hyun, do you have a lot of experience traveling abroad?”
The savory smell stimulates the salivary glands.
“why?”
German sausage, Blutwurst, is similar in texture and taste to our country’s blood sausage. Add generously sliced sausages to the budaejjigae broth made with ramen soup and minced garlic, and use chicken instead of pheasant and pasta instead of noodles to create a truly fusion dish ahead of its time.
“It’s because the image of going to Aldi, shopping and cooking looks so familiar. Actually, I’ve been feeling it since London, but I’ve been holding back my curiosity.”
“is it so?”
It was no wonder Chrissy felt that way.
In a way, for a first-year high school student, he must have eaten a lot of foreign food. Furthermore, this skillful cooking ability can be seen as proportional to his past life experience. He was a man who never received a single meal from his wife even after getting married, so he must be foolish.
“And your pronunciation is like someone who has lived in England for a long time.”
“I studied hard on my own in Korea.”
“I never thought I could pronounce it like that on my own. I have a cousin who immigrated to London when he was young, and his pronunciation is even better than mine. Even better than someone who has lived in England for more than ten years.”
I waved my hand and trembled in humility at Chrissy’s compliment. After all, it’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve studied English for decades, including my past life.
By the way, there is a lot of food. From budaejjigae to boiled pork imitating Schweinshaxe, a panorama of East and West was spread out on the table. I feel like drinking a cold glass of beer right now.
“I’m sorry I can’t cook. I never imagined you could prepare this much food by yourself.”
“It’s okay, but I’m glad that I’m staying in a regular house instead of a hotel. I can invite guests like this.”
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
“Welcome, Maestro. Concertmaster.”
It was a visit from Maestro Yuri and conductor Samuel. The two seemed quite taken aback by the smell of food that hit them as soon as they opened the door.
That’s because he probably never thought I would prepare a banquet like this.
The basics of social life are to get along well with your superiors. Europeans, in particular, place importance on dinner invitations, so they would have approached you more seriously.
Having dealt with Chinese people in my past life, my body was trained in guanxi, so this was nothing.
“I was the one who was invited, but it’s embarrassing that I got the invitation from Hyun.”
“Maestro, what does it matter who invites you? It’s more important to have a warm evening together.”
They say that if you know your enemy and know yourself, you will win every battle. These two people were the perfect people to understand the personal details of the picky Berlin Philharmonic members. In particular, conductor Samuel was the most necessary person. In order to properly experience the Berlin Philharmonic in a short period of two weeks.
“Did you call the hotel chef by any chance?”
“No way, I made it myself. For you two.”
If the Queen of Homemaking was active in London,
Here in Berlin, it’s time for the King of Gwent to make his mark.
* * *
“Alberto, is this how I should do it?”
Kang Hyun has been busy with the Berlin Philharmonic since morning. He has been holding the sheet music and violin in his hands since a while ago, and this is why he is so desperate.
European and American orchestras have different styles. While American orchestras build their skills based on textbook techniques, European orchestras prioritize the interpretation of the piece over technique.
In particular, the world’s leading symphony orchestras tend to have their own unique nuances for each repertoire.
“So in this part of the third movement, the trill is like this?”
“Hyun, that’s it―!”
First violinist Alberto gave him a thumbs up. Wasn’t he better than most new members? No, he was as good as the experienced members.
New members often have a hard time adjusting when they move from a minor orchestra to a major orchestra, because the performance techniques and interpretations are so different.
It’s like going back to the beginning, like a child learning to walk for the first time. No wonder they say it takes at least 5 years to adapt to a major league.
‘That’s amazing.’
The conductor Samuel glanced at Kang Hyeon, who was moving between the members and conversing with them.
Usually, new members are overwhelmed and cannot properly show off their skills. However, Kang Hyun was different.
‘Is this what it means to be an orchestra?’
Being outstanding as a soloist and being outstanding as a member of an orchestra are two entirely different matters.
Even if he was an excellent soloist, he often created dissonance in the orchestra.
At first, he thought that Kang Hyun-do might be of the same type as them. However, Samuel’s prediction turned out to be significantly wrong.
“What do you think of Tchaikovsky’s music?”
“Yes, I’m curious about Hyun’s thoughts. It’s the repertoire we’ll be using for our orchestra’s next performance. I’d like you to tell me your impressions of No. 6.”
“Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique is truly amazing. It’s like he wrote his last cry in his life. I like A Winter’s Dream, but I think this piece best expresses his last shadow. The extreme contrast between pianissimo and fortissimo is even more striking in real life. I once had the opportunity to hear the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra perform in person in Russia.”
He immediately catches the attention of the members. Not only is his playing skills excellent, but his rapport with the members is also excellent, so who could dislike him? What’s more, even those who were hostile at first fell for Kang Hyun’s speaking skills as if it were a lie.
Samuel, the conductor, was simply astonished. The members of the Berlin Philharmonic, known for their strong musical pride and virtuosity, were suddenly showing affection for Kang Hyun.
Kang Hyun was skilled in many ways, as if he had been dealing with people for decades.
“The second movement of the piece is in 4/5 time and contains Slavic and anxious metaphors, but the Moscow Philharmonic was different. Rather than maintaining a mirage-like anxiety that could collapse at any moment, they showed off a melody that felt gentle and warm. It was like a Russian folk song.”
“I’m really curious about what it felt like. The Moscow Philharmonic changed conductors, I heard. Thanks to the new deputy chief conductor, their melody, which was like a block of ice, has melted away. Hyun, could you tell me more about it?”
“Just a moment. Can you all help me?”
In an instant, he picked out all the instruments used in the song, from woodwinds to strings. What’s more, he ordered the beat, the volume, and even the emotions, as if recalling the musical ideas of the time.
At that time, there were individual scores for each member, but no score. But Kang Hyun gave signals to the members as if he had memorized the score.
Samuel, who was watching the scene, also had to get involved. Of course, he had been invited to the dinner, so he had to pay for the meal.
“A little more gently here―!”
Before he knew it, the melody of the Moscow Philharmonic was being reproduced at his fingertips.
* * *
“The more popular the better,”
There is a saying that goes, “When water comes in, don’t pour it down.”
“Please refrain from excessive media exposure.”
However, excessive interest can sometimes have negative effects.
Director Im Hye-ra was outstanding as a supporter. Considering Kang Hyun’s age, she refrained from further media exposure. It was on a different level from other agencies that considered artists as mere consumables.
“The reporters knew that Hyun-i was in Berlin?”
“Yes, a few days ago, I got a call from the editor-in-chief of Dongseo Ilbo. He said he saw a child who looked like Hyun at the Berlin airport. He keeps contacting me every day, wondering if I had any sources. Of course, I responded that it was the first time I had heard of it.”
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“It’s okay, I’ll take care of it.”
Of course, there was no way they would write a bad article about Kang Hyun, who was backed by the God of Jeil Group.
But since there is always a chance, it would be better to keep a close eye on things. So that if possible, no articles about Kang Hyun are published.
It was a public service announcement, so there was nothing we could do about it since it was government policy, but we were not interested in it any longer.
‘No matter how much I think about it, my field of vision is broad.’
CEO Im Hye-ra recalled what Kang Hyeon had said before heading to London.
Didn’t you say that the reporters would be thrilled if they found out that you were doing field trips to symphony orchestras in London and Berlin? That you would be in the spotlight.
It was no exaggeration. Even those who are not familiar with classical music would have heard of the reputation of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.
-No matter how much a flower likes sunlight, if it likes too much, it will eventually wither and die.
For someone only seventeen years old, he has a profound insight that you wouldn’t believe. Kang Hyun has already realized the truth of life that too much is as bad as too little.
Director Im Hye-ra sometimes wondered how old Kang Hyeon was. No matter how she looked at it, he didn’t look like a seventeen-year-old student.
* * *
Jiying.
He performed his own composition in front of members of the Berlin Philharmonic. It was a song that had been performed in solo concerts but had not yet been released on an album. Just like Baek Jeong-hoon, their eyes were filled with surprise.
“Hyun, what’s the title of that song?”
“Not yet, I just numbered them.”
“What?”
First violinist Alberto raised his voice. The other members did the same. They seemed shocked by the fact that the music they had been so impressed with was just numbered.
“I always feel like Hyun has no self-awareness.”
“That’s right, at this age, there has never been a musician in the Berlin Philharmonic who has had such a confident presence.”
“You are flattering me.”
Before I knew it, I had become quite friendly with the members of the Berlin Philharmonic. It was quite helpful to have invited conductor Samuel to dinner and to have gotten to know the personalities of the members in advance.
Like this, appropriate conversation skills and manners are basic. Of course, I have dealt with many people in my past life as a prosecutor and a lawyer, and I have met all sorts of people while preparing to become a member of the National Assembly, so I was good at it.
That was when.
“Hyun, the Maestro wants to see you for a moment.”
The Maestro suddenly called me.
I thought about it carefully the whole way to the conductor’s waiting room, wondering if I had done something wrong, but there was nothing I could find fault with.
Rather, I have adapted to the Berlin Philharmonic more quickly than anyone else over the past few days. For example, I may have adapted the fastest among all the members.
“Maestro, did you call?”
Maestro Yuri looked like he had something to say. The maestro, who had been pretending to be quiet, started to talk to me in a subtle way.
“Hyun, you know that the Berlin Philharmonic will perform in a few days, right?”
“Yes, Maestro. It’s a free concert for the Berlin Academy and the local community, right?”
“Yes, it’s a concert that happens once a year. It’s for the Academy and the people who helped raise the reputation of the Berlin Philharmonic.”
Although it was a free performance, the members practiced without a single day of rest. In some ways, it seemed like they valued it more than any other performance.
It would be like that, because if they showed their lacking skills just because it was free, it would tarnish the reputation of the Berlin Philharmonic.
“Guest conductors want to have their own orchestra someday. But to do that, they have to go through a lot of experience and symphony. How many years do you think it usually takes to become a permanent conductor at a world-class orchestra, usually called a major?”
“I don’t know. I think it varies from conductor to conductor.”
“Some take ten years, some more, and some never make it. The world’s top orchestras are not places where conducting is guaranteed just because you have the skills. No wonder they say it’s a position chosen by the god of music. However, there are times when opportunities arise for guest conductors. When the permanent conductor who was supposed to conduct fails to adjust his condition or when the assistant conductor position is vacant.”
At that moment, my doubts grew as to what on earth the Maestro was trying to say.
“Would you like to conduct the second part in the upcoming performance?”
“yes?”
“Of course, if the members allow it.”
The Berlin Philharmonic’s Lion Yuri was smiling faintly, as if everything was going according to plan.
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