< For the Music Genius - Episode 182 >
“Are you not planning on watching your disciple’s instructions?”
To Maxim, Jeong-Hoon is his one and only disciple.
“My presence in the audience doesn’t change anything. It’s the child who has to break down the wall.”
Maxim Ivanov lifted his teacup and moistened his lips.
Alexei, the director of the Moscow Conservatory sitting across from me, nodded briefly. It was not a mistake. It was at that moment.
“Alexey, I never believed in the word talent in the first place. I thought that praising someone with the word talent was terribly disrespectful to them. The same must have been true of the legendary musicians who carved history. They got there through endless effort, but others belittled them as having been born with genius talent.”
Alexei understood what Maxim meant. Haven’t many musicians been belittled for their efforts by the word talent?
Maxim was the same. He was now a Russian master and a world-class maestro, but no one knew exactly how much effort he put in. However, most people referred to him as a “genius.”
“Do you know why I accepted Jeonghoon as my disciple?”
“I have always wondered. I never thought that you, a self-righteous and selfish person, would accept a disciple. I never dreamed that you would be such a devoted teacher for your disciple. What is the reason?”
“Because I saw despair in that child’s eyes.”
Maxim accepted the young Oriental man who came to him as his disciple without hesitation.
The reason was simple. I saw the despair and endless longing in his brown eyes.
“Frustration becomes despair, and despair is reborn as endless effort with earnestness, so Baek Jeong-hoon’s appearance was the conductor I had been looking for. Even though his fingertips were split and his shoulder was dislocated, he never stopped practicing. To him, Kang Hyeon must have been an insurmountable wall. Just like when I was young and looked at Empress Karas and felt frustrated.”
Maxim smiled faintly. Now, it was a faded memory like a black and white photograph, but the moment he saw Karas conducting was a series of colorful and brilliant shocks.
Baek Jeong-hoon, who faced Kang Hyeon, would be no different.
“Alexey, isn’t it strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“It would have been unthinkable in the past that so many musicians are flocking to a small Asian country that was once called a classical music wasteland. It’s the fact that young Asian maestros are opening a new era.”
At that moment, an unknown bird flying in the sky made a sharp turn as if responding.
* * *
Brahms, Symphony No. 4 in E Minor
As Baek Jeong-hun raised his baton, the string ensemble lowered its bows in the same direction.
The magnificent melody of the strings and bow touching each other was raising the curtain on the prologue.
Even if it is the same symphony, the character of the piece is bound to change depending on the conductor’s tendencies.
The audience swallowed their saliva at the chilling feeling, as if walking on a blade.
Brahms’ fourth and final symphony.
Allegro non troppo, fast but not too fast, like the musical symbol, Baek Jeong-hoon’s fingertips caress the members.
The tones of the cello and horn were endlessly deep, as if looking into the abyss of a sinking sea.
The audience felt sweat forming on their palms as the theme continued with a 3-degree downward movement and a 6-degree upward movement.
At that moment,
Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting began to cut through the air fiercely.
The melody that had been quiet was revived under Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting.
It was a command without an inch of hesitation.
Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting was as sharp as the rising pitch, and the tips of the ash trees, imbued with the cold air of Moscow, shone with a frosty glow.
‘earthly.’
Vasily, a young Russian conductor, felt a thrill run through his whole body while watching Baek Jeong-hun conduct.
Isn’t this Brahms’ last symphony, the 4th in E minor, called his life’s masterpiece?
Baek Jeong-hun, with his calm eyes, was like a giant tree that did not shake even an inch in any storm.
Is this what the audience who watched Brahms’ premiere felt like?
Gulp.
The other conductors sitting in the audience were the same. They had already been captivated by Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting.
It wasn’t a gaze that was evaluating from the beginning. Everyone looked at Baek Jeong-hoon with eyes that seemed like they would become an audience member and fall into the stage. That was when it happened.
A melody soaked in sorrow was played, as if trying to cool down the rising anger.
Starting with the horn and woodwinds, the sound using the Phrygian mode is the main theme, and with the addition of the melody of the clarinet and strings using the pizzicato technique, it instantly creates a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere as if walking on clouds.
“The iron-blooded maestro.”
Kang Hyun hummed softly.
Baek Jeong-hoon’s figure was clearly visible beyond the cathode ray tube placed in the waiting room behind the stage.
The sight of Jeong Hoon lifting up the melody that had been dormant and adding a dreamy and mysterious feeling could only be described as beautiful.
Moreover, the sight of him groaning while blocked by an invisible wall was nowhere to be found.
The sharp conducting that continued the melody with calm eyes was truly that of an iron-blooded maestro. That was the time.
The melody that had been crossing over into dreaminess rose again like waves.
As Baek Jeong-hoon’s shoulder moved strongly, the tip of the ash tree cut through the air fiercely. A wave rose, becoming a tidal wave of emotions, and swept over the audience.
It seemed like the members were trying their best not to miss Baek Jeong-hun’s direction.
You could tell how tense they were just by looking at the large beads of sweat forming on the conductor’s forehead.
If you think you might make a mistake, Baek Jeong-hoon’s calm eyes will follow the members’ fingertips.
Even the instruments moved as if they were following Baek Jeong-hun’s instructions, as if measured with a ruler.
But what is this rising elation as the conducting continues?
Even the members who had worked with numerous guest conductors could not hide their surprise.
Old tree.
Like a tall tree towering toward the sky, Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting was without a single flaw.
Doesn’t it seem like a perfect reproduction of Brahms’ premiere, as someone might have thought? It could be described as the classic among classics.
For example, no conductor could conduct Brahms’ masterpiece so perfectly.
It was his endless hard work and persistent passion that made it possible.
Drumroll!
Baek Jeong-hun’s gaze was sharply focused on the tip of the baton.
The wind instruments opened the final chapter with a heavy sound.
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The rising melody began to change majestically as it reached its final conclusion, like the footsteps of a giant.
* * *
“Adam.”
Adam was slow to react, as if he had lost a screw. That was because the deep aftertaste was still taking hold of his whole body.
“Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting is really different from his appearance as a pianist.”
As a pianist, it was easy to imagine Baek Jeong-hun as a weak person.
The way he played from the tips of his long fingers was elegant and graceful, almost as if he was looking at a beautiful woman.
But Baek Jeong-hun as a conductor was completely different, like turning the palm of one’s hand over.
Thump thump thump.
Isn’t your heart still beating without stopping?
At the end of the grandly rising melody, the melody’s footsteps as it approached the audience resembled those of a giant.
The way he led numerous members with calm eyes made him look like a veteran.
It was hard to believe that it had only been a few years since I had switched from being a pianist to conducting.
“European maestros also seem shocked. In particular, Vasily from Russia hasn’t said a word since a while ago.”
“Sharon, if even we, the editors of the music magazine, were so shocked, how much more so would the conductors who conduct in the field be? It’s no wonder Vasily is so silent.”
The story of the young Russian conductor Vasily visiting Maestro Maxim Ivanov was already famous in classical music circles.
Vasily, who had the wildness and strong pride typical of Russians, put everything down and went to see Maxim, but Maxim flatly rejected his offer.
The reason was simple: ‘You and I are going different ways.’
“Adam, the excitement of the musicians is palpable in the audience. Even during the break, no one leaves their seat. Look, that’s Joseph Fiennes. Even a musician recognized by the British Royal Family is so out of it.”
“It’s understandable that you would be shocked by something you didn’t expect.”
Of course, most people were expecting Kang Hyun to conduct. However, Baek Jeong-hoon’s conducting was like pouring cold water on their heads.
In particular, his melody and resonance, which recreated Brahms in his own image, rang alarm bells in the minds of numerous musicians.
Adam looked at the empty stage and thought deeply. And then.
“The Giant’s Command.”
Adam defined Baek Jeong-hun’s conducting in just one sentence.
* * *
Kang Hyun was sitting alone in the conductor’s waiting room.
A conductor who has to go on stage and interact with numerous members is a sensitive creature. If he makes even the slightest mistake, it will affect the entire symphony like dominoes.
But there was not even a hint of tension on Kang Hyun’s face.
“also-!”
Didn’t you clench your fists as soon as Baek Jeong-hoon finished conducting? It must have felt like you were watching your grown son play.
Of course, didn’t Kang Hyun train Baek Jeong Hoon harshly over the past few months?
I wanted to leave the waiting room right now, hug Baek Jeong-hoon, and pat him on the back for his hard work, but I had to hold back. For the sake of the audience waiting for me.
dripping.
At that moment, an unexpected person came into the waiting room along with a knock on the door.
“Brother, can I come in?”
Kang Hyun smiled broadly. What could possibly go wrong?
“I forgot to tell you this yesterday.”
“huh?”
Son Yu-ha handed me a thin handkerchief. It was white with a pink flower embroidered in the center. Judging from the band attached to the tip of the finger holding it, it seemed to have been hand-made.
“I made it. It’s like a talisman to help you command, oppa. If it’s too much of a hassle, I’ll keep it.”
Sometimes, she was as confident as a warrior, but now, she was just a young girl.
Kang Hyun carefully stroked Son Yu Ha’s head with his long fingers.
“thank you.”
Son Yu-ha’s cheek turned into a pink flower embroidered on a handkerchief.
At that moment, the stage staff came to the waiting room and told Kang Hyun that he had to get ready. Now was the time to step forward for the audience.
“Are you worried?”
When their eyes met, Son Yu-ha smiled as if nothing had happened and looked at Kang Hyun. Now, the height difference was quite large, so Son Yu-ha’s head was touching Kang Hyun’s shoulder.
side.
At that moment, Son Yu-ha lifted her heel and kissed Kang Hyeon on the cheek.
“It’s the second talisman―!”
In times like this, the Ice Queen was right. Her face turned red, but she didn’t hesitate to express her true feelings.
“I’ll be back.”
Son Yu-ha nodded vigorously at Kang Hyun’s words. This must be proof that he trusts her that much.
The baton was in Kang Hyun’s hands.
The grip is perfect for my hand, and the center of gravity is excellent. From my shoulder to my elbow and the tip of the baton, it feels like we are one body.
In a way, it was natural. After all, isn’t this the baton that embodies the essence of Berlin?
Thump.
Like a general heading to the battlefield, Kang Hyun’s steps were unstoppable. The bright lights on the stage were shining as brightly as the sun, but he had nothing to fear.
Even though the members and the large audience were looking at him, his heart felt like it was pounding fiercely.
At that moment, a warm feeling caressed his whole body. Kang Hyun’s gaze slowly turned to his heart.
Of course, the thing that warmed Kang-hyun the most right now was none other than Yu-ha’s handkerchief that was stuck in place of the handkerchief.
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